The Art Of Mowing The Perfect Lawn

Have you ever stared across the street, lamenting your neighbour's perfectly cut lawn and wondered, "why doesn't my turf look like that?"  With proper mowing methods and a professionally installed Ottawa lawn sprinkler system, you can have the yard you always dreamed of.  Read on to discover some simply mowing and irrigation techniques that you can easily implement this summer.

Proper Mowing Methods
In order for your Ottawa lawn sprinklers do their job, you must make sure you're mowing your yard in a way that optimizes healthy, deep root growth.  Here are a few mowing strategies to ensure that you are doing everything possible to encourage a healthy yard.

1. Mow frequently
With frequent mowing your grass will grow thick and strong.  Mowing often also keeps those unfriendly weeds away from your grass.  

2. Don't beat up your yard
Make sure the blades on your mower are kept sharp.  Dull blades will weaken your grass's resistance to diseases.

3. Mow 1/3 of the grass blade
Short blades are bad for your grass, as it doesn't encourage deep roots.  The shorter the grass, the more herbicides and water you'll need to keep your grass healthy.  Long blades, however, encourage deep roots.  As such, it's important that you only cut off one third of the grass blade at a time. 

4. Don't mow after you've watered with your Ottawa lawn sprinklers
Mowing a wet lawn suffocates the roots of your turf.   This will end up killing vast spots of your grass and compacting the soil.  Try to cut your lawn before your sprinklers come one.

Leave the Clippings
When you bag the clippings you are taking away nutrients from the soil.  When you leave the clippings, you are allowing them to decay and put nutrients back into the soil.  For more information on why leaving the clippings is better for your yard, go to our article, "Why Grass Cycling is Not the Enemy".

If you are just starting a new lawn this summer, we have tips to help you start things off right.  Start with properly programmed Ottawa lawn sprinklers, and the rest will come naturally. 

Use Your Ottawa Lawn Sprinkler Systems Correctly
Proper mowing isn't enough to get the lawn you're yearning for.  Your Ottawa lawn sprinklers need to work in partnership with your mowing to create a greener, fuller lawn.

Deep watering is essential
Long, deep watering will encourage deep roots.  Set your Ottawa lawn sprinkler system to water your yard infrequently.  Talk to one of our specialists about adjusting your Ottawa lawn sprinklers to match your soil type and the local climate.

Timing is everything
There are plenty of urban legends about what time is best to water your yard.  A common misconception is that watering at night is best.  This is actually damaging to your yard, as the water is allowed to pool on top of your grass.  This encourages diseases, and subtracts the hard work you've put into keeping your lawn disease free. 

Remember also that balanced fertilization and proper weed management is key to a healthy yard.  Here are seven steps to encourage a greener lawn.

From mowing to weeding and everything in between, Nutri-Lawn can provide you with the support and assistance you need to nurture a healthy lawn.