It's human nature to fall into habits, and just about everyone tries to get a chore finished as soon as possible. Even though you like it when your lawn looks nice, you may consider mowing a necessary evil that takes away from your time at the golf course or pool. However, taking a few extra minutes while mowing each week might not only make your lawn look more attractive, it can make it healthier, too.
Make Mowing Your Lawn Interesting, and Help Your Grass at the Same Time
You know how nice the grass looks at a ball park--it appears manicured rather than mowed. The mowing lines look impossibly straight, and there may even be patterns. The gentleman who helped keep Fenway Park in Boston looking great over the years wrote a book offering lawn and mowing tips for homeowners, including the following suggestions:
- Mow a straight line by choosing an object in the distance and mowing straight toward it (don't look down, look straight ahead).
- Define your mowing lines by going back over them, or every other one.
- Make your turns off of the lawn--turning on the lawn can damage the grass.
- Change your pattern and mowing direction every third or fourth week so the grass isn't stressed.
In his article, "Mow Like a Pro," Richard L. Parish, PhD and professional engineer, echoes the advice to change mowing patterns on a regular basis.
Although a change of mowing patterns may take a little longer, and may not be as easy as the pattern you usually use, you can be reap the rewards in a healthy and beautiful lawn. The golf courses and pools aren't even going to notice you're a little late.
