Beyond basics
I know that some people consider lawn mowing super easy and, in a way, it can be. New push mowers don’t even have any buttons. Just pull the cord and the engine roars. But homeowners and new landscapers struggle with mowing strategies.
Here’s an example from two days ago. One multi-family site I work on has a yard with a small Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). I often check on this tree because, as far as I know, it was the first-ever bare root planting done at my day-job company. The poor tree was sitting in a tipped-over pot, in fluffy potting soil and its roots were reaching through the bottom into real soil. My job was to plant it properly. Naturally, when I pulled it out the fluffy potting soil fell away and I had a bare root tree in my hands. It was my lucky day.
So, of course it pained me two days ago to see the mower dude run his mower wheels right through the tree well of my special maple. When you become a landscape pro you’re able to see beyond the first basic task. In this case it’s mowing. Can you see why running your mower wheels through a tree well every week might be a problem?
If you look at the left side of the tree well, you’ll see it’s compacted from mower wheels and the edge is flattened.
Soil compaction kills
Heavy lawn mowers compact the soil in a tree well when they run through it every week. Now, recall that trees use surface roots to collect water and nutrients. When the soil around these roots gets compacted, it makes their job very difficult; as if it wasn’t enough struggle already for a tree parked in a lawn.
Another problem with running mower wheels through tree wells is more cosmetic. The wheels crush the tree well edges which looks awful. We need nice sharp edges for the look they give us, for capturing water and for keeping mulch in.
Lastly, when you develop the habit of running your mower through tree wells you risk scalping the grass. In the example from two days ago, the tree well was shallow. But I have seen lawn care dudes run through tree wells and scalp the grass edge down to dirt. Never scalp your lawn.
Help is here
As a landscape manager with twenty-two years in the field, I have seen many lawn care mistakes. And sadly, they repeat as new workers come and go. So, one day I decided to catalog the worst mistakes and put them into an easy online course. The course will give you the background and strategies and all you have to do is practice in the field. You’re almost guaranteed to become a better lawn care dude after going through my course.
If you’re reading this blog post you are eligible for a $9 discount off the regular $29 price. Just message me for a discount code: vas@greenfirstlandscaping.com.
