Keep Up The Good Work

This chapter's presentation of the various phases of after-sowing lawn care is more than a follow-up to the Chapter 7 discussion on starting new lawns. It is all-inclusive, applying to the upkeep of any lawn, young or old.

Since mowing is a critical factor in lawn success, especially with a new lawn, it seems logical to start a lawn maintenance discussion with some facts about the machines that do the mowing.

Briefly, here are some of the salient points about rotary and reel-type mowers, the two basic, common types. The rotary mower has a one-piece, propeller-like cutting blade, suspended from a drive shaft in the center of a four-wheeled housing. The blade spins horizontally (parallel to the ground) and cuts the grass with a whipping scythelike action. Because the blade must spin at a very high speed (usually at least 2,500 r.p.m.) in order to clip the grass effectively, rotary mowers are always motor-driven. The reel mower is two-wheeled, with either five or seven curved blades (or knives) mounted on a reel or drum, between the two wheels. When the wheels turn they rotate the drum forward and the knives cut the grass as they slice down on it against a rigid, slightly curved "bed-knife" or bar mounted below the drum. This action is somewhat like the action of the blades of a scissors as they slice against each other to cut a piece of material. Because the reel-type of cutting action uses contact between two edges, it functions well at low speeds. Thus reel mowers are efficient whether hand- or motor-powered. In fact, many home owners still use hand-pushed reel mowers.

Today, in power models of both kinds, motors often drive the machines as well as operate the cutting blades. These self-propelled mowers, especially those that carry the operator, are rather expensive but usually worth the cost if the lawn is large.

Although I realize that the rotary mower has many loyal partisans, my preference is for the old-fashioned reel-type mower, with five blades for most grasses and seven for bents and for fescues (if the latter are growing alone). The reel-type mower, if kept sharp and properly adjusted, will give a cut which cannot be matched by any rotary.

Reel Rules

To work properly, a reel-type mower must be used on a reasonably level lawn surface and must be used often enough to keep the grass down to proper height. Since good turf health demands weekly mowings as a minimum, anyhow, the last requirement is not too hard to meet.

On a rough lawn a rotary-type mower will cut better. It can be set higher, to miss hills and depressions. It is not likely to scalp the turf when at an above-average height. But my objections to the rotary-type mower are several. Unless the blade is sharp and accurately balanced, it breaks off the grass rather than cutting it with a clean whip. I have seen as many as three and four horizontal bruises across a single leaf of grass, indicating successive strikes by the rotary mower blade. Each of these bruises represents a point of easy entry for the type of disease organisms that are not able to "digest" their way in through the unbroken epidermis, but can only get in through leaf lesions.

You can tell immediately when a rotary has been used on a lawn: a glance along the surface will reveal dead brown ends of leaf blades. A newly sharpened and balanced blade will cut clean at first, but will soon be dulled by cutting the gritty grass blades. A reel-type mower blade, on the other hand, constantly "wipes" against the curved bed knife, which acts as a semiself-sharpener; at least the blade does not become dull quickly.

Rotary Duff

Another objection I have to the rotaries is that they allow a duff of finely powdered organic matter to be built up on the lawn soil surface. This finely-crushed fibrous material sifts down and creates a perfect incubator for soil-borne fungi. A fungicide company official once said to me: "We owe a lot of business to the rotary mower. We figure it has increased sales substantially." If, in addition to this duff, the lawn gets an application of organic fertilizer, you can expect real trouble from diseases except in a wide-open windswept lawn. Even if you equip the rotary-type mower with a grass- or leaf-catcher, some of the fine duff may escape.

My third objection is really the most serious because it concerns safety. A recent survey showed that over 80 per cent of all accidents caused by lawn mowers were the result of the misuse or misfunction of the rotary type, and that accidents caused by a rotary mower were usually of a much more serious nature than those caused by reel mowers. Even when guards are used, the whirling rotary blade can hurl a piece of glass, stone, steel or wood at terrific force for many feet. I will not allow my children to come within 100 feet of a rotary when in operation.

(Mowing equipment for rough or "meadow" lawns is discussed in Chapter 11.)

A Mowing Routine

Supplied with a good machine, suitable to your situation, you are ready for that vital step—the first mowing. The time for this comes when most of the new grass shoots are 2 to 2.5 inches tall. At that time, they must be mowed, no matter how sparse and thin they seem to be, for it is only by mowing that we can change a mass of individual, unrelated shoots into a tight, smooth sod. The act of mowing forces each young seedling to produce a crown and to begin to throw out stools or root runners. When the blades again reach 2 inches in height, the lawn should be cut. This is not intended to be the final height of the lawn—that is something that will be determined later according to the species or varieties of grass used. If sowing is done in the fall, final height can be set in spring. From an early spring seeding, a lawn should be ready to cut by mid-July.

