Surprise, surprise
Check out the boulevard grass strip above shared by two homeowners with a tree in the middle. My side was extremely shaggy because my client’s daughter had moved out and nobody was around to take care of it. It would be another week or two before my client moved into the house. In the meantime, the uncut boulevard grass was so shaggy, it was very likely that the grass would start reproducing sexually.
And then I showed up to bring it back up to standard and stop the neighbours from whispering. Now, grass this long is rough on your mower. It’s better to knock it down a little bit with a trimmer and then mow it. But I was on a tight schedule and not worried about my used Honda mower.
After mowing I did the usual line trimming and, because the hard edge was overgrown, I re-established it with my blade edger attachment. This gives the lawn nice, sharp definition. Since this was my first visit I took the liberty of applying spring lawn fertilizer.
It wasn’t until I started my clean up blow that I noticed the work of my neighbours. I have no idea if the owners did it or if they hired amateurs to do it for them. Either way, the lawn was scalped to bits, probably with a line trimmer. Take a look below.
Problems with scalped grass
You will see this from time to time. Homeowners, sick of mowing grass regularly scalp the hell out of it just to avoid next week’s cut. What’s wrong with this approach? Well, it looks like hell. Also, very short grass dries out quicker and it doesn’t shade out weeds.
Scalping also points to ignorance. That’s because grass blades grow from meristems (growth points) located in the first third of every grass blade. When you cut the grass below the meristems, all growth stops. If you’re lucky, the grass will move in by sending underground runners which takes time. This is why scalping your lawn late in the season will leave it looking terrible until spring.
Always hire pros
If you want good looking lawns, hire lawn care professionals. Check to see if your contractor is Landscape Industry Certified and don’t leave your lawns in the hands of just any operator who shows up with machines at your door step.
The people who maintain the left side of my boulevard make me look good. My lawn will green up, it will always be cut at the correct height and it will be nicely edged. I hope my competition next door notices.
