A-Cube Microsystems
offer lawn mowing / grass cutting, grass turfing
and grass trimming services. We also sweep and
clear dry leaves. We will take care of your lawn
anywhere from your office to your backyard.
Getting rid of all useless weeds and turfing it
so that it looks perfectly kept and healthy.
Question:
If mowing the lawn
removes the growing portion of the plant, why do
we have to continue mowing each week?
Grass has stems called
culms above ground from which the leaves grow.
These are made up of nodes (joints) and
internodes (the areas between the nodes). The
nodes are always solid, but the internodes in
some grasses such as wheat are hollow. Grass
leaves are called two-ranked, because each leaf
grows on the opposite side of the culm from the
leaf below it. Each leaf is made up of a sheath,
blade, ligule, and collar. The sheath wraps
around the culm above each node. The blade,
which is sometimes incorrectly called the leaf,
is usually flat and narrow. It is fastened to
the top of the sheath. The ligule grows where
the blade and the sheath meet. It may form a
thin sheet or look like a row of eyelashes. The
collar grows on the back of the leaf where the
blade meets the sheath.
The internodes, or stem
regions between the nodes, are usually round in
cross section and either hollow or filled with a
spongy pith. What makes the grasses unusual,
however, is their method of growth: they
elongate by means of cell division and
enlargement at the basal point of growth. Some
of the structural strength required for grass
plants to stand erect comes from the leaves,
particularly the leaf sheaths. Arising at nodes
and encircling the internode above, sheaths
counter the tendency for the internode to bend
at the basal growing point, where it is weakest.
The other major part of the grass leaf is the
blade. Grass leaves are borne singly at the
nodes and, with minor exception, are arranged in
two vertical ranks. Thus, a leaf, and most
conspicuously its blade, is positioned directly
under the blade two nodes above it.
Structurally, this means that the point of leaf
initiation alternates with each node; the leaf
sheath grows to encircle the stem and overlap
when the two points meet. At the junction of
leaf sheath and blade, designated as the collar
of the leaf, and on the side facing the stem,
grass leaves bear a ligule, a small flange or
ring of hairs, depending on the species, that
may have evolved to prevent the entry of water
into the leaf sheath.
When the lawn is being
mowed, the blades of the grass plants are being
cut. The sheaths normally remain intact and the
ligule would continue to grow. Hence the grass
lawn needs to be mowed regularly.
Home Lawn Care Programs
That Work
A Report on Effective
Turf Maintenance
Having one of the
best-looking and environmentally sound lawns in
your neighborhood can be accomplished easier
than you may think. You may still encounter some
lawn "problems" during the year, but you can
reduce their probability by faithfully following
the lawn care programs outlined in this
brochure. There are three (3) key parts to a
good lawn maintenance program:
. Mowing
. Fertilizing
. Watering
They all work together
to produce a quality lawn. Leaving one part out,
or not following the plan to its optimum level,
will give you less than the desired results.
A Mowing Program That
Works
Many lawn care experts
believe that a majority of our lawn care
problems are a result of not mowing at the
proper height.and not keeping our lawn mower
blade sharpened throughout the mowing season.
Each type of grass has its specific height for
optimum performance. Mowing to keep the grass at
its best growing height will increase your
lawn's density and attractiveness, and reduce
lawn care problems.
No matter the kind of
grass you have, there is a simple "rule of
thumb" to follow when mowing your lawn. Never
remove more than one-third (1/3) of the leaf
surface each time you mow. Leaf surface, or
cutting height, refers to the length of grass
above the soil. Cutting below the optimum height
impedes root development, which is key to having
a dense, healthy lawn. Use the following chart
to determine the best growing height for your
kind of grass and when to mow it again.
Type Of Grass
Best Mowing Height
Mow When It Reaches
Bluegrass
2 inches
3 inches
Perennial ryegrass
2 inches
3 inches
Tall fescue
2 inches
3 inches
Fine fescue
2 inches
3 inches
St. Augustine
2 inches
3 inches
Buffalograss
2 inches
3 inches
Bermuda
1.5 inches
2.25 inches
Zoysia
1.5 inches
2.25 inches
Centipede
1.5 inches
2.25 inches
Note: Increase the
mowing height 1/2 inch for shady areas,
immediately following a drought period, or when
the grass has been weakened by insect injury or
high traffic.
If you follow the "rule
of thumb" on maintaining the optimum height and
cut no more than 1/3 of the leaf surface, you
can determine your cutting frequency. So much
depends on weather conditions, when you've
fertilized, and the amount of water the lawn has
received. And remember - keep that lawn mower
blade sharp! A dull blade will cause injury to
the grass plant and produce stress.and increase
the possibility of insect and disease
problems.
When you use the "rule
of thumb," you don't have to collect the grass
clippings. They decompose quickly and put
nutrients back into the soil. It's a built-in
fertilization program every time you mow.
No - grass clippings do
not create thatch! That's an old myth! Leaving
the clippings on the lawn keeps them out of the
landfills.and that's another environmental
benefit!
