Today we’re gonna talk about how to properly mow the grass. Mowing a lawn is something that should be very simple and easy. However, many homeowners and even professionals make major mistakes when mowing a lawn. Here, we describe three simple steps for proper grass mowing;

Mow the Grass Tall at Least 3 Inches

The biggest mistake we see in lawn mowing is that the lawn is being mowed too short and when we say too short that’s anything less than 3 inches tall. So, the actual foliage of the grass is where the plant stores its water and if you mow it tall, it will be more droughts tolerant.

You won’t have to water the lawn as frequently. A less commonly known effect of mowing height is that the taller you mow the grass the deeper the grassroots will grow. As a general rule, grassroots will go about 3 times as deep as the lawn is mowed tall.

For example, if you mow a section of the lawn at two different heights. Let say mowing the right side at two inches in height and the left side at three inches in height. And you will see the section mowing at 3 inches has a much deeper dark green color and will have roots that are growing 9 inches deep. While the other part’s roots will grow about 6 inches deep.

About 70% of homeowners mow their lawn too short. It’s because most lawn mowers have about 5 or 6 different settings on their lawnmower. And homeowners believe the highest setting is too high and the lowest setting is too low. So, they put it in the middle setting, and in reality, the highest setting is usually the appropriate setting.

So, our recommendation is to set the lawn at the highest setting and then use a ruler to measure the mowing height by raising the mower height to at least 3 inches.

The turf will use less water it will have better color and promote deeper digging roots. It will increase the turf density and also prevents weeds. And it’s easier on the person mowing the lawn.

Mow Once a Week

Few other important tips about lawn mowing are to mow the lawn once a week. It is important to do this so you don’t remove more than 33% of the grass foliage per mowing. Another question we get asked about lawn mowing is if it is ok to mulch the grass clippings back into the lawn. And the answer to that is yes.

As long as the grass clippings are not clumping up on the lawn, the grass clippings are beneficial for the microbial and bacteria bed in the soil and they add additional organic matter back into the lawn.

Another thing to remember while lawn mowing is to rotate the direction of the lawn. Mowing from lengthwise to widthwise and diagonal every week. This will help and the grass does not get pushed over in the same direction.

Sharpen Mower Blades

A common maintenance item that homeowners often forget is to sharpen their lawnmower blades. If you notice that the blades of the grass are white or torn. This is a clear sign that the lawnmower blade needs to be sharpened.

Trimming is another aspect of lawn care that we often see being done improperly. We recommend trimming the edges at a 90-degree angle instead of a 45-degree angle. The reason for this is if edges are trimmed at a 45-degree angle, this could create an environment that allows crabgrass to move in and grow.

Trimming at 3 inches tall instead of 2 inches tall. We cover a lot of different aspects of how to properly mow the lawn? If you take one tip away from this. It should be that mowing the lawn at 3 inches or taller is extremely important for the health of the lawn.