Some people swear by bagging and others say mulching is the only way to go. In actuality there are reasons for both.

When To Bag Your Grass Clippings

Sometimes clippings should be bagged and not left on the lawn after mowing. For example, if your grass has been allowed to grow unusually high, or if you mowed when the lawn is wet, then it is best to bag the clippings or rake them up afterwards. The reason for this is an overabundance of clippings or wet clippings will bunch together and create thick clumps that can smother patches of healthy grass. If your lawn has mold, fungus, weeds, or diseased grass, then the clippings should also be bagged to prevent these problems from spreading.

However, while many people prefer to always bag the grass clippings, and many mowers come equipped with the ability to bag clippings as you cut, this is not always the best practice to achieve a healthy lawn.

When To Leave Your Grass Clippings

A well-kept lawn can benefit greatly from the grass clippings being left on the lawn, instead of being bagged. This practice is often referred to as mulching. For the health of the lawn, and to get the best results from mulching, only the top third of the grass should be clipped off when mowing. This top part of the blade is mostly water and is filled with essential nutrients, such as nitrogen and potassium. When these short clippings are allowed to remain on the grass after mowing, they fall back into the lawn and quickly decompose into the soil. This allows the clippings to release their moisture and act as a natural fertilizer. Mulching the grass clippings can also provide a good amount of sun block for the roots of your lawn, and can also help keep the lawn from drying out during the hottest summer months of July and August.

I’m Grant Mayfield, owner of StandAlone Lawn Care, and I’d like to encourage you to keep an eye on your lawn throughout the spring and summer months. Make sure it’s healthy and attempt to identify common grass issues before they get out of control and ruin your entire lawn. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us…we’re happy to help.

The post Mulching vs. Bagging – Which Is Best For Your Lawn appeared first on StandAlone.

Tips For A Healthy Lawn This Spring

A pitch fork can effectively be used to aerate your lawn.

1. Use a dethatching rake, or rake fairly hard with a spring rake, to dethatch your lawn. Removing the layer of thatch (dead stems & roots between grass and soil) that has built up since last spring will allow your lawn to grow better. This is also a good time to check your lawn for larger branches, rocks or anything else you don’t want to mow over.
2. Since a lot of the soil around Oregon City can be hard and clay-like, aerating your yard at least once a year can be beneficial. Aerating helps water, air and nutrients get to the grass roots, leading to a healthier lawn. Spring is a great time to aerate compact soil, because it will help encourage the grass to take off and grow.
3. Although fall is the best time to seed a lawn, spring is a great time overseed your lawn or re-seed bare patches. If you’re trying to get grass to grow in a bare patch, loosen the soil first, then mix seed with topsoil or fertilizer before packing soil back down. If your entire lawn is on the thin side, and you’re about to re-seed (and you’ve already dethatched), the first thing you’ll want to do is mow your lawn a little lower than usual. Getting it at or below 2 inches will allow the new seeds to get light and really take off. Be sure to do this early in the spring, so the grass has a chance to grow and establish before summer.
4. Mow your lawn once the grass is around 3″ – 3.5″ tall, but don’t cut it below 2″. Keeping your grass in the 2″ – 2.5″ height range will build a good turf, and it will help limit weeds by blocking them from getting light. As a general rule, you shouldn’t cut more than 1/3 of the grass down at any one time. So raise that mower up, and mow more often for a thicker, greener lawn this spring.
5. Wondering if you should fertilize? Each lawn is different, but using the correct fertilizer at the right time can really help your lawn take off in the spring. Regardless of what you’re using, wait to apply fertilizer until after your first spring cutting. When you do fertilize, lean towards a more conservative application. Adding more than the recommended amount thinking it will work better and faster usually backfires and can damage your lawn.

Starting off with a healthy, well-managed lawn in the spring will help keep your lawn looking great throughout the year. It will also make maintaining and watering your lawn in the summer easier. If at any point caring for your lawn and yard becomes more trouble than it’s worth, feel free to request an estimate for regularly scheduled lawn and yard services from StandAlone Lawn Care.

