JB Instant Lawn Blog

A Healthy Lawn and The Three-Legged Stool Analogy

Aug 17th, 2014

On many occasions I am asked-

“What do I need to do to keep my lawn looking great”?

While there are endless tips and tricks to keeping a happy healthy lawn- all efforts are futile when ignoring the need to effectively provide these three important applications and/or programs-

Mowing, Fertilizing and Irrigating.

Imagine if you will - a three legged stool. With each leg sitting on a level plane the stool distributes the weight perfectly- But, remove or weaken one of these legs and the stool no longer performs as it was meant… these three legs – Mowing, Fertilizing and Irrigation - are the foundation to your lawn’s vigor, beauty and function that will last for many years to come.

So now that we have set up this simple understanding and analogy- Lets begin by discussing and approaching each leg separately to insure their integrity- starting with Leg #1 (Mowing) as today’s Blog entry.

Leg #1 – Mowing

Now I know what you may be thinking- “hey I know how to start and run a mower for cutting grass”.

But I would suggest taking a moment to read this section- you may find there is indeed room for improvement regarding your current approach to maintaining this ‘leg’- bringing you one step closer to those emerald green expectations.

Here are some great tips to improve your mowing strategy:

*Mower blades need to be sharp- preserving lawn health and delivering quality aesthetic.

*Mow in straight deliberate lines- overlapping the previous wheel line- and avoiding circular patterns.

*Cut lawn areas often enough to remove no more than 1/3 of the blade in a single mowing.

*A mowing height of two inches is ideal in most cases.

*Always remove accumulated clippings or ‘grasscycle’ clippings with mulching blades.

*Change mowing direction to avoid ruts and irregular lawn growth patterns.

*If possible- avoid mowing lawn areas during excessively wet conditions.

Following these basic rules- you can be sure ‘Leg #1’ of your stool is fortified!

Stay tuned! In my next Blog entry- we will cover Leg #2 – Fertilizer applications.