Maintaining the lawn’s health and appearance requires an effective and thoughtful mowing routine. Through the planned alternation of mowing patterns, you can easily master the art of lawn landscaping. To help you better understand the benefits of switching up your mowing strategy, here’s an informative guide.

Why You Should Update Your Lawn Mowing Patterns

Give the Soil Breathing Room

A healthy lawn is both well-hydrated and aerated. Proper and consistent landscaping promotes a balance of soil oxygen and water content. While mowing helps maintain this balance, constant and repetitive mowing patterns lead to soil compaction, stifling oxygen flow and squeezing water away from the lawn’s roots, impeding growth. By alternating the pattern of the mowing path, you’ll avoid compacting the soil and promote healthy lawn development and growth.

Avoid Mower Damage to the Lawn

If you continually move the lawnmower in the same direction repeatedly over time, its wheels can create dents or ruts in the lawn, particularly during heavy rainfall. The weight of an average push-mower is 80 pounds, so there is a significant load that needs to be supported on narrow tires by the lawn. Changing the mowing pattern allows weaker portions of the grass to recoup after being stressed by the weight of the lawnmower.

Promote Vertical Growth

The lawn is just like any other plant; over time it can be trained to grow in just about any direction. Grass that is consistently cut in one direction will begin to grow horizontally and become flattened in appearance. This is visually bad for the landscaping and unhealthy for the grass. Flattened, compressed grass will begin to impede soil air flow and block rainwater flow. It’s also more prone to root damage from surface stresses. By alternating your mowing patterns, you’ll have a much healthier, vertically growing lawn and it will look more visually appealing.

If you need help with landscaping, contact DRS Lawn & Landscape in Morris County, NJ. Since 1991, these lawn maintenance experts have provided satisfied homeowners with everything from landscape design and construction to mulching and masonry. To speak with a landscaper today, call (908) 879-0600. Visit their website for more information about their services.