Good mowing habits promote healthy lawns

For a healthier lawn, use a mulching mower that leaves the grass clippings behind. This means less work for you since you don't have to rake them up, and it recycles the nutrients in the clippings back into your grass plants. Rake out any wet clumps of grass that remain on the lawn to distribute the clippings.

Regardless of which mower you choose, you need to mow more frequently during spring because of rapid grass growth. Mow when the lawn is dry. Mulching mowers, in particular, do not work well in tall, wet grass.

Keep the blades on your mower sharpened for a better cut. A good general rule to follow is to sharpen them after every eight hours of use.

Most lawns are cut too short. Maintaining lawns at taller heights promotes strong root systems and helps choke out weeds. In hot weather, short lawns can turn brown more quickly, and weeds are more likely to appear.

Mow grass at 2 ½ to 3 inches in height and frequently enough so that not more than one-third of the total height is cut each time.

Prune back any unshapely growth on your shrubs to improve their appearance and encourage the development of a fuller plant. Gradually move houseplants outside to protected areas when temperatures begin staying above 40 degrees at night. Prevent any damage to the plants by gradually acclimating them to the sun and outside growing conditions. Start by putting them in a shaded location outside on warmer days and bring them inside when nights are predicted to be cold. Increase the time outside and exposure to the sun over a period of 10 days or so.

Large houseplants in plastic pots should be slipped into larger, heavier pots to prevent them from blowing over in the wind.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.