1. Cut your lawn at 3 inches or higher.

Research at the University of Maryland has shown that maintaining a cutting height of 3 inches or higher on a thick, healthy lawn is as effective as pre-emergent chemical treatments for the control of crab grass. Just imagine how many tons of crabgrass control is applied to the lawns of the Chesapeake Bay water shed each year. We could eliminate the need for that chemical treatment just by building healthy soil and allowing our lawns to grow to 3 inches or higher.

2. Keep your lawn mower blade razor sharp.

Remember, you are cutting your grass, not beating it to death. Get an extra blade for your lawn mower and keep it sharp. Switch the blades as the become dull. Your lawn will look better and your lawnmower will operate more efficiently. This is especially important if you are using a mulching mower.

3. Give your lawn frequent trims.

It would be ideal to never take off more than 1/2 inch at a time. This keeps your grass at the ideal height for shading out weeds and stimulates your grass plants to send out new shoots that grow from ground level. By cutting your grass frequently and taking off no more than a ½ inch of grass at a time, you are keeping your lawn well trimmed as you decapitate any weeds in your lawn. Most weeds grow from their tips and frequent decapitation tends to slow them down.

Cutting your grass frequently lets your lawnmower operate more efficiently, reducing emissions if you use a gasoline powered unit. If you use an electric, battery or human powered lawn mower, your unit will give you a much better cut if it is only taking off a small amount of grass each time. This is critical for users of mulching mowers. In order for mulching mowers to be effective, your soil has to have a viable microbial population to break down the grass clippings. You can make sure your soil is biologically alive by core aerating and top dressing with Chesapeake Green. When you cut your lawn frequently with a razor sharp blade, your mulching mower will reduce the particle size of the grass clippings so more surface area is exposed. This allows the microbes to digest the grass clippings and actually help feed your lawn. Your mulching mower cannot do its job if you lopping off several inches of grass at a time.

4. Vary your cutting pattern.

his is really important if you use a mulching mower. If you cut in the same pattern every time, your mulching mower is depositing clippings in the same location. Your soil can only consume so many clippings. By alternating your cutting pattern, you are making sure that clippings are distributed equally throughout your lawn.