Maintaining A Large Lawn

1. Mulch your grass clippings - Mulching saves you time because you don't have to stop and empty the grass clippings. It also eliminates the time and costs associated with disposing of them.
   
   Also, mulching makes the finely-cut clippings available to the turf for nourishment as a natural fertilizer. This reduces the turf's reliance on purchased fertilizers for nutrients.
    
2. Don't over fertilize your lawn - Though they add a greener, more lush appearance, applied fertilizers also increase the turf's growth rate," Dorn says.
   
   "Fall is the single most important time to fertilize, as it infuses the turf with the nutrients it needs to survive the winter, and start strong in the spring.
   
   If you're applying fertilizer four times per year, you will save significant time by reducing that number to one or two applications each season. When combined with the nutrients that mulching returns to the turf, that amount should be plenty." 
    
3. Select the most appropriate tools for the job - Dorn says that the larger, more open lawns common to acreages and farms require a larger, more productive mower to get the job done quickly.
   
   Specifically, many homeowners are find that a commercial-quality zero-turn riding mower, with its "turn on a dime" capability, can be a significant time saver. 
    
4. Determine and use the most efficient route - Before you begin mowing, mentally divide the lawn into a number of segments that will allow you to mow for as long as possible, with as few obstructions as possible. This minimizes the number of momentum-robbing turns and increases overall mowing speed.
    
5. Invest in high quality equipment - According to Dorn, commercial-quality zero-turn mowers which are designed to withstand the rigors of daily use by professional landscape contractors, offer an increased level of power, durability and cutting speed that consumer-quality mowers can not match.
   
   Also, the increased fuel capacity of commercial mowers means fewer stops for filling up the tank. "Not only is a commercial zero-turn mower a more productive machine, it's also likely the last mower a homeowner will ever need to purchase."
    
6. Maintain your lawn care equipment properly - To maximize any mower's durability and reliability, it's very important to adherence to the manufacturer's recommended service schedule.
   
   Preventative maintenance such as routine oil and filter changes, air filter service and changing the spark plug helps keep mower engines performing at their peak levels, ensuring that more power and torque will be available to help make fast and easy work of mowing large lawns.

Article courtesy of Content Infusion.

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