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.

Proper lawn care includes such things as mowing, watering, fertilizing and the removal of weeds. The amount of care that you give to your lawn will depend on the lawn itself. It will depend on the type of grass, the weather and the type of soil that you have.

It is always a good idea to mow your lawn as often as possible. Mowing maintains a uniform height for all the plants. It also helps control the growth of the weeds by cutting off their seed-bearing stems. There are various types of mowers that can be used to create the perfect looking lawn; the one that you choose is completely up to you. No matter what kind of lawn mower that you use you should always take the time to sharpen the blades of your mower. Sharpening the blades will ensure that your grass is being cut, rather than just being broken off or pulled out.

Lawn care is not a simple task and it does require some time and effort. Mowing the lawn itself can be a tedious task. For example, new grass should not be mowed until it has grown to a height of two inches. After the first cutting however, it should be kept at a height of one and a half inches to two inches. Depending on the type of grass and the conditions in which it is growing, you could end up mowing your lawn quite frequently.

Lawn care also includes watering. The amount of water and the frequency of watering can and will vary considerably between lawns. Enough water should be applied to wet the soil and to a depth of four to six inches. It is very important that you soak the ground thoroughly. This is needed because light watering will encourage the roots to grow near the surface. This will result in the grass dieing in dry weather and the roots will be unable to reach the water deep down in the soil.

Fertilizing is also a major component in lawn care. This is important in maintaining a dense and healthy lawn. Most lawns need these major elements: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. All of these things can be found in lawn fertilizers. It is best to apply fertilizer twice during the year, in the early spring and then again in the late fall. In the early spring, fertilizer should be applied before the grass has started to grown ad while the soil is full of moisture. This helps the grass produce stronger and more extensive roots. Fall fertilizing, after the late season rains, help the grass recover from the summer hear and drought.

Having a beautiful lawn during the spring summer and fall shouldn’t have to cost you money. By taking advantage of the lawn care tips you find in books and magazines, online and by asking questions of experts at your local lawn and garden store, you can easily take care of many of these jobs on your own. Once you are aware of some basic factors associated with lawn care, you can become a professional in your own right and your neighbors will start asking you for advice. The only requirement is that you spend some time researching how to take care of your lawn during every season of the year and devote some time to the tasks.

Mowing is one of the basic essentials of having a great looking lawn. However, there is a trick to this. In the spring, when you mow for the first time, mow the grass at the lowest level on the mower. This will remove all the dead grass and allow the roots to start producing new shoots. Make sure you rake up the lawn even if there are not many clippings because raking helps to revitalize the grass and the soil. Then when you mow the grass again, you should move the blades up a level. The lawn needs to be mowed on a regular basis. During how weather in summer, you can even have the blades higher so that you don’t mow too close to the ground and cause the grass to burn and turn brown. When you mow the lawn for the final time in the fall, place the blades at the lowest level again.

Watering plays a major part in lawn care. Without water the grass will not grow and will die causing brown patches to appear in the lawn. You have to know the type of grass you have and the type of soil so that you give it the appropriate amounts of water. You should never water the lawn after a rainfall because this could saturate the soil and cause the grass to die. When there is very little rainfall, the best time to water the lawn is in the early morning or just at sunset. This is because there is less chance of the water evaporating before it gets a chance to soak into the soil.

Fertilizing the soil is also important. For this you do need to know what type of soil you have. If you are not sure, you can bring in some of the soil to a garden center and the experts there will be able to provide you with the right fertilizer for your needs. You can also decide whether you want to use organic or chemical fertilizers, but whichever one you choose, you do have to follow the directions on the packaging. Using too much fertilizer can be harmful to the grass.

One thing that people do not realize is that the soil and the roots of the grass need air in order to grow, especially if the soil is compacted. To check to see if this is so, pour a small amount of water on the soil and wait a few minutes to see if it starts to soak down through. If it doesn’t this means you will have to aerate the lawn. What this means is to perform a simple procedure or poking small holes in the lawn a t regular intervals so that the oxygen can reach the roots and the water can get to them. The holes are small and will not be noticeable in the lawn.