Don’t Forget About Your Mower

It can put you in a tight spot if you wait until you absolutely need to mow, and then find out that your mower won’t fire up after sitting all winter. Start it up and give it a little attention ahead of time to make sure it won’t fail when you’re ready to start using it this spring.

1. If your mower won’t start after sitting all winter, and you didn’t add fuel stabilizer to the gas, try draining the tank and adding fresh gas. Old gas is a common reason for mowers to not fire right up in the spring. Moister and age can cause the gas to not work optimally, and gunk and debris that have been sitting in the tank, lines and carburetor can block fuel enough to keep it from starting and running.
2. Sharpen your blade to get the cleanest cut possible. Sharp blades cut even, mulch better (without bag), bag better, and save time by getting the job done right the first time. If you can’t sharpen your blade yourself, most local shops around Oregon City will do it…for a fee. Just be sure to schedule your sharpening soon, before the spring rush.
3. Check/change your oil. Making sure your oil is clean and the level is in the recommended range will keep your mower healthy and happy. Follow the recommended maintenance schedule for your specific engine, but as a general rule, it’s better to change the oil more often with a new mower.
4. Additional parts you will want to check on a mower that’s been sitting for a while, are the spark plug and air filter. Spark plugs are cheap to replace, but even simply brushing a dirty plug can give you a little extra spark sometimes. And if your mower won’t start, one thing you can do is try removing the air filter and seeing if it will fire up without it. Some air filters clog easy or expand after coming into contact with moisture, causing enough of an air restriction to not let it run. If it doesn’t run with the air filter on, but does without, an new one may be in order.

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1. Water deeply. Shallow watering promotes shallow roots. During hot weather the grass plant may not be able to absorb enough moisture even when the soil is moist. Put down 1/2 inch to 1″ of water each time you water.

2. Water more frequently. If you water deeply (and you don’t have extremely sandy soil) you aren’t likely to need to water more often than every other day, even in the hottest weather. In cooler weather 1 to 3 times per week may be sufficient. How deeply you water should never vary. But the frequency will increase in hotter weather.

3. Water your lawn in the early morning while it is still cool. There will be less moisture loss to evaporation and less chance of disease. It is also less likely to be windy in the early morning, so the water goes on your lawn instead of the driveway.

Please feel free to reach out for additional summer services, such as:

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Start from Seed – Spring is a great time to seed your lawn. Whether you’re starting from scratch, over seeding your current lawn to fill in bare spots or looking to give your lawn a thicker look, it’s best to get your lawn established before summer maintenance kicks in.

Prevent Weeds – Applying herbicide at just the right time, around the end of winter or beginning of spring, can keep weeds and crabgrass from ever showing up. Some lawns may require different types of herbicides to prevent specific weeds, moss or ivy.

Cleanup Leaves – Removing leaves, needles or other debris will give your lawn a chance to flourish in the spring. If you don’t have time to rake, run a mower over your lawn a few times to cut leaves into fine mulch.

Fertilize – Applying fertilizer in the spring will help your lawn get off to a great start, but make sure your lawn is ready. Wait until the grass has grown enough to be mowed, and apply fertilizer conservatively. Using a slow release fertilizer will only require you to apply fertilizer a few times a year.

Aerate – to give your lawn the best chance of thriving on its own, it’s best to aerate at least once a year. It is preferable to aerate at a time when the grass is actively growing, like spring or fall.

Water – Different grass varieties require different amounts of water, but most lawns only require around 1″ of water per week. Be sure to water late in the evening or early in the morning to get the most out of your water application.

Hopefully these tips and reminders will help you keep your lawn looking healthy. If caring for your lawn ever gets to be too much, or becomes too time consuming for your schedule, give StandAlone a call for a quote that will keep your yard looking its best.

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