Melnor, Inc
The What, When & Why of Fertilizing
“The easiest and quickest answer: mow frequently and water appropriately.”
The first question every DIY'er asks is how to get that deep green lawn their neighbor is dominating them with. The easiest and quickest answer: mow frequently and water appropriately. Mowing Basics Surprised I didn't say "fertilize?" Fertilizing isn't always the answer. If you can get out there and mow 1-3 times per week during the growing seasons, try never to mow more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time. Your lawn will quickly have a greater advantage and be better off than your neighbor "Bob," who mows once every week to two weeks. This is especially true if Bob always breaks that "1/3rd rule" when mowing.
There are some critical items brought up there that need highlighting first. • Mowing frequently, even if you only cut the tip off the blades, helps promote lateral growth (for certain grass varieties) and a strong root system. • When you break the 1/3 rule, you risk cutting into the plant's crown, causing potential damage, inviting disease, and even killing the grass. • Scalping is when you cut the grass below the plant's crown or down to the soil. While the general rule for cool season lawns is never to break the 1/3 rule or scalping, there are rare occasions where breaking those rules is acceptable. If you are away on vacation and don't have a neighbor to cover you while you're away, breaking the rule to bring you back to your usual cut height is OK. You will want to minimize the harm done to the grass by raising the mower deck as high as possible, then gradually lowering it over the next 2-3 mows to bring it back to your preferred height.
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