Summary: Fred talks about lowering your mower height for fall mowing. Mark Nuce: [00:00:00] I know when it gets later in the season you put your mower down a little bit don't scalp but you put it down a little bit where are you at. Fred Hower: [00:00:07] Now I just put it down to two and a half inches. I enjoy letting the grass take care of itself so to speak by cutting it three inches or I don't even go a little touch higher if I could. My mower only go up to three inches. I just put it down to two and a half. When I'm moving it three inches the grass is not standing tall and strong enough. But the mower blade will sometimes just push it aside or just barely cut it or whatever. It never looks quite as groomed. Well this past week I set it down to two and a half inches where the grass stems blades if you will are resilient enough that they'll stand and be cut. And the lawn looks a whole lot better. Of course it's had rain. It has been recently fertilized. So that is helping. But I've I've moved down to two and a half inches. And then I will under almost all circumstances continue to cut at two and a half inches right up till, Mark, after Thanksgiving dinner. Mark Nuce: [00:01:05] Ok ok I'll go I'll go with you. Fre: [00:01:08] Yeah you get your son to do it. I know. But anyhow Yeah I think it's time to do that. And then I will leave it at two and a half inches for the first moiling or two in the spring assuming I get around to mowing when I should. And then very shortly thereafter back up to three inches because the grass stands tall enough to shade its own root zone. It will help very minimally in a couple of insect situations. It will not be tall enough to cause extra humidity enough to cause any extra diseases. And then it shade's its own root zone so that you can cut back on water a little bit or what water the grasses can get suits them to a better degree. So yeah that's where we are now as to a neighbor down the street. He cut his down to less than an inch a month ago after he had killed it with Roundup. Then after due time he seeded it. That man has a brand spanking new lawn already tall enough to cut. So you know that's what we should doing right now. I would get it done because it's soon time to quit that. But you can still side clear up until, Mark, after Thanksgiving dinner Plant Talk is a live interactive radio gardening show hosted by Fred Hower. With over 50 years experience as a horticultural consultant, certified arborist and landscape designer, Fred is a walking encyclopedia of horticulture information and he answers listener questions in a friendly and entertaining way. Facebook - planttalkradio You can hear other Plant Talk podcasts including the Plant Talk Radio podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast player. Be sure to listen to Fred's Plant Of The Week podcast on Spreaker. www.planttalkradio.com fred@planttalkradio.com
