Knowing the proper way to mow your lawn can go a long way in helping you achieve and maintain a beautiful and healthy lawn. Here we provide a few tips on lawn mowing as well as a few common mistakes to avoid.
Don’t Scalp Your Lawn
Letting grass grow tall and then removing more than 1/3 of the leaf blade is called “scalping” and can damage the lawn. Mowing grass extremely low can also damage the lawn by cutting into the crowns of the plants.
Do Sharpen Your Blades Regularly
Make sure your mower blades are sharp in order to cut cleanly. Dull blades can shred grass and cause discoloration at the tips because frayed grass blades lose moisture easily. Sharpen the blades of rotary mowers several times each growing season. Reel type mowers usually only require sharpening once a year, but adjust them to ensure they cut cleanly. Some grass species have tough blades, which causes blades to wear quickly.
Be Gentle With Damaged Grass
Raise the mower height a notch or two when mowing a lawn that’s recovering from drought, insect damage or disease.
Use Your Grass Clippings
Recycle grass clippings to reduce water loss, lower soil temperatures, and return nutrients to the soil. Plus, you’ll save the trouble of bagging and keep clippings out of our already-clogged landfills. In fact, many communities will no longer accept grass clippings in household trash.
Don’t Cut Wet or Wilted Grass
Avoid cutting wet grass, which can cause brown spots because clippings clump together and smother your lawn. Cutting wilted grass, particularly during the hottest part of the day, can also cause severe damage to your lawn.
Know When to Mow
The best guide for mowing frequency is the growth of your grass. Plan to cut less than one-third of the grass blade in one mowing. Keep in mind that certain grasses, such as Bermuda grass and zoysia grass, require close mowing to stay healthy. Allowing these grasses to grow too high will promote thatch development.
What If It Gets Too Tall?
During periods of rapid growth, lawns may require mowing as frequently as every three to four days. Of course, sometimes we just don’t have time to mow as often as we’d like. If your grass has grown too high, reset your mower to its highest cutting level. Three or four days later, reset the mower to cut at the normal height and mow your grass again.
By following these few simple tips, you can not only prevent causing harm to your lawn when you mow, but that your lawn mowing will help promote its health and beauty.
