Tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass,No. 1 and No. 2 on the Kansas lawn turfs list start greening up in March and may not enter dormancy again until December. From the lawn's standpoint, all that mowing can be a good or bad thing. The factor that decides the good-bad outcome can be what the homeowner believes about spring, summer and fall cutting heights. More often, however, mowing becomes bad management through a few small oversights or miscalculations, which can dramatically produce disappointing effects, said Matt Fagerness, Kansas State University horticulturist. For example, sharp mower blades leave grass with small, clean cuts that heal quickly.
Jagged cuts give the lawn a whitish hue.
That actually may increase your odds for pest problems. Mower blades need sharpening after every 10 hours of use. Depending on the mowed area's size, that usually translates into one to three times per year, said Fagerness, who is the turfgrass specialist for K-State Research and Extension. You don't need a precision job, with the blade honed to millimeter accuracy. But the edge should have no visible blemishes, and it should be filed out to a good point.