“Keeping grass a little longer in the heat of summer helps,” explains Williams. “The roots extend deeper into the earth, keeping weeds from coming up and competing for water. And because the turf is denser, it requires less water.” Williams recommends a blade height of about 4 inches during the summer months.
A mowing height between 2.5 to 3 inches is best for most of the season, except during summer stresses when the lawn mowing height should be raised one-half inch to mow at 3 to 3.5 inches. Raising the mowing height provides more insulation from summer heat and reduces water loss from your soil.
In the summer, keep both cool-season and warm-season grasses slightly taller. Cut cool-season grasses to 3 or 3 ½ inches. Mow warm-season grasses to 2 or 2 ½ inches. In summer, grass can be kept a bit higher to prevent weeds, help shade the soil line, and maintain water in the soil.
Letting your grass grow too long is harmful. Grass that isn't cut frequently less healthy than a manicured grass. cutting more than one-third of the blade length of overgrown grass can lead your garden to stop growing or need extra irrigation to recoup. It slows down the growth of roots and weakens the grass.
The longer each blade of grass, the larger the surface area with which photosynthesis can occur. This means that the grass will get more of the nutrients that it needs to grow stronger and stave off any harmful disease.
Ideal grass length
The mowing height range for most grasses is between 1.5 and 3 inches. In general, for most lawns 2 to 2.5 inches is optimum because if you are mowing at 3 inches, your lawn may grow to 5 or 6 inches before you mow it again.
Here's What Happens When You Don't Cut Your Grass
As it reaches a certain height, it loses its ability to support its weight and starts to bend over, causing the grass to clump together and your lawn to look uneven. Overgrown lawns may also reveal bare patches and weeds and start to attract insects and pests.
Mow Properly
Using best practices for mowing helps your grass grow thick and stay that way.
Mowing actually helps make your grass grow thicker because the tip of each blade contains hormones that suppress horizontal growth. When you cut the lawn, you remove these tips allowing the grass to spread and grow thicker near the roots.
Cutting below the recommended height for your specific grass can hinder grass regrowth in some areas of your lawn, and eventually lead to uneven grass growth. Your grasses will now have to compete with each other for the nutrients available in the soil and find it difficult to generate nutrients from photosynthesis.
Once temperatures reach 77 degrees, it becomes too hot for root growth, and root growth ceases. When temperatures reach 90 degrees, it becomes too hot for shoot growth and the grasses stop growing and begin to fall dormant, with the surface grass turning a brown hue.
Less prone to weeds
When you leave your grass to grow tall, you're guaranteed that weeds will grow less or die with time. Tall grasses will make weeds struggle for sunlight necessary for their growth. Therefore, when they get less sunlight and nutrients, death is inevitable.
Cool-season grasses typically require 1 inch to 1.5 inches of water weekly, though during particularly hot conditions more water may be required to prevent dormancy. For proper moisture absorption and retention, watering should be done at temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Height and Health of a Lawn
Generally, the depth of grass roots mirrors the height of the grass. Thus, when grass isn't as healthy (for example, in periods of drought), it is better to let grass grow taller and, in doing so, to strengthen the root systems.
Even if you're performing weekly mowing, if you're cutting the grass too short, it could still turn yellow from stress. When you mow too short, you also invite weeds into your lawn. Opportunistic weeds are much more likely to invade weakened lawns, than dense and thriving ones.
Soon, the lawn takes on a more uneven look. Common flowering weeds spring up — typically hardy, nonnative species that seed prolifically and grow quickly. In the Mid-Atlantic region, for example, small bunches of white clover, dandelions and wild strawberries bloom.
Does Putting Grass Clippings on Bare Spots Help Grass Grow? While leaving grass clippings on the lawn during mowing (grasscycling) can offer benefits like nutrient recycling and improved soil health, it's not the most effective method for directly promoting grass growth in bare spots.
A big part of knowing how to make your lawn greener is choosing the right fertilizer. Lawn fertilizer contains nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. These nutrients support the grass. That way, it grows strong from the roots and stays green, healthy and lush.
It can be beneficial to water your lawn right after mowing, though be careful to ensure this isn't done in the hottest part of the day. Watering after mowing can aid in the grass blades' recovery, promoting faster and healthier regrowth but as mentioned above, be careful not to overwater.
Mow your cool season grass to 3 or 3.5 inches in summer, or up to 4 inches for tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. Warm season grasses should round out at about 2 to 2.5 inches.
Yes, it is illegal not to mow your lawn if the height of your grass and weeds exceeds the maximum local laws require. Many cities and counties nationwide have nuisance ordinances that set maintenance requirements for residential properties, which often refer to: The maximum grass height.
Mow tall grass every 4 to 8 days, gradually reducing its height until you reach the desired level. This spacing gives the grass time to recover.