Sharp Blades, a Key to the Best Cut

When it comes to getting the best cut possible, a sharp, balanced blade is important. A sharp blade will slice through grass, giving you a clean cut. A dull blade will tend to tear the grass rather than slice it, and while it may get the job done, it can sometimes leave a slightly burnt, brown look to the lawn. The longer recovery time of a tear can also be an invitation for pests or diseases to take hold in the lawn.

We invested in a $700 custom blade grinder to sharpen our blades every week throughout the season. When it comes to a good blade, the angle the blade is sharpened at is what keeps the blade sharp. With our custom grinder, we get a sharp edge at the perfect angle every time.

Here are some more tips on achieving that ‘Yard of the Month’ cut

Manage your irrigation
The perfect cut happens when we remove right at 1/3 of the height of the grass each week. If it grows much less than this, then the lawn is not growing enough and needs more irrigation and or fertilizer. If it grows much more than this, it is growing too quickly and can result in a poorer cut.

Manage your irrigation carefully throughout the season to keep the growth as close as you can to this 1/3 growth goal. The months that most lawns grow too much are May and June - both heavy rain months. Installing a rain sensor to your existing irrigation system can be a great help. You won’t ever irrigate your lawn after (or during!) a rain, and you don’t have to remember to turn it back on a day or two later either - it will do it automatically. Also, don’t water for at least 24hrs prior to cutting the lawn.

Don’t over fertilize.
Try a timed-release fertilizer. Instead of releasing all the nitrogen at one time (which will surely get you over the 1/3 growth goal), these fertilizers are coated to release the nitrogen gradually over several weeks or months giving a more constant ‘green’ and a better cut throughout.