There are two schools of thought when it comes to this issue - neither of which is definitive.

Some people say leave the clippings on the lawn after you mow. This not only saves time and energy, but the clippings decompose quickly and add vital nutrients back into the soil.

In fact, recycling grass clippings has recently taken on a movement of its own. Proponents call this practice “grass-cycling” and advocate that leaving those clipping where they lay saves time, landfill space and nurtures the soil.

The Professional Lawn Care Association says that About 20 percent of all waste that goes into a landfill is landscape debris and about half of that is simply grass clippings. With yard waste bans in place in many areas of the country, “grass-cycling” offers you an alternative, and at the same time increases the health and beauty of your lawn.

Grass clippings are 85 percent water, decompose rapidly, and return nutrients to the soil with no thatch buildup. They actually return 20 percent of their nitrogen to the soil to feed the lawn’s root system. And grass-cycling can be practiced year-round with most mowers.

On the other side of the spectrum, others say that leaving clippings on your lawn is not only unsightly, but it can cause damage to your lawn as well. Leaving grass clippings on the lawn becomes a problem only if they are too thick. If you mow the lawn before it gets overly tall, the mass of the grass clippings will not be sufficient to warrant raking.

When cut grass lays in large clumps, it could be preventing the grass below it from getting the sunshine and water that it needs to grow. This could leave behind unsightly brown patches of dead grass.

A good way to obviate having to rake grass clippings is to mow with mulching lawn mowers. When you have a mulching mower, the clippings are gathered in a bag and can be used in compost piles for fertilization.

Using mulching mowers can not only cut down on your yard maintenance, but also makes your grass greener. Otherwise, you may end up either raking or bagging your grass clippings — which in turn mean disposing of those grass clippings or recycling them - all of which means extra work.

The bottom line is that as long as you are mowing on a regular basis and you don’t leave behind clumps of clippings, it won’t cause any harm leaving those clipping right where they are.

Fall leaf removal is not only necessary from an aesthetic perspective but also from an agronomic perspective. Although turf grass growth slows or ceases this time of the year, the plant will continue to photosynthesize as long as the turf is green.

Energy in the form of carbohydrates captured and stored from photosynthesis will go to enhance root growth and accumulate in the storage compartments (nodes, crowns, etc) to be used the following year. Leaves left on the turf grass shade the turf grass leaves reducing the turf plants ability to photosynthesize. Thus, the full potential to capture sunlight is greatly diminished when leaves are left on the turf. Additionally, if the leaves get wet, a microclimate under these leaves promote disease development.

The primary diseases that are favored by this environment are (also known as pink snow mold or fusarium patch) and powdery mildew. Thus, blowing or raking those leaves off the turf is an important fall agronomic practice. Owning and taking care of a lawn mower is similar to owning and taking care of a car. If it is neglected, performance will suffer.

It doesn’t matter that you’ve neglected your lawn mower well into the season. Start caring for it now! First, install fresh spark plugs. They’re inexpensive enough to replace rather than clean or gap.

If your mower has a paper air filter, give that a complete replacement, too. For foam air filters, buy new mower replacement foam and soak it oil before installing.

Dull blades harm lawns. Ripped out chunks of grass are highly vulnerable to a myriad of lawn diseases. Either remove the blade with a socket wrench, hone it with a file (following the existing cutting angle), or take it to a lawn-care shop for professional sharpening.

It’s just good sense before doing any of this work to run the mower until it runs completely out of gas. Turn the mower filter-side up (to prevent clogging) and drain the oil. Be sure to remove the plug or plug wire to keep the mower from firing up while you’re up to your elbows in machinery. Be sure the tires are fully inflated - especially with riding mowers. Under-inflated tires on a riding mower can cause what we, in our family, usually refer to as crop circles - unevenly mowed patches that resemble that otherworld phenomenon that some people think exist.



By: Jeffrey Seymour

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Have you ever wondered why organic lawn care is talked about so much at garden centers and lawn care product stores? Or have you wondered why you would want to use organic fertilizer instead of the standard man-made fertilizer?

I wondered that for many years as well, until I started researching the benefits of organic lawn care. Now that I have done my own researched and talked to many different people in the lawn care industry, I will always use organic products on my lawn. And I will do so not only because it is better for the environment, but because in the long-run it is much better for my lawn and will make it so I actually

don’t have to do as much yard work.

