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Lawn Mowing and Lake Water Quality

Lawns are greening up and mowers will be running soon. Did you know that your lawn mowing practices can affect the water quality in the Omaha metro lakes? How? Improper mowing practices such as scalping a lawn (mowing too short) or removing too much excess growth at one time can be harmful to a lawn. A weakened lawn is more susceptible to pest and weed invasion and soil erosion. A weakened lawn requires more pesticides and fertilizer to be applied and increases the potential for soil to be eroded away. These pollutants can be carried to the metro lakes.

Mowing at the right height and keeping mower blades sharp are critical to maintain a healthy lawn. In order for the grass plant to bounce back following cutting, never remove more than one-third of the total leaf blade. Your lawn can out compete weeds if it can shade them out. Keep your lawn between two and three inches tall. Sharp blades cut the leaf without tearing or bruising it. This will reduce the potential for fungal infection.

Many people are realizing that after mowing it is better to leave the grass in place to decompose. Follow the mowing recommendations above and then leave the grass clippings to benefit your lawn. If you wait to cut the lawn when the grass is a foot tall the clippings will be too large and might suffocate the lawn. Grass clippings are a natural way to fertilize your lawn. As worms and microorganisms break down the grass clippings, nitrogen and other essential plant nutrients will be slowly released and become available to the plants. Make sure the clippings are blown onto the lawn and not out into the street or on the sidewalk or driveway. Sweep clippings off of the sidewalk or street and back onto the lawn. This will prevent the clippings from being carried away by stormwater runoff. Grass clippings in a lake contribute to excess phosphorus levels which results in algae growth.

With a few easy changes in our lawn mowing practices, we can help to reduce runoff pollution from entering the metro lakes and still have a healthy, attractive lawn.

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