Mowing For a Healthier Lawn

It’s summer and lawn mowing has been in full swing. Now, we’re getting to the point in the season where lawn mowing seems to level off due to the decline in rain. In June you may have been mowing as often as every four days, but towards the end of July and August, you may mow once every 10 days. Here’s a few of our expert tips to mowing for a healthier lawn.

Mowing should not be a calendar decision.

Most of us like mowing on a particular day in the week or on a schedule, but that is not ideal for your lawn. The optimal time to mow is when the lawn needs it, which is when it’s grown about a third in height. That means, if you keep your lawn 3 inches in height, you should mow before it hits 4 inches. Keeping to this rule causes the grass less stress and allows for smaller clippings that drop into the grass without ruining that outdoor carpet look.?

Has you grass gotten away from you and is more than 5 inches long?

If this is the case, you shouldn’t set the deck for 2 or 3 inches to get it over with.?Set that deck to 4 inches and then go back in a day or two and mow again to gain control. This rule takes us into one of the most common questions we hear…

How long should my grass be?

As a rule of thumb, grass should never be mowed to a height of less than 2 inches. Any shorter than that and it weakens and becomes more vulnerable to things like drought and weed invasion. Optimal height we recommend is 3 inches. If you prefer a shorter lawn just remember that mowing your lawn to 2 inches to try to stretch the time between mowing won’t work.

It’s also not ideal to wait until it hits 6 inches tall and try to cut off half of the blade height in one mowing. In the long run, you gain nothing by waiting too long. You can’t zip along at full speed, stress the lawn and your mower, risk the deck getting clogged, wear out the blades, and end up with a lawn that looks like someone should run through it with a hay baler.

What should I do with my grass clippings?

If you did wait too long, and those grass clippings are more prominent on your lawn, don’t rake them up. They provide nutrients. If you’re planning an outdoor event and desperately want to erase those clippings, mow in the morning and then mow again a few hours later, after the clippings are dry, and you can eliminate the hayfield motif.

Looking for some help when it comes to maintaining a healthy lawn?

We know, life gets busy. If keeping up with mowing is difficult, there’s a super simple way to keep your lawn healthy and looking great all summer long. Just schedule with us!

Here at Stoney Acres, we’ll take care of the lawn and perform regular maintenance practices like fertilization, mowing, and weed control.

Call us today for a free quote: 925-6826