A few weeks ago, my front yard looked almost abandoned to an extent. I had some bare patches here and there. The grass that was there I intentionally allowed to grow very high, until it went to seed. Only then did I mow the grass without the collector bag attached.
This accomplished several things. It allowed the taller grass to grow deeper and stronger root systems. It also helped spread the seed to bare spots. That seed is already sprouting. (I had also pulled some of the seeds off and tossed them directly onto the bare spots.) This all helps make the grass more dense, crowding out weeds more effectively.
Note that I did pull individual weeds and spray large patches of weeds before they went to seed.
Of course, I live in an area where I can do this. In many areas, neighborhood organizations would not allow you to let your grass grow that tall.
It does strike me that neighborhood organizations are the best friends of the grass seed industry. When you continually keep your grass short, it doesn't seed itself. If it does not produce its own seed, you are forced to purchase seed for any bare spots to get a decent lawn. You're also more likely to develop bare spots if the existing grass only develops shallow root systems. Short grass has more shallow roots, making it more prone to heat stress in summer and freeze damage in winter.
Short grass also requires more fertilizer. Shallow roots do not reach the nutrients held in deeper soil but competes for and depletes nutrients in shallow soil. If you apply too much fertilizer, you can burn the grass and wind up with browning of the grass.
In places like I live, with heavy clay soil, deeper roots help break up the clay. Shallow roots allow the clay to be more easily compacted by any traffic. In places with more sandy soil, deeper roots help anchor the grass better. In that case, traffic or even winds can uproot grass with shallow roots. Back to the seed store!
All that said, I'm sure my neighbors hated me for a while. Plus I am still battling one small area with weeds so dense the grass is having problems taking root. However, I have the only actual lawn on the block. All the other houses have bare dirt, rocks, concrete or, in one case, an actual asphalt parking lot as a front yard. Not that they look bad but it really sucks when the wind picks up. My yard isn't fantastic but has grass, three rose bushes and hundreds of sunflowers. Kinda looks like what it is. Poor but cared for.
This accomplished several things. It allowed the taller grass to grow deeper and stronger root systems. It also helped spread the seed to bare spots. That seed is already sprouting. (I had also pulled some of the seeds off and tossed them directly onto the bare spots.) This all helps make the grass more dense, crowding out weeds more effectively.
Note that I did pull individual weeds and spray large patches of weeds before they went to seed.
Of course, I live in an area where I can do this. In many areas, neighborhood organizations would not allow you to let your grass grow that tall.
It does strike me that neighborhood organizations are the best friends of the grass seed industry. When you continually keep your grass short, it doesn't seed itself. If it does not produce its own seed, you are forced to purchase seed for any bare spots to get a decent lawn. You're also more likely to develop bare spots if the existing grass only develops shallow root systems. Short grass has more shallow roots, making it more prone to heat stress in summer and freeze damage in winter.
Short grass also requires more fertilizer. Shallow roots do not reach the nutrients held in deeper soil but competes for and depletes nutrients in shallow soil. If you apply too much fertilizer, you can burn the grass and wind up with browning of the grass.
In places like I live, with heavy clay soil, deeper roots help break up the clay. Shallow roots allow the clay to be more easily compacted by any traffic. In places with more sandy soil, deeper roots help anchor the grass better. In that case, traffic or even winds can uproot grass with shallow roots. Back to the seed store!
All that said, I'm sure my neighbors hated me for a while. Plus I am still battling one small area with weeds so dense the grass is having problems taking root. However, I have the only actual lawn on the block. All the other houses have bare dirt, rocks, concrete or, in one case, an actual asphalt parking lot as a front yard. Not that they look bad but it really sucks when the wind picks up. My yard isn't fantastic but has grass, three rose bushes and hundreds of sunflowers. Kinda looks like what it is. Poor but cared for.
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