Mowing the Yard
 

Mowing the yard can be both aggravating and rewarding. However, one of the down sides comes in the summer, when months of hot dry weather can kill your grass better that any herbicide. Of course, the Cinch Bugs, Cutworms, and Grubs do not help either. There are ways to control to these infestations, both naturally and with chemicals, I am more partial to natural control, but this article is about mowing the yard. I see many people that like to mow as short as possible, then rake or blow all the clippings to get that perfectly manicured look. Moreover, it looks great! Then comes midsummer with its heat and dry weather, and a few weeks with no rain just seems to perk up the little bugs and they cause more stress to that perfect lawn. Now, when they are not mowing the yard, they have to water constantly, spread fertilizer, weed killer and a host of other things to get that perfect lawn.

Over the course of many years, I have come to realize that a lawn is a living organism and that like any organism it needs many things to thrive. A lawn is composed of grasses, each with its own place in the ecology. There are approximately 3000 different grasses in the world, and if you looked at your lawn, you would probably find at least three or more different species growing in your lawn, and this is natural and unavoidable. The insect life, both good and bad, is essential to create a healthy ecology, so do not be so quick to break out the insecticides. A healthy lawn can tolerate, and in many cases, actually help keep your lawn healthier.

What does this have to do with mowing the yard? Everything. I have found that if I set the lawnmower at a higher setting, I like the highest setting that puts the cut at about three inches. The way I cut does not really matter, either back and forth, criss-cross, or in a square pattern where you mow the outside first and work towards the middle of the lawn. The only constant in all these styles is that I cut and re-cut the clippings and allow them to settle into the grass to create a thatch. I never dethatch the lawn, the grass clippings are about 30 percent water, so it helps with the watering. I rarely have to water my lawn, even during the hottest days of summer. The clippings also decompose back into fertilizer, so I rarely have to fertilize.

As for the insects, a healthy lawn can support a tremendous variety of life. The Grub Worms are actually nature’s way of aerating the lawn, as they dig around the roots; they create air pockets in the soil. The Mealy bugs, Leafhoppers, etc. are more of a nuisance than anything else, but remember, grasses have learned to survive these critters long before we came along. Moreover, one of the ways is by diversity, most of the insect will prefer one species of grass to another, so let them pick dinner, and they will leave the rest alone. There is so much more to mowing the yard than just this, but that is all for now. Let me know what you think about mowing the yard.