Lawn cutting is a necessary evil. For some its a weekend drudgery, for others its a time to don the headphones and escape from the world for an hour. Whether for pleasure or business, the grass has to be mowed. At the very least to keep angry neighbors and Johny Law at bay. Lawn cutting opens leaf tissue and exposes it to pests such as molds and fungus. The great thing about grass, and why it makes such a great plant for lawns, is that it has a very high tolerance to being cut on a regular basis. Unnecessary cutting however can be damaging.

The objective when cutting grass is to cut as little leaf tissue as possible. Kind of like surgery, precision cutting is the key. A sharp blade will make clean, straight cuts, minimizing grass tissue damage. On the other hand, a dull blade will hack at the blades, tearing and shredding the ends. This opens the lawn up to diseases and weakens the overall health of the plant.

How often should you sharpen the mower blades? A good rule of thumb is every 25 hours of cutting, you should have the blades sharpened. Obviously if your using the mower to mulch up leaves and sticks, that time will be shorter. Take notice of the grass blade ends after a cutting. If you notice the ends are jagged and look like they were hacked with a machete, its time to get them sharped.

Where is a good place to take the blades for sharpening? We recommend Suburban Lawn & Equipment. They take care of the local grass cutting pros and know what they’re doing.

Remember to keep your mower blades sharp and you lawn will thank you for it.

If you’re not the do-it-yourself type, give us a call and we’d be happy to help with your lawn mowing service needs.

Stewart Bros. Turf, LLC
Servicing Wimington, Brandywine, Pike Creek, Newark, Hockessin, Delaware

Everybody wants a weed free, dark green and lush lawn. Did you know that a simple thing like choosing the correct lawn cutting height for your grass type can go a long way to contributing to that goal.

Delaware is largely made up of what are called cool season grasses. Species include tall fescues, fine fescues, ryes and kentucky blue grass. The one warm season grass that can be found is zoysia grass. More about grass types.

Cool season grasses grow up whereas warm season grasses grow out. In other words, cool season grasses spend their energy growing as tall as they can while warm season grasses stay relatively short but grow out as wide as they can, aggressively spreading throughout a yard. Case in point, if your next door neighbor has zoysia grass and you do nothing. Eventually your lawn could be mostly zoysia grass as well.

The best lawn cutting height for cool season grasses is as high as you can tolerate. 3.5″ is a good height. If you don’t mind higher grass, 4″ to 4.5″ is even better (most people find a property cutting of 4″ and above too high for their preferences). Cutting the grass higher has several benefits that contribute to a healthy lawn.

Benefits of higher yard cuttings:
1. Taller grass will choke out lower growing weeds.
2. With more leaf tissue, grass can produce and store more food.
3. The soil will be better shaded and kept cooler, keeping in more moisture and helping the lawn to be better drought resistant.
4. Taller grass is healthier, promotes good root growth, and more insect and fungus resistant.

We find that 3.5″ provides the best combination of being high enough for a healthy lawn while being short enough to look clean and sharp after a mowing. Although we are always happy to mow at a higher height upon request.

Keep in mind that it is best not to cut more than 1/3 of the blades at one cutting. More than 1/3 is traumatic for the grass plants.

If you’re not the do-it-yourself type, give us a call and we’d be happy to help with your lawn cutting service needs.

Stewart Bros. Turf, LLC
Servicing Wimington, Brandywine, Pike Creek, Newark, Hockessin, Delaware