Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503300055
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
One way to accomplish this is through the height adjustment on the lawn mower. It has been shown that grass cut short will have greater populations of crab grass. Also, short mowing encourages the growth of leafy weeds.
To use grass cutting to help prevent weeds, it would be helpful to look at recommended cutting heights in inches for common lawn grasses in the Roanoke area: bluegrasses 2-21/2 inches; tall fescues 21/2-3; Bermuda grass and zoysia grass 1-11/2.
The presumption that mowing the lawn at a higher setting requires more mowings is not true. It is always a good idea to cut the grass frequently enough so that no more than one-third of the grass height is removed at a time.
If your mower has low, medium and high settings by the wheels, be sure to set the wheel adjustment for somewhere between medium to high cutting, based on the model and mower type.
Q: My dog's urine is killing my grass. Is there anything I can change in his diet or do to my lawn to prevent this from happening? He is on high-protein, dry dog food. S.S., Roanoke
A: Talk to your veterinarian about how your dog's diet can affect the ``salts'' in the pet's urine, because the salts are responsible for plant damage. To reduce the brown discoloration to the lawn, water the affected area thoroughly to dilute and wash away the urine immediately. Admittedly, that might not always be possible.
Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants, or insects to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010-2491. We need your mail, but this column can't reply to all letters. Those of wide appeal will be answered each week. Personal replies cannot be given. Please don't send stamps, stamped envelopes, samples, or pictures.
Green line
Green Line hours for consumer horticulture assistance from Master Gardeners and staff from the Roanoke Extension Office are 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday through Friday.
by CNB