You have the ability to make your lawn’s grass perfect. By following the two rules in this article, you will be able to make your lawn into the oasis that you need.
Green, lush lawns are the goal of most homeowners. To reach that goal, however, it takes quite a bit of time and effort, as well as knowledge. You will find, though, that you can make the lawn that you desire with just a little effort. You can learn how to get that type of grass below.
Easy and Simple Ways to Make Your Turf Beautiful
Even you can create the great looking turf type of grass that you see on a golf course. You only have to be willing to put in the time and effort that it will take to make your yard into that lush oasis that you deserve. You can have a beautiful lawn just be following these two rules – the rule of 25 mm and the rule of third. These rules are explained below.
Lawn Watering: Watering the lawn should be done just enough so that the water that evaporates is replenished and the grass gets the water it needs. The rule of 25 can give you a basis to replenish the water lost through evaporation.
This will help you when watering the lawn. Take a small dish and keep it in the area of your landscaping where you are watering. Put about 25 mm of water in the dish. After have watered the area, place the dish in the area and allow the water to evaporate. Keep track of how long it takes for the water to evaporate and then water the landscaping area at this time interval.
Ideally, watering should be heavy and not regular versus shallow and frequently. If you only water a little, then the roots will start to look for water at the top of the ground. You also need to beware of going to the other extreme, because it could destroy the grass, instead of nourishing it.
It is not over-watering that will kill the grass, but water logging is what does it. Over-watering is actually a good thing. If you do this infrequently, along with adding a does of nitrogen rich fertilizer, you will create spongy grass that will be extremely comfortable to walk on.
You should water your lawn early in the morning to allow the water time enough to penetrate into the ground. Around noon is when water evaporation is most prevalent so watering at this time would be a waste. You want the water to penetrate into the ground to nourish your type of grass, so it is important to water in the evening or morning when the evaporation rate is not high.
Mowing Turf Care
The second thing that you will do to take care of your lawn turf is mowing it carefully and on a regular schedule. This rule is called the rule of third. The first thing that you need to remember is that you do not need to cut the grass more than a third of its existing length. Cutting it any more will kill the grass, so this is an important rule to follow.
When you cut the grass too much, it hurts the root system. Then the root system does not develop properly. That is why you need to watch how close you cut the grass. In most cases, the grass blade length will be between 20 to 40 mm. For buffalo grass, for example, you need to allow the grass to remain between 30 to 40 mm in summer and winter before you cut it. By following the rule of third, you will keep the length in the recommended length and keep the grass healthy.
You can leave the cut grass on your lawn instead of removing it if you so choose. This will give the grass food and nourishment. It is important that you make sure that thatching does not occur, because if it does, the grass growth will be restricted. For easy lawn care and cutting around tree trunks, garden furniture etc, consider using cordless grass trimmers
By using these two simple rules, you can get a beautiful lawn that looks just like a golf course!
Simple tips on watering and mowing the lawn can yield great results. Follow a few maintenance rules to achieve the lawn you dream of!
Have A Great Looking Lawn
With the right maintenance routine you too can have a lawn to be proud of. It’s not actually that difficult to get your grass as green and luscious as the one you can see at golf courses: you can definitely achieve a great result by following the few tips and tricks thereafter.
How To Care For Your Turf
It’s actually really easy to get a beautiful, green and healthy looking lawn: all you need is to follow the rule of third and the rule of 25 mm. Here is how these work.
The 25mm Rule, Or How To Water Your Lawn
The theory is that you should give the lawn enough water to cover what it needs and what is evaporating. The rule of 25 is an easy way to figure this out. Next time you water your lawn, place a bowl in the area you watering and allow it to fill up to about 25mm, or one inch. Keep an eye on it and when all the water is gone, it is time to water your lawn again: you only really need to do this once to find out what is the ideal watering frequency for your garden, unless you experience abnormal drought conditions. Make sure you water in the morning to avoid the mid-day heat: this will give the water plenty of time to get where it is needed.
You cannot over water your lawn and it is always best to water more, less often: this promotes healthy root growth. Combined with a regular feed rich in nitrogen this will give you the luscious green and light to the foot lawn that you dream of. You may want to check that the area has good drainage though, as a water-logged patch could kill the grass.
The Rule Of Third, Or How To Mow Your Lawn
To keep your grass looking its best you need to keep it healthy. The best way to encourage this is by making sure you do not cut out too much each time you mow. Military short is not a good look for lawns, and can promote diseases to boot. You should ideally aim to cut off about one third of the height of the blades – hence the name of the rule.
If you go too short you also risk preventing the good development of the roots and you grass will grow slower as a result. The exact amount to cut may vary slightly from type to type, and how long the blades are: you should check how much to allow the grass in your yard to grow by, and then cut a third off for best results. Most mowers collect grass cuttings as they go along but it can be beneficial to leave them on the turf as a natural fertilizer. If you decide to give this a try just be careful not to over cover the growing grass with too much: this is known as thatching and can restrict the growth rather than promote it.
These two very simple rules can really get you on your way to a stunning, healthy looking lawn.
