Mowing Tips
this fescue is cut high
fescue needs to be kept high
You can see the dramatic difference between our customer’s lawns on the right, and the neighbor’s lawns on the left. In both cases our customers keep their fescue cut high, whereas the neighbors cut it short.
Mowing Correctly: The Single Best Thing YOU Can Do for Your Lawn
People often ask me, “what’s the single most important thing I can do for my lawn?”
Well, that’s an easy one. And it’s not compost tea, lime, fertilizer, aeration, seed, weed control, or anything that I can do. I can do lots of helpful things for your lawn, but this isn’t one of them.
Now don’t get me wrong, I believe and have seen in actual practice that lawns in our area need all those things that Carolina Organic Lawns supplies.
However, we are a team, you and I. We need to work together to get your lawn healthy and looking great.
Which brings me to my point.
You need to keep your lawn at the proper height.
This is the #1 reason that some of our customer’s lawns look great. And it’s also the one thing that I write on your invoices the most – “Your lawn is cut too low. – Fescue does best if kept between 3″ and 4″ tall.”
Fescue does best if kept between 3″ and 4″ tall
That point is so important, let me state it again. Turf Type Tall Fescue – which is what 90% of our customers grow – needs to be cut NO LOWER than 2 1/2″ tall. And it should be cut before it reaches 5″.
But don’t take my word for it, here is what my mentors at the North Carolina State College of Turf Management (recognized around the world as leading experts in their field):
March through May
Mow lawn to 3 inches in height. Mow at least once a week. Mow before grass gets above 5 inches tall. Then practice grasscycling.
June through August
Raise mower height to 3 1/2 inches. Mow before the grass gets above 5 inches tall. Remember grasscycling and leave clippings on the lawn.
September through November
Mow to 2 1/2 to 3 inches in height. Remember grasscycling and leave clippings on the lawn.
December through February
Mow lawn at 3 inches and remove clipping debris at spring greenup
Why so high? Because Fescue is a cool season turf, and cannot withstand our harsh summers when it is cut low.
One of my major goals in managing your lawn is to create a deep root system, so that your fescue can survive our southern summers. All of my work goes for naught if you cut your turf below 3″.
Not only does the higher grass shade itself and it’s roots, helping it to survive the hot months, it also shades the areas where weeds such as crabgrass would otherwise germinate and grow.
Want a beautiful, lush, healthy, weed-free lawn this coming year? Cut that fescue HIGH!
Now Accepting Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede, or Mosquito Control Customers Only
Our 2015 Fescue Schedule Has Been Filled
Sorry, but our fescue schedule has been filled for this year. Our schedule fills up fairly quickly, because we are not a giant franchise. We run one truck with the owner and his son. We give personal attention to every lawn, as if it were our own.
Mosquito customers please visit https://organicmosquito.com for information
We would love to have you as one of the few. Thank you! Jon & Daniel