Spring is an exciting time for everyone including your lawn. The days are longer, the temperatures are on the rise and it’s a great time to start freshening up your landscape. However, it’s very important to remember a few key things that will save you money and increase the curb appeal of your lawn.
This time of the year your grass is starting to grow rapidly. It’s vital that during this rapid growth your lawn is mowed properly. The majority of lawns in the Roanoke Valley are tall fescue grass. This grass requires regular mowing above 3”. Leaving your lawn 3” or higher increases its ability to fight off unwanted weeds and diseases.
It’s a common practice for many people to allow their lawns to grow out of control and then mow it too short. Doing this is commonly called scalping and it stresses your grass. Repeatedly scalping your lawn will open up the canopy and increase the presence of weeds like wiregrass, clover and other common weeds.
To eliminate scalping make sure you remove a maximum of 1/3 of the length of the grass with each mowing. If your lawn has grown out of control, don’t worry it’s a simple fix. Raise the mowing height to only remove 1/3 the length of the grass before mowing. After mowing wait a day or two and mow your lawn again. Before mowing a second time lower the mower height to only remove 1/3 the length of the grass. Follow this pro-cess until your lawn is again 3” – 4” tall.
Following this simple rule of mowing will help your lawn naturally fight off common weeds and diseases reducing the amount of inputs your lawn requires to stay healthy!