How to measure grass height is a very important factor in achieving a perfect vineyard. A superb looking lawn is a consequence of hard work throughout the year. Maintenance of each feature of lawn care certainly is a prime requirement. Among these grass, height measurement is a notable criterion to be scrutinized.
Cutting height is essential to assure proper turf and healthy growing grass. Mowing your grass depends on certain circumstances. The assimilation of adequate rainfall, sunshine, and fertilizer provides favorable conditions. Allowing excess height of grass would decrease its yield and low cutting will stress on it.
Therefore learning how to measure grass height is a basic quality of a sincere beginner.
How To Measure Grass Height
How to measure grass height requires a brief knowledge about kinds of grass. There are many types of fancy grasses to decorate your yard. Bermuda, Tall fescue, St. Augustine, Centipede, Kentucky bluegrass, Zoysia, and many more. Among these lavish grasses, there also exists crabgrass, goosegrass, and weed-like grasses.
If grasses are not cut regularly then ii enhances the chance of growing weed-like grasses.
Cutting your turf grass boosts up the rapid growth of it. Some cultivators follow a myth of not mowing it subsequently with the panic of scarce growth. Indeed regular cutting with standard height assures optimal growth.
Mowing lower than requirement makes it a ‘pinching’ whereas excessive mowing leads to ‘scalping’. Scarce cutting allows weed grass to grow and excess cutting stresses it. Therefore measuring your grass height is essential.
There are various types of techniques and tools to measure grass height. Let us elaborate on how to measure grass height.
A Rule of Thumb
There is a popular and widely used method called ‘Rule of Thumb’ to measure grass height. The standard height for grass is about 2and ½ inch in the cool season. At each cutting, you are not supposed to remove more than 1/3 inch of the grass blade.
During spring and summer, experts recommend preserving 3-inch height to hinder growing crabgrass.
Take your lawnmower and draw a line on one of your tires. The height should be 3 inches and 2/3 inches from the soil crust. Draw an indicating arrow showing up and down.
At the desired mowing period just correlate your drawn line with actual grass level. Initially, you may have to struggle on mechanism adjustment of the tire. But once you figure out the equilibrating point, you won’t suffer much.
Grass Height Meter
Grass height meter is an essential tool for estimating accurate height. It appropriately measures dry materials by using a grass mowing table. It consists of a round measuring disc, a measuring rod, and an outward tube. The disc is situated flat on the sward. The outer tube connects the measurement rod with the disc.
The rod has fitted graduation at its top end which reads the measurement.
Sward Sample method
This method accounts for both the height and density of sward. It assists farmers in getting a presupposition about dry yield calculation. Most often white clovers cover-up sward and create a vague overestimation. In the early growing stage, leafy features may appear dense but yet low in dry matters and high in water elements.
A wire circle measuring 36cm is marked on three quadrates of grasses cut on sward (measuring 0.1m2 in area, per hectare) to record the fresh and dry both samples. Samples are dried in an 80-degree temperature for 20 hours or dried in a porous bag or microwave-proof container for a minute.
The average of three samples will give an accurate result. The visual appearance would also measure the extent of dry matter within it. A moist land always implies less dry substance existence. Dry matter stays 16 to 18% where is no moisture at all.
Visual Method
The visual method is a renowned one for estimating the herbage amount. It functions best when it is adjusted with sward sampling to cross-check. Different types of tools have been developed to provide a draft guide of grass quantity.
Cultivators estimate the height of grass against the known post and pre grazing heights which are marked on a wellington boot.
Walk across and evenly grazed the field in a ‘W’ pattern by observing the height and density of the grass. Assimilate the height of the sward with the known object by placing it at least 30 different places. Note down the record for comparing the amount of increase or decrease with the previous one.
Follow the record to either add or remove stock with the guidance of sward surface height (SSH). Apply this method on evenly grazed terrain to get accuracy.
Grass Surface Height
A sward stick or ruler is an excellent tool for the height measuring of grass. The grazing height of various stocks is measured by it. A sward stick is run the thumb down till it touches the crown of the grass leaf. Avoid measuring flower peaks of weeds and stems.
Use sward height record pads to measure at least 30 records in each field portion. Avoid boundary lines and gateways. You may need to repeat this twice a week during the growing season.
The Rising Plate Meter
This tool consists of a disc of 0.1m in measurement and a shaft. The shaft is placed vertically while the disc is laid on the sward. The plate rises up when the shaft moves around the counter measuring the height. The plate is installed parallel to soil crust for better results. This process is generally known as ‘Plonking’. The electronic rising plate meter has auto data storage system for each measurement.
If you are using manual meter then note down in pad. This record is then converted to sward mass. Preset equations are used to convert grass height into per kg DM/ha.
The Capacitance Probe Method
This method observes the change in air and herbage feature to measure the capacitance of the grass. Capacitance is observed due to its ability to indicate surface area and mass. The existing probe in the grass is measured. A repeated process of quadrate cuts and compared reading between pasture mass and probe is taken into account.
UltraSound
This method includes a quad bike installed with a sonic plate meter or grass sleds to take a continuous record of the sward. These devices have been developed to count the height of sward in millimeters. The generated information is used for pasture recording and screening yield maps.
A ‘reading head’ is attached in front of the quad bike that even records the field numbers, sward mass, and specific area.
The Satellite Image
Research organizations in various countries are trying to develop a satellite image feature for this purpose. Countries with mass land but less population can get an advantage through this. There are various technical barriers for instance hill, slope, pasture difference, and cloud coverage, and so on.
Conclusion
How to measure grass height is essential for basic lawn care. It helps to maintain healthy swards for cattle purposes as well as for the ecosystem of your vineyard. You can raise grass utilization by around 10-15% by attaining the desired height target.
Maintaining a schedule for regular grass cutting indeed stimulates the growth and quantity of healthy lavish grass.