The YardMasters Letter
We raised every deck a half inch this week. In a Richmond July, a touch long always beats a hair too short.
From Pamela
Every July I watch folks make the same mistake, cutting the lawn too short to stretch an extra week between mows. I get why, but short grass in this heat is a trap. The blades can't shade their own roots, the soil bakes, and the thin spots fill in with crabgrass before the mower's back on the trailer. Leave it a little taller and the lawn starts working for you. It holds its moisture, stays green, and crowds the weeds out on its own. We keep most yards around three and a half to four inches this time of year, and we never take more than a third of the blade off in one pass. If yours got away from you and it's tall, don't scalp it back all at once, bring it down over two mowings a few days apart. It looks like less work, and it is.
Out in the yards
A few things we're noticing around Richmond this week.
Cut height
Decks up a half inch, taller grass takes the heat better.
Crabgrass
Creeping into the short, thin spots. Mow high and crowd it out.
Fresh Mulch
A fresh layer keeps beds cool and holds moisture through the worst of the heat.
One more thing
Look at your lawn the day after you mow. If the tips look white or hazy, that's a dull blade tearing the grass instead of slicing it, not the lawn giving up on you. A fresh blade is the cheapest lawn upgrade there is.
See you in the Yard,
Pamela & the YardMasters Crew
Need us in your yard? Get a free estimate → or text the crew at (804) 744-4733.
Midlothian, VA · Since 2009