Mowing the lawn might seem like a pretty basic task. But how it’s done is critical to the overall health of your turf. Everything from how often to mow the lawn to the length to cut the grass should be completed properly in order to maximize your success.
Generally, our turf pros recommend mowing weekly (barring wet or drought conditions) with a sharp blade and keeping grass blades at a height of 3-4 inches
Jump to:
What is the Proper Mowing Height?
How Often to Mow the Lawn?
Is There a Best Time to Mow a Lawn?
Equipment-Related Lawn Mowing Tips
Choosing Lawn Care in Southern NH, Northeastern Massachusetts, and Southern Maine
What is the Proper Mowing Height?
A common mowing mistake is mowing the lawn too short. When you mow grass too short, you put excessive stress on it. This can cause the grass to turn yellow.
One reason for this is that when you cut too much of the grass blade, you inhibit the natural photosynthesis process from taking place. Mowing on the higher side leaves more “leaf area” to capture sunlight. Slightly taller grass tends to be greener grass.
The exact cut height depends on the New England grass type that you have growing in your lawn.
- Rye Grass should typically be maintained at 1.5 to 2.5 inches
- Turf Type Tall Fescue is usually best cut to a mowing height of 3 to 4 inches.
It’s also important to avoid scalping the edges of the lawn as this is a common mistake that can lead to crabgrass growth.
How Often to Mow the Lawn?
Keeping up with the proper mowing frequency is also important to the overall health of your turf.
It’s better to mow more often, making less intensive cuts than it is to go weeks between mowing and then have to make drastic cuts. In order to achieve this, mowing weekly is optimal.
If you end up going longer between mows than you meant to, don’t try to “catch up” all at once. You should aim to cut no more than one-third of the grass blade at a time in order to avoid over-stressing your lawn.
Is There a Best Time to Mow a Lawn?
In a perfect world, it’s great to mow your lawn mid-morning before the temperature reaches its peak and the lawn is under extra stress.
But we realize that this is rarely possible for people with work and other busy schedules.
In general, you should try to avoid mowing the grass when it’s wet as it can lead to an uneven cut and also leave behind clumps of grass that can smother the lawn. A wet lawn is also more prone to tire ruts from the mower…and mowing wet grass can harm your mower.
You’ll also want to avoid mowing your lawn when it’s excessively hot or during extreme drought conditions. These are times when your lawn is already stressed and mowing is only going to exacerbate that.
Equipment-Related Lawn Mowing Tips
The equipment that you’re using to mow your lawn will also impact your results. It’s important that you’re keeping your mower in good condition.
It is a good mowing practice to mow the lawn with a sharp blade and a level mowing deck. You’ll also want to make sure that tires are properly inflated.
All of these steps will help ensure a clean and even cut, which will help the grass to heal faster.
To keep your mower in optimal shape, check and clean the deck and blades regularly. A good rule of thumb is to sharpen mower blades after 25 hours of use. This might mean once or twice a year for the average homeowner.
Choosing Lawn Care in Southern NH, Northeastern Massachusetts, and Southern Maine
At the end of the day, mowing the lawn is just one of many tasks that help achieve a great-looking lawn. For other important services like lawn fertilization and weed control, you’ll want to partner with a professional lawn care company for the best results.
Properly caring for your lawn will result in many benefits. With optimal New England lawn care, tailored to our region, you’ll start seeing a thicker, greener, and healthier lawn that you are proud to show off.
In order to get the best results, you’re probably thinking about hiring a pro and we’d love for you to consider Seacoast Turf Care as your lawn care provider for a less stressful lawn life.
Want to learn more about what makes us a great choice for your lawn care needs? At Seacoast Turf Care, we service NH towns near Stratham, North Hampton, Exeter and many more. Get lawn care pricing for your Southern NH, Southern Maine, or Northeastern Massachusetts property.
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