Mowing the right way means less stress to your lawn grass and better control of weeds, which in turns leads to a lovely green carpet of grass surrounding your home. You might be surprised that some basic lawn mowing habits that some folks have been doing for years are actually hindering your grass’s growth and health. Read on to find out if you’re making the right cut!
Start with basic lawn mower maintenance. Even if you’ve already mowed a time or two, it is not too late to get your mower serviced. Assuming your mower is operating properly, the crucial step you CANNOT skip is to have the blades sharpened! Ideally you should do this 2-3 times every year during growing season. Professional mowers often sharpen their blades daily! A dull blade is a disaster waiting to happen. It shreds the grass blades rather than making a clean cut, resulting in a shredded brown appearance on every grass tip and leaving an allover lackluster effect. Even worse, the damage it does can lead more disease problems with the overall lawn. The difference it will make will be easy to see as summer goes on.
Our next important tip can be summed up in 2 words: MOW HIGHER! Once you mow high, you’ll never go back! The result will be a thicker healthier lawn and you’ll notice the difference within only a few weeks. Fescue (the type of grass most common in this area) is not designed to be cut to a height of only 2-3 inches, which is what most homeowners do. Our experts’ ideal recommendation is cutting to 3-4 inches – ideally, between 3.5 and 4″. Cutting to a lower height causes excessive stress and burning, which creates an ideal environment for aggressive weed growth! So stop it! You can do it!