New lawns require time to become established and set down a root system before they are mowed. If you’ve seeded your lawn, it may be as long as two months before it can be mowed. Sod, on the other hand, may need to be mowed within three weeks of being laid. Plugs, sprigs and stolons can take as much as six weeks to become firmly established. If you’ve seeded your lawn, all seeds must have germinated before you mow. Plugs, sprigs, stolons and sod must have roots firmly set before they’re mowed to prevent damage, just remember that mowing is the most often incorrectly performed part of lawn care, so arm yourself with information. Generally there are two types of grasses that we deal with, cool season grasses such as Fescue, Bluegrass and Ryegrass; these are the most common grasses in the Southeast. These grasses prefer to be cut at between 2.5 to 3.5 inches in height. Fescue seems to look better at around 3″ high. Bluegrass is more tolerant to lower cutting, but don’t go lower than 2.5″. The other type of grass is warm season grasses such as Bermuda, Zoysia and Centipede; these grasses will tolerate a very low cut. A Golf course typically uses a lot of Bermuda, and Zoysia and they usually cut it as short as ½”. Most typical home lawns will look nice at 1″ providing you have a smooth grade.

Mowing

• Never cut more than 1/3 of the grass height. • Assure the lawn is completely dry before mowing to prevent damage. • Check your mower’s instruction manual and set the mower to the proper height for new lawns. • Keep your blades sharp for the best results. Dull or out of balance blades will cause you and your equipment to work harder. • Mow at the highest recommended height and then mow again after a few days. • Mow your lawn every four to five days if grass has grown adequately. Mowing too frequently will scalp a new lawn. Remember; only cut 1/3 of the grass height. Example: If your grass is three inches high, only cut one inch. This will keep your lawn lush, healthy and well-groomed.

Edging and trimming are the finishing touches of mowing, kind of like getting a shave after you’ve had a haircut. Edging and trimming are pretty close to being the same thing. Some tools such as edgers are designed to trim the lawn along a hard surface like a driveway or sidewalk. Edgers’s cut a nice sharp edge, but leave some dirt and grass debris that will have to be cleaned up. A good trimmer can be used almost anywhere, along hard surfaces, in tight spaces, next to flower beds, and so on. Trimmers will also leave clippings on paths and driveways that you need to sweep up, or you could use a blower, but that’s another story.

Some Tips For Proper Mowing

• How to mow a yard, improper mowing causes more lawn care problems than any other yard maintenance practice. Most lawns are mowed too short, not often enough, or with a dull blade.

• Proper Height for mowing your lawns range depending on the type of grass you have, too low restricts root growth and increases the chances for damage from insects, disease, drought, and traffic. Cutting too low also leaves the grass wide open for weed seeds and infestation.

• Here are some common verities of different grass:

Kentucky Bluegrass at 2.5 to 3.5 inches

Perennial Ryegrass at 2.5 to 3.5 inches

Fine Fescue at 2.5 to 3.5 inches

Tall Fescue at 3 to 4 inches

Bermuda at .75 to 2 inches

Buffalo at 2 to 5 inches

Blue Grama at 2 to 4 inches

ST. Augustine at .5 inches

• Knowing when to cut you grass depends on how fast the grass is growing. To have a clean cut you should mow often enough that you don’t remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade in a single mowing. For instance, if your grass reaches 3 inches, don’t cut any lower than 2 inches. If the grass has grown too tall, raise the mowing height and gradually lower it back to the original height after a few mowings.

• Keep Your Mower Blades Sharp You should check your blade every few times to take care that it remains sharp. A dull mower blade will tear the grass blades in your lawn leaving a brown dying look on the surface.

Grass Clippings

As long as the lawn is mowed on a regular basis, clippings don’t need to be collected. Grass clippings contain about 80% water and easily decompose back into the soil. They do not cause thatch. Clippings recycle needed nutrients, in particular nitrogen, back into the soil so less fertilizer is needed.

Direction

Mow in whichever direction is safest. Some people like to mow in a criss cross pattern. Some like to mow a second time in the opposite direction. I personally like to mow parallel to the street that the home faces. This gives the yard a professional look and feel. There really is no right or wrong direction.

The most important tip to remember when mowing your yard is to always be safe! Use your head when working with lawn mowing equipment. Just be safe.

For more tips about mowing visit my website at Southern Illinois Mowing.