Continue to mow at a height of 2 inches until the young lawn is visibly forming a solid sod and the plants are matting together. As long as space between the plants permits a longer cut, this is desirable because it allows the longer leaf blade to manufacture more food. By the following season, the final height of cut should be settled.

Height Of Cut

You have probably read a good deal about raising the height of the cut in summer to keep weeds down. Common Kentucky Bluegrass, as an example, is said to favor a 1.25- to 1.5-inch cut in early spring, but to need at least a 2-inch cut in summer. This idea might have had some merit in pre-weed-control days, when only hand weeding could keep crab grass in check, and when a dandelion was a well-nigh invulnerable enemy. Today, a 2-inch cut in summer is an old-fashioned idea. It allows disease to propagate in the longer grass, and the turf never looks neat.

Modern practice calls for setting the height of cut and leaving it there. This is what actually happens in ninety-five out of one hundred lawns anyway, despite the good intentions of the owners. Few people will bother to adjust a mower from season to season or month to month.

There is no such thing as an ideal height that will fit every lawn. Conditions alter cases. Sometimes the cut must be raised to avoid scalping high spots, or lowered to cut out some weed that persists in growing below the height of normal mowing. But those are conditions that should be corrected so they do not permanently affect mowing practices.

Varied Species, Varied Cuts

As a starting point, for an established lawn, try 1.25 to 1.5 inches for all Kentucky Bluegrasses other than Merion. This includes Parks, Delta, Arboretum and Newport. These grasses grow upright and need a somewhat longer cut to provide enough leaf area for growth. Merion, as stated, has a different habit of growth. The leaves grow sideways, at a slight angle, thus exposing more surface to the light. Merion should never be cut longer than 1 inch. On a very smooth, level lawn, 3/4 inch may be even better. This height is preferred by professional turf men when Merion is used for golf greens and tees.

Bents, except for Highland, must always be cut very short. The real experts keep them at ⅝ inch but this is a tricky thing for the amateur to attempt. Between ¾ and 1 inch will give a very satisfactory lawn. Highland Bent, because of the long, strawy sheath at the base, must be cut at least 1¼ inches long if it is not to look "skinned." Highland Bent is a grass of limited use because of this fault, and were it not for its tolerance of drought (for a bent) and its resistance to disease, it probably would have been dropped from commerce.

Fine-leaved fescues are usually cut at the same height as the grasses with which they are mixed. They do well at a cut of about 1.25 inches, although in cooler parts of New England, I have seen these fescues growing well when cut as short as 1/2 inch. Under these conditions they make a very attractive lawn even in the open. Because of the soft habit of growth, a very sharp mower is best for a fescue lawn. With the broad-leaved fescues, to encourage a fine-leaved habit, cut at 1½ inches and no longer.

If you have "inherited" an established lawn, refer to the earlier chapter on grass species for guidance in determining the kinds you have.

Zoysia meyeri should be cut at 1 to 1½ inches. Since it is not susceptible to turf diseases, it will do well even if the clippings are not swept or raked. There is, however, a good reason for removing these, other than the health of the grass. Zoysia goes so completely "dead" in fall that a fire hazard may be created if loose straws are left. There have been instances where a dormant zoysia lawn caught fire from a carelessly discarded ciagrette. For this reason, zoysia should be cut short after the grass has been killed in fall, and the clippings swept up carefully.

Where white clover is included in a turf mixture, cut it at 2 inches if the flowers are to be left; otherwise adapt the cut to the grasses in the mixture.

Mowing Patterns

Most homeowners pay little attention to the route they take when cutting the grass, starting at the same corner each time and finishing at another. This is poor practice, since constantly following the same track affects the "set" of the grass blades, and the appearance of the whole lawn as well. If the same route is followed every time, high and low spots tend to become worse. If the path is changed regularly, these irregularities tend to decrease.

Whatever pattern is followed, it is a good idea to overlap the previous cut at least one-third to one-half the width of the mower, and to reverse the direction of each cut. This assures that the grass blades pressed down by the wheels in cutting the first swath will be pointing toward the mower as it comes around the second time. Unless this is done, the wheel tracks will appear as higher wales through the entire lawn. If the cutting pattern is never altered, these tracks can become strongly fixed. As a rule, the wider the overlapping, the more uniform the cut will be. Another reason for overlapping—if you don't have a grass catcher on the mower—is that the clippings are cut twice, so they do not pile up so deeply.

