Suggestion: PHOTOS, please?

I know not everyone has a digital camera, and I know not everyone has the time to take photos and to post them. But I would be grateful to anyone who can post photos---LARGE ONES, and SEVERAL of them---of any weed they're talking about on this forum, so that perhaps I can identify whether or not I have that particular weed growing in my yard, and can learn the best way to get rid of it.

I just read elsewhere on the internet that one of the best ways for keeping your lawn as weed-free as possible is to mow the grass HIGH---about 2.5 to 3 inches high. Doing that causes the grass to put down deeper roots, so as to both shade out and crowd out weeds, as well as to make it harder for weed seeds to find bare soil in which to sprout.

Over here we're pretty much discussing invasive species of both flora and fauna although garden bullies and thugs are cropping up too which is fine by me. Although all invasive species could easily be classified as weeds, not all weeds are invasive species There is a forum you might want to also check out which is called Garden Foes and that has plant pests (weeds) popping up as topics of discussion in it as well as discussions of insect pests and critter pests. I would be happy to post any photos I have when discussing the plants. I know how frustrating it can be. Please know that some of these invasive species have look alike mild mannered natives and the differences may be very subtle. Morus alba, which is an invasive species, comes to mind as opposed to Morus rubra which is the mild mannered native plant. When it comes to a plant such as Morus alba, you will also have to use your eyes as well as your sense of touch to be able to differentiate between the two.

I mow my yard (at least the part that I have as lawn) no shorter than 3". I let it grow to about 4" before I mow it. Not only does taller grass** shade out weed seeds making it harder for weeds to germinate but taller grass also has more blade/green surface area that allows better photosynthesis making it easier for the plant to store energy. Taller grass is thus stronger, more disease resitant, and healthier than short grass. Taller grass also grows deeper roots making the turf more drought tolerant.

**fescue and kbg (warm season grasses like bermuda are different)

Of course I do have some of my lawn that I don't mow at all. The grass gets to about 6" there and then stops growing.

The best thing you can do for a cool season lawn is to mow it high and mulch your grass clippings.

I think we can discuss lawns here because a lawn grass is a noxious weed - it can invade natural areas and the monocultural turf grass lawn is societal deformity that should be discouraged as much as possible.

This message was edited Jun 13, 2006 3:54 PM

Yep===no question that lawn grass can be invasive. I have to frequently rip it out of the mulch around my trees and bushes---either that or hit it with RU.

And I AM going to start mowing my lawn higher---between 2.5" and 3". Now I have a great reason for telling my wife, "No, it is NOT time to mow the lawn again." ;+>)

Hmmm...on second thought, I believe keeping the lawn at 3" might well mean mowing it MORE, rather than LESS often... ??@@??

This message was edited Jun 13, 2006 9:34 PM

This message was edited Jun 13, 2006 9:35 PM

IMO, short grass grows faster. (This is purely subjective) The grass wants to be able to store energy and photosynthesize. When you mow it short, it grows fast to make up the surface that it lost. When its longer, it will not be as stressed by mowing because it has plenty of surface area to store the energy it needs. Taller grass top growth may grow slower as the excess energy is spent putting down deep roots (stored energy) instead of top growth... IN reality grass growth is probably determined more by the weather, temperature and moisture availablity rather than the height - but I think height is a factor.

Your lawn may look uneven and shaggy while you are growing it out - but after a few long mowings - it will even out at the taller height and look just fine. And IMO, it looks better taller - it will be greener and imperfections in the lawn (bare spots and weeds) are harder to see as they get lost in the height.

Have you started using organic fertilizers and watering deeply and infrequently too? I think most people who try organic fertilizers are impressed with the results... and are easily converted to organic lawn care...

This message was edited Jun 14, 2006 10:02 AM

I also believe the higher the grass is cut, the less sunlight reaches the soil. Therefore you get less evaporation, resulting in a thicker lawn.

that is true escamia guy... good point...

The less sunlight that reaches the soil, the lower the soil temperature. Roots almost always like a cool soil.

I expect, Joepye, that with regard to mowing frequency, short to long will come out six of one, half a dozen of the other. But it certainly appears that longer is preferable to shorter.