As a last note, there
are a number of new "mulching" mowers on the
market that cut the clippings into very small
pieces, which allows for quicker decay. These
are not absolutely necessary to a proper mowing
maintenance program, but if you're in the market
for a new lawn mower, you should consider a
mulching mower.
A Fertilization Program
That Works
The goal of any
fertilization program is to provide the lawn
with the nutrients it needs for optimum growth.
The most accurate way to find out those needs is
to have the soil tested. Soil test kits and
instructions are usually available at lawn and
garden centers, and at better hardware stores.
Soil test services and information are often
available through your local County Extension
office. If a soil test is not conducted, follow
these general fertilization guidelines.
Most lawn experts agree
that fertilizers with N (Nitrogen), P
(Phosphorus), and K (Potassium) analysis ratios
of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 are acceptable for use on any
lawn. Examples on the fertilizer bag that fit
these ratios are: 12-4-8, 15-5-10, 21-7-14,
16-4-8, and 20-5-10. The experts also recommend
that the fertilizer should have at least
one-half of its Nitrogen (N) in a slowly
soluble/slow-release form, i.e. natural
organics, sulfur-coated urea, resin-coated urea,
ureaformaldehyde, methylene urea, or I.B.D.U.
Lawns fertilized with one of these slow-release
forms of nitrogen tend to have better color,
thickness, and reduced leaf growth.
Fertilizer application
rates should be as low as possible and still
produce a high quality lawn. If the amount of
nitrogen (N-the first number of the analysis on
the bag) is between 5 and 12, then the
application rate should be 8 pounds per 1,000
square feet of lawn. If the number is between 12
and 18, the rate of application should be 6
pounds per 1,000 square feel. Anything over 19
should be applied at 4 pounds per 1,000 square
feel of lawn. This is a good "rule of thumb,"
but always apply the fertilizer at the
recommended rate listed on the bag.
The best time to
fertilize your lawn is when it's actively
growing and in need of nutrients. For Southern
lawns, this means beginning the program just
after spring green-up and stopping about two
months before the average frost date in the
fall. For Northern lawns, begin the program as
the lawn begins to grow and green-up in the
spring, then reduce applications as the weather
gets hotter. When the cool weather returns in
the fall, the lawn can again be fertilized. A
late fall application, after the first frost,
has been shown to increase lawn quality the
following spring.
Fertilizer application
dates and frequency are based primarily on which
form of nitrogen the fertilizer contains. Those
that have at least one-half of its nitrogen in
slow-release form should be adequate for 6 to 8
weeks. If the lawn still has good color and is
growing well at the end of this period, then
delay the next fertilizer application a little
longer.
Also, if you leave your
clippings on the lawn, you are fertilizing the
lawn almost on a continual basis.possibly
extending the time period between commercially
manufactured fertilizer applications. Lawn
fertilization is truly the case of a little
occasionally is good, but a lot at one time is
bad for the grass.
A Watering Program That
Works
The best lawns grow when
they are watered heavily at infrequent
intervals. On an average, the lawn needs about 1
inch of water a week, either from rain or
irrigation during the growing season. This
one-inch of water will normally soak the soil to
a depth of 4 to 6 inches, which allows the water
to reach deep into the root system.
Soil types vary in the
speed at which water will soak in. If you know
your basic soil type, use the following table as
a general guide to watering.
Soil Type
Infiltration
Per Hour
Time Required
For 1 Inch To Soak
In
Sand
2.0 inches
0.5 hours
Sandy loam
1.0 inches
1.0 hours
Loam
0.5 inches
2.0 hours
Silt loam
0.4 inches
2.25 hours
Clay loam
0.3 inches
3.3 hours
Clay
0.2 inches
5.0 hours
You must determine the
rate of application of your sprinkler system to
set up any irrigation program. An easy way to do
this is to set out a series of straight-sided,
flat-bottom cans if you have an underground
sprinkler system or a couple of cans if you use
a single sprinkler. Run the system 30 minutes
and measure the water in the cans. With a little
simple math, you can determine the length of
time to apply one inch of water.
Watch for runoff during
the watering period. It is very possible that
your lawn will not be able to soak up the water
as fast as your sprinkler is putting it on the
lawn. If this occurs, shut it off and wait
on-half hour, then turn it on again. Also,
remember that sloped areas will have more
tendency for runoff.
The best times to water
your lawn are in the early morning or early
evening when there is generally less wind and
heat. The lease desirable times are in the heat
of the afternoon, when water evaporates too
quickly, and very late in the evening, which can
cause the lawn to stay wet all night. This
encourages disease development.
Over-watering is much
worse than under-watering. Most grasses can live
through reasonably long periods of drought.
Water only when the soil is dry 4 to 6 inches
below the surface. Use a screwdriver or other
probe to determine dryness. Also, if the grass
doesn't spring back up after walking on it.it's
probably time to put another inch of water on
the lawn.
If you are looking for
a reliable and professional lawn mowing company,
we are the one.
Don't hesitate
to contact us now!