A problem often arises where the lawn area is irregular in outline and a back-and-forth pattern of cut does not seem feasible. I find that the simplest way to cut such a lawn is to mow three lanes around the entire circumference of the lawn, reversing the directions of each cut, of course, in making the rounds. Then the rest of the lawn can be mowed back and forth in straight lines, using the three-lane swath at the edges as a turning space.

Reverse The Field

To vary this pattern for later mowings, reverse each lane of the outside border, but, at the end of the third cut, continue to go around the edge, gradually working into the center. This is a hard job at times, but should be done to make sure the entire surface is mowed in at least two directions regularly during the growing season.

With the rough-mown meadow, where a smooth, unbroken surface is not important, these mowing pattern niceties need not be observed.

The use of a catcher to pick up the clippings has been mentioned. If this is not used, a lawn sweeper should be used whenever possible. It does a much cleaner job of picking up clippings than even the most careful hand raking. In using either the rake or a lawn sweeper, be sure to sweep across the path of the cutting pattern, not along the mower track. This will lift up any pressed-down blades so they can be cut off. Even if this means starting the mower again, these longer patches of grass should be cut.

Keep The Soil Surface Level

Normal foot traffic and the settling of a new lawn always leave irregularities which call for attention. Too often, the lawn-owner tries to iron these out by using a heavy roller in wet weather, causing serious compaction. A better method is to lift the sod from the bumps, take out some soil from underneath and replace the sod. Low spots can be filled with rich dirt and re-seeded. If the low spots are of considerable depth, the sod can be removed, the grade raised and the sod replaced.

All these operations call for extra topsoil, which if possible should come from a home compost pile where its weed content can be controlled to some degree. If purchased soil is used, buy it early enough so you can treat it with calcium cyanamid or chloropicrin before using.

The best way to fill shallow depressions is by covering with a layer of screened compost and working this in until the grass blades are sticking through it. The easiest tool to use is the old-fashioned bamboo rake, with its flexible teeth that flick the soil into every crevice.

The bent grasses that creep by surface runners must be constantly top-dressed to keep them in firm contact with the soil. If they are allowed to lift up and intertwine, they form a thatch that can be quite detrimental. The soil used must be carefully screened to eliminate all lumps, as a dead-level surface is important in a bent tuf.

Rolling

Rolling is a tradition we inherited from the British. The crimes committed in the name of rolling are countless. In some cities there are even "lawn experts" who drive down the streets in converted road rollers weighing several tons, soliciting lawn-rolling work. This is often at a time when the soil is so wet that even the weight of a human will leave a distinct footprint. Imagine, then, what the weight of a road roller will do to the soil! When this "lawn rolling expert" is finished, the lawn is as smooth as a billiard table, and about as hard. The effect on the grass later on is drastic.

Almost as bad, but fortunately limited by the strength of the human frame, are heavy water-loaded rollers. Such a roller is needed only once in the life of any lawn—when it is first seeded and must be rolled to compact the soil and firm the seed.

The theory behind rolling the lawn in spring is that it pushes back winter-heaved clods of soil. However, the fact is that lawns do not tend to heave in the same way as individual perennial plants, which often do pop out and suffer root-drying damage. If the sod is at all uniform, it not only resists frost action but floats as a unit. The little heaving that may occur can be repaired with a roller weighing less than 100 pounds. Spring rains often settle the heaving without any owner assistance.

What we often mistake for heaving are worm casts. These create a roughness almost impossible to believe. The answer to this is not rolling but destruction of the earthworms, which will also control the mole problem (see later chapter on pests).

Unfortunately, soil compaction becomes more of a problem the longer a lawn is in existence. The increased use of heavy power-mowing equipment (usually many times the weight of an old-fashioned hand mower) means more and more pressure is applied to the sod, pounding down the soil and driving out both air and water. Foot traffic and the use of a lawn as a play area will further contribute to compaction. And many lawn-makers still accept the theory that lawns ought to be rolled severely at intervals through the year.

Even when the lawn is started on a well-conditioned soil and is properly maintained, compaction eventually may arise as a problem. Why speed that day by following the outmoded custom of pounding down the soil every spring with a heavy roller? (Soil aerating is discussed in the next chapter.)

Chips Off The Chapter

1. Sensible after-care: Don't let all your good work in preparation, seed-sowing, etc., go to pot.
2. Mowing is more than a chore; it has much to do with the long-range success of your lawn.
3. Which mower for you: rotary or reel?
4. Vary your mowing patterns for a uniform greensward.
5. The importance of correct height of cut for various grasses.
6. Rolling—an unnecessary evil.

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