Many people think that if they pay someone $400 a year to spread fertilizer and weed killer on their yard that their yard should look great. However, if they do not pay attention to the quality of their soil then they will never have the yard they dream about, and the grass will literally be greener on the other side (i.e. the neighbors yard you always envy).

The soil is the base of your lawn and developing good soil could very well be the most import aspect of a good lawn care system. This is because the roots, or the most important part of your grass, live there. If you do not have healthy roots, then you will not have healthy grass; and, if you do not have healthy soil, then you will not have healthy roots.

Cultivating and developing healthy soil can be a difficult process, but it can be accomplished if you work at it over time. Even though you will have to work hard to develop healthy soil, you won’t have to work as hard after you get there. Good watering habits, good mowing techniques, and good organic lawn care products will help you greatly in both developing your soil and then maintaining your soil afterwards.

Good watering habits and good mowing techniques are what I call obvious factors in a good lawn care program, everyone understands that you need to water and mow your lawn properly in order to have a healthy lawn. However, many people do not understand why using organic products on your lawn is much better than using man made fertilizers and other man made lawn care products.

To explain, remember that while your lawn needs the ingredients found in all fertilizers, that is not all your lawn needs to be healthy. Your lawn also needs microbial macrobial life. Worm and other critters are great for your lawn in producing much needs nutrients for your soil. However, man-made chemical fertilizers usually will deter them, while the organic fertilizer will attract them (no you will not have tons of bugs crawling over your lawn, they will be in your soil where you can’t see them).

Man made fertilizers usually contain a lot of salt, which microbial life does not like at all. While these unnatural fertilizers will make the blades of grass turn green quickly, it will do nothing to cultivate your soil and will actually hurt your soil over time. An organic lawn care program will do the exact opposite for the soil. It will help you cultivate and develop the soil, while also feeding the grass.

In the long-run, using organic products on your lawn will give you the lawn you want and you won’t have to pay the $400 a year for someone to come out and take care of it for you.



By: Michael Clark

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SupraHydraHoseReel

There are top tips to care for your lawn. Just as important as lawn care tips are the lawn care mistakes that we should know how to avoid. Lawn care and maintenance takes more than just the usual cutting and watering.

Here are the top ten lawn care mistakes that many people make. Some are so common that we think it’s just normal, when in fact it is actually damaging to your lawn.

1. Cutting the lawn too short. Many of us would like to save time in mowing our lawns so we opt to cut them too short. This will give us a longer break between mows, but this does not bode well for your lawn. The idea here is that removing more than a third of a grass blade will weaken its root system. This will gradually result to future lawn problems.

2. No or very little preparation on the planting strategy and methods. Keep in mind that plants grow better when they are planted at the appropriate depth and spacing. Naturally, this would require some research about the plant and its most favorable conditions and some preparations to take better care of it. Conducting soil tests is particularly relevant because the pH balance can help determine which type of grass is best to grow on your lawn.

3. Disregarding the difference between mature plants and the young ones. It may not seem like a big thing, but noting which plants are new and which are mature is important. This concern involves the water intake of the plants. The water needs of the new and young plants tend to be bigger. They need more water and they may need to be in a sun condition different from that of the mature and established plants.

4. Watering and fertilizing at the wrong time and schedule. A watering schedule is recommended for homeowners who would like to maintain a healthy lawn. Watering amounts will depend on the seasonal changes, the weather and climate, and the area. Generally, the best time to water your lawn would be early in the morning, when you will have the least amount of evaporation. Timing and scheduling also applies to fertilizing you lawn. Depending on your location, fertilization of the lawn varies.

5. Ignoring the importance of mulch. Mulch is important for lawn care and maintenance because of its various uses. Mulching can help add or retain nutrients in your soil, repel insects, control weeds, and can reduce fertilizer needs by a third. 

6. Mistaking when to use seed and sod. Most homeowners choose one or the other based on the amount of time to build a lawn. The truth is, you should choose between seeding or sodding by the its most advantageous purpose in lawn care. Sodding helps against soil erosion and is the most effective in building a new lawn. Seeding is better in filling gaps and bare parts of a lawn.

7. Using powder products and “green” products. Power products may be cheaper but they can get blown away before it can get into the soil. Using organic products, or “green” products, can be time-consuming since it takes longer to work and a lot of applications are needed to get results.

We can see that these are all normal mistakes. But we can also see how each of these lawn care mistakes can hinder us from making a great and healthy lawn.



By: Mary Ann Porsuelo

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