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Writer's pictureMathew Birchard

HOW TO Avoid 3 Habits That Absolutely Destroy Your Lawn


brown patchy grass


The Japanese have a philosophy in their culture where the outside of their home is an extension of the home itself. In America, we love our lawns and gardens. But there are few things more frustrating then pouring our time, money, and love into our lawn only to find that no matter what we do it simply never looks healthy. A large part of that, in many cases, is caused by how the lawn is cared for. If your lawn is struggling, take a look at these 3 habits that could very well be causing literally all of your problems.


why is my grass turning brown!? 3 Habits That Destroy Lawns


While there are any number of problems that many lawns face every day, from improper fertilization to pests, diseases, and oh so many more, a fair number of these issues can be directly linked to poor maintenance - and any (or all of them) of them might explain why your grass is turning brown. Whether it's from a landscaper who means well but lacks certain knowledge or skills, or our own mistakes (likely resulting from bad advice found online or from friends and family), the good news is that these issues are pretty simple to address - though it may be a great challenge to overcome some of the major issues that they cause.



grass blades cut with dull mower blade

Mowing with Dull Blades The way you mow, the frequency of mowing, and how sharp your blades are all have a direct (yes, DIRECT) impact on the health, density, and color of your lawn. And to the trained eye, it takes 2 seconds to spot an improperly maintained lawn. The photo above, shows a blade of grass cut with a dull mower blade. And right next to it, is a blade of grass cut with a sharpened blade. Did you see the image at the beginning of this article? That is the effect of multiple factors, watering improperly, compacted soil, mowing while wet, and mowing with dull blades. And the grass in the image here which my son is holding is from that lawn after we cut it to demonstrate our equipment for the customer. Mowing with dull blades splits and shreds the ends of your grass. Sorta like split ends in hair. The effect is unhealthy grass, with ugly brown ends, and over time your lawn will thin out and die. But you aren't going to do this to yourself, and your landscaper is super professional, so you know he's going to make sure his blades are sharp from this day forward.


How often should you sharpen mower blades, and how sharp should they be? That's a bit beyond the scope of this article. But suffice it to say that they should always be sharp when you cut, not sharp enough to cut you if you grab them, but about as sharp as a dull kitchen knife.


Cutting Wet Grass Wet grass is the bane of your lawn... if you mow it while wet. Mowing wet grass does not allow the blades of the grass to lift up properly into the deck of your mower, which leads to shredding, which in turn equates to a great big welcome home sign to pests and diseases in your turf. Not to mention the brown tips you'll get and the thinning lawn; just like with dull mower blades.


If it's raining, don't mow. If you are going to mow the lawn, don't water for at least 2 hours before you cut. Preferrably, you should refrain from watering for 8-10 hours before you cut. The goal here is to have dry grass, and you want the soil dry enough that your mower will not compact it - which leads to a list of other issues.


Over or Under Watering - It's SCIENCE! "How much should I water my lawn?" "Just give it about an inch per week." If you've ever heard this, or "an hour per zone per week," you, my friend, have been bamboozled.


These guidelines are incredibly commonplace. And, in general, allowing for a whole slew of assumptions, this will serve most people fairly well. Sorta. In reality, you could have the exact same type of grass as your neighbor, with the exact same size yard, but have to water it twice as much, or half as much. Why?


We won't get too sciency here. But you need to realize that your grass depends on water for more than just hydration. Water is the carrier for nutrients for your grass. And soil is the house for all the little nutrient bits and pieces as well as those happy little living creatures that we refer to coloquially as "soil biology". Well, guess what, there happens to be a whole bunch of guest houses for the water that falls on your lawn, and water isn't a particularly good guest. It breaks in, snatches up all of those little nutrient bits that were just sitting there watching tv, and then the roots of the grass say "wow, that looks delicious!" and up we go. Here's the issue. The rate at which water and nutrients are taken up into your lawn is variable! minute to minute, day to day, hour to hour. Depending on a seriously complex number of factors including the rate at which your grass is "sweating" and "breathing", that water will be consumed at the rate at which the grass wants to do so.


So, how much should you water? Exactly as much as the grass needs, when it needs it. Yup, that's the answer. You can measure the rate of evapotranspiration, monitor the nutrient levels of the soil, and even buy fancy gadgets and gizmos to help you get it juuuust right. Or, you can do the next best thing.


Stop thinking of your lawn as just grass. Treat the soil. Fertilize with organic materials, build the soil biology and structure over time. Water at night, deeply, and about 1-2x per week on average. Encourage deep roots in your lawn, and mow as frequently as you can (2-3x per week is great!). Just remember, you're not watering and fertilizing the grass; you're watering and fertilizing the soil for the benefit of the entire biosphere of your yard.




Conclusion


A healthy green lawn with stripes

And that, my friends, just about sums this up. Take it from someone who has seen their fair share of mistakes from everyone that is out there just doing their best, and has spent many the long days renovating those same lawns. This is a journey that is going to be filled with tangled roots and a few itchy vines that wrap around your ankle. But the vista at the end is worth it all.


Revisit this article, or keep an eye out for our announcement of the release of our YouTube channel in the coming week or so for lots more content. Remember to sharpen those mower blades, never mow when the grass is wet, and just start with watering 2x per week for an hour or so on each zone, and make adjustments as needed. You're building a world in that lawn of yours - make it a great one! And, finally, should you need any assistance, you can always sign up for consulting with us or even just have us over here at Verdant Greens do the dirty work for you while you sip on... well... Let's just go with a nice, non-alcoholic, lemonade.



-Mathew

two people cheersing with lemonade glasses

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