What happens if you dont mow the lawn

But too much salt, as we talked about in that first entry, can damage roots and eventually kill the grass [source: Clark ]. If you're going to fertilize, only do it twice a year in the spring and fall. You might want to add a bit of dolomitic lime every few years. That's because watering and fertilizing can turn the ground acidic over time. Lime restores the pH level while adding important minerals. Every spring I take my lawn mower into town where my good friends at the lawn equipment shop properly tune it up and sharpen the blades.

Sharp blades are important to the look and health of a lawn. Grass that is cut sharply decreases water loss and increases photosynthesis. As you'll recall from middle school, photosynthesis is the process by which green plants turn carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen, using light energy trapped by chlorophyll. You'll know your machine needs a tune-up if you see white tissue sticking out of the leaf blades after you mow. A cut from a dull blade results in a nutrient deficiency that will wreak havoc with your growing lawn.

Sharpen your mower blade twice a year [source: Boyd ]. Some experts recommend not using herbicides to kill weeds or pesticides to kill insects. These chemicals find their way into the environment, and they also restrict the movement of water in the soil. Pesticides can harm myriad insects, microorganisms and earthworms that help keep a lawn healthy. Moreover, many plants that we consider weeds are actually beneficial. Clover, for example, takes nitrogen from the atmosphere and distributes it in the soil [source: National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns ].

If you need to control weeds, do it in an eco-friendly manner. Mowing is essential. Cutting off the heads of dandelions before they have a chance to spread their seeds is a good form of weed abatement. If you need to use a weed killer, use a "natural" one. These nonchemical weed killers are often made from corn gluten and other nonchemical sources [source: Haiken ]. One year, when my yard looked like Jurassic Park, I concocted my own weed killer made of vinegar, alcohol and dish detergent.

The detergent helped the vinegar solution stick to the leaves. It worked wonderfully for a few species of weeds, but not so much on others. Mowing at the right time of the day, especially during the summer, will help your lawn stay green.

As we said before, don't mow in the morning when the grass is wet. Wait until the lawn dries. Once dry, mow in the late afternoon and early evening. For one thing, it's excessively hot at noontime for such work.

Not only can mowing in the heat of the day stress you out, but it can also stress your lawn. Also, don't water your lawn in the blazing hot sun. The water will just evaporate. Watering a few minutes a day is not a good idea.

It's a vicious cycle. Frequent watering creates a shallow-root system. Plants with shallow roots need be constantly watered to remain healthy. A curious question many people wonder is what exactly happens to your grass if you were to stop mowing it regularly. From the effects on maintenance to how it looks, we tell you what the outcome will be if you suddenly decided to stop doing this routine. To find out, continue reading below. Just as it does in between your regular mows, your lawn will grow substantially.

This is expected as you mow to keep it short. If you bring out the lawnmower and cut it down to a few inches all at once you may end up with another problem. As a guide from the University of Arkansas Extension explains, never cut more than one-third of the leaf in a single mowing.

A different option for a low-maintenance lawn that could still meet HOA and nuisance ordinance guidelines is a no-mow lawn, one that uses certain grass types to create a flowing grass cover that has longer blades but still maintains a tidy appearance. According to Prairie Nursery, which carries a specially designed No Mow Lawn Seed Mix that blends different fescue grasses for those who live in the right climate, not mowing the lawn at all will result in a turf with leaves that grow to about 6 inches in height and drape over one another.

You can even mow a no-mow lawn, in the spring and fall, or even more regularly. The legal cases continue for the right to not mow, or to eschew grass entirely. Roland expects a ruling in the Duffner allergy case in Missouri any day. Gul, having lost at the appeals court level, still fights the fight in his own way. It kills grass.

Daniel Ray contributed to this report. Main image credit: Snowmanradio. Skip to content. If you have any questions about how often you should mow your lawn based on your type of turf, contact us today for more information. Order Sod Now. Skip to content Post author: The Lazy Sod Farmer Post published: May 14, Post category: Lawn Care You know that you are supposed to mow your lawn on a regular basis, usually at least once a week in the spring and summer, but lately there have been movements trying to eliminate mowing for a month at a time.

Infrequent Mowing Hurts the Grass When Cut The longer the blades of grass become, the more resources it becomes used to consuming.