Keep Mower Blades Sharp

Turf pros across the country agree, one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is not keeping their mower blades sharp. A dull mower blade will have notches on it. A sharp one will be smooth. A dull mower blade will leave your grass blades jagged and open to diseases. A sharp one will give you an even cut. Use a file to sharpen the blade. Or, you could use a special sharpening stone on the end of a regular drill.

5 Mowing Tips:

1. Cut your grass more frequently and never cut off more than 1/3 of the leaf blade.

2. Mow at a higher cut.

3. Be consistent when you mow so you don’t scalp your lawn.

4. Alternate mowing directions.

5. Mow across hills, not up and down them.

Watering

• Grass can tolerate a little stress, but long dry spells will really hurt it.

• Give the lawn an inch of water a week.

• Water in the mornings if you can so grass can dry during the day.

Sprinklers

• Oscillating sprinklers – Shoot thin streams of water into the air while moving back and forth.

• Spinning sprinklers – Can be adjusted to give one part of the lawn more water than another part.

Either type of sprinkler can be attached to a heavy garden hose.