Everything You Need to Know About Lawn Mowing

In the spring time when your lawn breaks out of the winter dormancy stage, another year of lawn mowing begins. If your followed any of our winter lawn care tips you’ve probably got nice, thick, green grass to tend to. Here’s a quick guide on mowing your grass to keep your lawn in tip top shape all year long.

Sharpen Your Blade

Imagine for a minute you’ve just woken up from a good nights sleep. You walk to the bathroom to take care of the three ‘S’s. After a nice hardy #2, and a nice hot shower, you hop out to shave your face. To your chagrin you have to use a year old shaver. Well, now you know how your lawn feels when you don’t sharpen your lawn mower blade. Using a dull blade to mow your grass could rip any new growth out by the roots and will certainly leave your grass with jagged edges. Do yourself and your lawn a favor and sharpen the mower blade at least once a year.

Mower Blade Height

Rule #1: Never cut more than 1/3 of the grass blade in any one mowing. If your wife, kids, work, rain, or your general laziness keep you from staying on top of your lawn mowing schedule, raise up the cutting height so you only remove 1/3 of the blade. A couple of days later, lower the blade and remove another 1/3 until you’ve got your lawn back to its normal length. That’ll teach you to procrastinate. It’s either that or break rule #1. If you break rule #1 then your grass will probably lose to much moisture and the sun will burn it up the next day.

Grass type	Height
Bahia, Fescue, Blue Grama, Buffalo	2 to 3 inches
Bermuda	3/4 to 1-1/2 inches
Centipede, Zoysia	1 to 2 inches
St. Augustine	1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches
Kentucky Bluegrass	1-3/4 to 2-1/2 inches
Rye Grass, annual and perennial	1-1/2 to 2 inches

If you’re not sure how long your grass should be simply reference the table below. These are only ideal lengths for your grass as each lawn is different. Use these as a guideline on where to start. If in doubt raise up your blade a 1/2″ just to be safe.

Generally speaking its probably sufficient to mow your grass once a week. On occasion it may be necessary to mow your grass after about 4-5 days especially after heavy rains and application of lawn fertilizer.

Mowing Patterns

The most simple pattern to mow your grass is in straight rows, starting with the longest side of your yard. This will help keep your rows nice a straight and give your lawn a tidy look. As time progresses you should consider a hefty upgrade to the diagonal pattern. This gives your lawn a very professional look and many of your neighbors may just think you’ve hired a lawn service.

One other important note about mowing patterns. From week to week you should try to cut your rows or diagonals in different directions. This keeps your grass growing in an upright fashion. This also keeps you from forming grooves or ruts in your lawn. Another ofter forgotten benefit is your sanity. Mowing your grass in the same direction keeps your brain from having to learn new tricks.

Bagging vs. Mulching

By following Rule #1 and not bagging your lawn, you’ll save you a lot of time and reduce the amount of fertilizer your lawn needs by up to 25%. A mulching lawn mower is also a great investment as it will finely chop your grass clips and allow then to fall down between the blades of grass. If you’ve got kids or pets you may have to bag your clippings in order to keep them from tracking grass back into the house. If bagging your grass is a necessity, remember to check your bag often to keep grass from clumping when the bag gets full. Also ensure you dispose of your clippings properly. It is illegal in many places to send your clippings to the dump. A compost pit is a great alternative if you have the space.