Released June 27, 2008

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - It may seem like the lawn mower is stealing the weekend time that you would rather spend splashing, fishing, or biking, but proper mowing can pay off in improved health for your lawn, fewer weeds and less yard work time.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, the average American homeowner spends 40 hours a year mowing the lawn.

"Proper mowing technique, proper equipment, mowing frequently, and mowing turf at higher mowing heights helps increase overall plant health and reduces weed pressure," said Aaron Patton, extension turfgrass specialist and assistant professor with the U of A Division of Agriculture in Washington County.

For example, if the mower is set at 3 inches, mow before the lawn reaches 4.5 inches high, he said. To avoid removing more than one-third of the grass blade height per cutting, mow often. Removing more than one-third of leaf blade in a single mowing is detrimental to plant health.

According to Backyardnature.com, close to 80 percent of homes in the U.S. have lawns, using 1976 - 2001 studies. There are about 40.5 million acres of turfgrass in the U.S with 21 million acres of that being in home lawns. Fifty million homeowners in the U.S. maintain residential lawns.

What type of mower should you use: electric or gas? What style mower: push, self-propelled, ride-on? It’s hard to choose what is right for you. It’s best to match the mower to your lawn. If you have a small lawn, then a small push electric or gas mower might work for you. If you have a large lawn with slopes, a self-propelled or ride-on gas mower is most likely what you would need.

Reel mowers and rotary mowers are the two main categories of lawn mowers used. Reel mowers provide a more precise cut, but they’re more difficult to adjust the height of the mower. It’s also hard to sharpen a reel mower, and sharpening should be performed by an experienced or trained person.

The most popular type of mower used on the home lawn is the rotary mower. On rotary mowers, the blades spin horizontally (east to west) and use a sucking and tearing action to cut the blades of grass. On reel mowers, blades spin vertically (north to south) and use a scissoring action to cut the blades of grass.

"Cuts with rotary mowers are less precise and often more damaging to a leaf blade, but the height of the cut is easily adjusted, and blades are easy to sharpen," Patton said.

During hot and dry conditions in the summer, turf is often not actively growing. During these periods, it’s best not to mow your lawn, he said. "Mowing a lawn when it is under drought stress should be avoided since this can damage a lawn," Patton said.

Lastly, be smart when mowing. The University of Michigan Health Systems says that about 75,000 American adults and children are injured yearly in lawn mower accidents. To prevent injury, wear pants, steel-toed boots, goggles and hearing protection while mowing. Save drinks, cigarettes and/or portable music players with earphones for the time when the job is done.

For more information about mowing properly or lawn mower safety, please contact your county extension agent or visit http://www.uaex.edu. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.

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http://www.uaex.edu/news/june2008/0627mowing.htm

Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187, ljames@uaex.edu