What Is a Vertical Mower?

Function

• A vertical mower works by employing knives that spin around vertically while on a horizontal shaft that moves quickly. These blades essentially move perpendicular to the lawn and cut into the grass and soil. The blades can be up to an inch thick. When using a vertical mower, run the mower in several directions several times for the best results. Mowing weekly using a vertical mower is appropriate if your grass is growing vigorously.

Uses

• Vertical mowers also prevent thatch from building up. Thatch is a clump of dead and living stems that keep air, sunlight, nutrients and water from getting to the roots of desirable plants. Simply vacuum or rake the thatch up after using the vertical mower. In addition, reseed your lawn following the use of a vertical mower, as the thatch the mower removes often contains the roots of some of your turfgrass.

Option

• Vertical mowers that are the size of tractors also are available. Like standard-sized mowers, these tractor-sized vertical mowers feature big knives that help remove thatch and get a soil area prepared for overseeding. Overseeding is the process of distributing seeds over an existing lawn. Vertical mowing is helpful for maintaining large turfgrass areas such as a football field. When dealing with turfgrass such as the bermudagrass used on athletic fields, the blades on your vertical mower should be about an inch apart.

Negatives

• Although vertical mowers generally are helpful, they also put stress on established lawns. These types of mowers additionally damage surfaces such as putting greens made of bentgrass if the grass is not growing quickly or if the grass is stressed due to situations such as extreme summer heat. After using a vertical mower on a susceptible field of grass, consider lightly applying a fertilizer such as ammonium sulfate and topdressing to the grass, and irrigate the lawn deeply.

  In addition, consider applying oxadiazon or another type ofpreemergence herbicide to the lawn on which you use a vertical mower because vertical mowing actually uncovers weed seeds. A preemergence herbicide basically kills these weeds before they begin to sprout.