Use a High Quality Lawn Mower for Organic Lawn Care

By Guest Author Laura Malkin of Allet Mowers.

Organic lawn care isn’t simply about substituting synthetic fertilizers for organic fertilizers. An organic lawn care program should also include a quality lawn mower with sharp blades to pulverize grass clippings. This allows your lawn to be free of synthetic chemicals and depend instead on the steady source of nutrients provided by the decomposed lawn clippings.

A high-quality lawn mower will cut your grass to the desired length and reduce or eliminate the buildup of thatch. Too much thatch can prevent your lawn from being able to absorb the nutrients it needs to thrive (primarily nitrogen, the main component in synthetic lawn fertilizers). A cylinder mower is an excellent choice for organic lawn care, as it uses a series of spiral rotating blades which trap the blades of grass between the spinning and stationary bottom blades, producing a ‘scissor-like’ cut. This precision cutting prevents damage to the standing blades of grass, which reduces the chance of disease – meaning a more luscious lawn in the long run.

You can also improve the quality of your lawn through a variety of lawn mowing and maintenance equipment, which further improves the quality of your lawn.

Improve your lawn by reducing thatch.

When you stand on your lawn, thatch is the ‘spongy’ feeling that you experience. Thatch is the amalgamation of rhizomes and stolons which have struggled to break down during the decomposition phase of your lawn’s life cycle. It’s normal for thatch to occur in every lawn. But using correct mowing equipment will reduce thatch to a manageable level. When there’s too much lawn thatch, your lawn will struggle to absorb the water, air and necessary nutrients it needs, as there’s a barrier between the soil, root and grass blades.

De-thatching (also known as scarification) breaks up and removes thatch to maintain a natural lawn and organic soil base. The rotating spikes of de-thatchers penetrate the grass and pull out dead grass, debris or moss, allowing nutrients to pass through to the soil, which creates stronger and healthier grass roots. For lawns with larger problems, a dethatcher – equipment manufactured for this purpose alone – may be the best option, as it provides more aggressive de-thatching.

Aerate your lawn to improve soil quality.

Using the best quality organic fertilizers on your lawn can help improve lawn quality. However if your soil quality is sub-par, you’ll struggle with lawn thinning and see a lackluster green hue rather than a bold, bright green, healthy turf. To improve the quality of your soil, you’ll need to aerate the lawn before adding more grass seed and organic fertilizer. Aeration creates small holes in the lawn to reduce soil compaction and allows air and water to reach the roots of the grass.

Mow your lawn at the proper height.

When you mow your lawn, the preferred height of the cut should be between 2.5 and 3 inches – you don’t want to go too short, as this invites moss growth, shallow roots, and weeds. It will also make your lawn more susceptible to damage and disease brought on by drought. A higher cut will produce even better results if you decide to experiment with lawn stripes, as there’s more length to lay flat, producing a crisp stripe.

Author Bio:
Allett Mowers is a lawn mower manufacturer based in the UK and US, providing quality turf care machines internationally. They have been making lawns healthier with cylinder mowers for years, and as efficiently as possible. Their homeowner mowers are adaptable with quick-change cartridges so there’s no need for multiple lawn tools as you are able to attach whichever cylinder mower accessory necessary.