Keeping your lawnmower blades sharp and well lubricated will not only prolong the life of your mower, it will also give you a better-looking lawn. Bottom line! Rotary mower blades spin and cut grass blades at a very high rate of speed. And if you’re curious about the rate of speed that a typical mower blade rotates at, it is generally around 2,400 to 2,600 rpm. Even at this high rate of speed however, if the mowers’ blades are chipped, nicked or just dull, you will not be getting a very good grass cut.
Check the Sharpness of Your Mower Blade
If your gas tank leaks or spills when tipped, just syphon out what you can before you try to sharpen the blade. Most mowers will not leak when tipped. Regardless, you should also temporarily disconnect the spark plug. This step is highly recommended if your mower has an automatic start function. Remember, better safe than sorry.
If you use an electric mower, then you’ll obviously want to ensure that the power source to your mower is not plugged in.
Use a Scrap 2×4 to Wedge the Blade
Once the mower is turned over, use a suitable block of wood that you can wedge between the blade and its housing to prevent it from moving. You’ll need the right size of wrench and some durable work gloves.
Go ahead and remove your blade from the mower. Wipe it down by removing any dried grass or dirt. This is the best time to chip away and remove any stubborn grass clusters that are clinging to the mowers’ under-deck. If you have a bench vice, secure the mower blade in it to prepare for sharpening. Check out any deep nicks that have likely been caused by stones and sticks. Depending on the size of any nicks present, you may have to use a larger or coarser file. A general purpose metal file will generally do the trick.
Oil the mower blade lightly with fine machine oil. Then take the file in both hands and run it across the beveled edge in a smooth motion from the center to the edge away from your body. Take care to keep the file at the same angle as the bevel as much as possible. For those without the skill, special angled clamps are available.
Don’t file the flat edge, unless it’s necessary in order to smooth off a nick that has pushed metal out, making it not flat at that spot.
An effective technique for sharping is to maintain a steady and even amount of pressure when filing. Also try to keep the total number of strokes on each side of the blade equal.What you are shooting for with your sharpening stroke is symmetry. You are looking to achieve a balance of metal and weight on each side of the nut hole.
If the blade is unbalanced it will create an irritating vibration when running and it will also cut less effectively.
The best tool for sharpening a mower blade is an electric bench grinder. But if you don’t use care, you will ruin the cutting blade. Some models of bench grinders make the task easier because they utilize attached clamps that will allow you to grind the blade at the perfect angle.
Without clamps, it’s hard to do a good job. You need a steady hand and a confident mindset. The risk is that too much metal will be ground off too fast in spots. Blade gouges caused by eradicte surface grinding may destroy the blade. As with most things, use the right tools, take the time to set up proper clamping and you can actually sharpen the blade quite quickly. Approved safety eye wear must be worn! This is not an option if you value your vision.
This bit of maintenance is really pretty simple. Your reward is a better cut for your lawn and you’ll save a few bucks too. But if you don’t have the tools or the patience, you can just make a trip to your local garden centre or hardware store and pick up a brand new replacement blade. Of course, none of the above applies to cordless grass trimmers.
The Landscaping industry in general is a wonderful business. They create beautiful landscapes, install tress, shrubs, plants and flowers. This enhances our environment and beautifies our homes. There are a few things about the industry that is negating all the positive work they do.
Grass cutting is a big part of the business. Everyday, 5 days a week, they drive from home to home, get on their gas guzzling mowers, start up their gas powered line trimmers and blowers. They probably spend no more than 30 minutes on average at a home. Then they are back in their vehicles and on to the next house. This is an extreme amount of gas usage from the machines and the vehicles and an extreme amount of ozone destroying pollution.
We can reduce the amount of pollution going into our atmosphere if we make the time to cut our own grass, in a non-polluting way. There are more and more rechargeable mowers and cordless grass trimmers coming onto the market. Most of these rechargeable mowers will cut about 1/3 of an acre on one charge. This will accommodate many residential lawns. This however still takes energy. There is one option that takes nothing more than human energy…a rotary mower.
These mowers have come a long way in recent years. They used to be heavy, awkward and required sharpening often. The rotary mowers of today are lightweight, ergonomically designed, and the blades require little sharpening. These mowers are easy to use, less expensive than traditional gas powered mowers and lawn cutting services.
Rotary mower pricing starts around $90.00 US dollars and can go as high as $300 US dollars. On the better models bagging attachments are available. The Brill Rotary Mower is the best I’ve come across. The blades only require sharpening once every ten years or so. A bagging option is available for about $50.00 US dollars. They are lightweight and have a smooth easy cutting action, even through thick turf.
The way a rotary lawn mower cuts is also better for the turf. It cuts the turf with scissor like motion, leaving a clean cut. A gas powered mower blade spins at a high rate of speed pulling the grass up and slicing it. If the blade is not sharp, it tears the turf. You can tell if the blade is not sharp by the white edges at the top of the grass that looks like split ends.
Maybe we as a nation would be a little healthier too, if we cut our own grass. So many people live sedate lives now more than ever. By cutting our own lawns with environmentally friendly equipment we are not only improving our planets health, but improving our own as well.