Cutting too fast will cause damage to your deck belt, so in order to protect your equipment, make sure that you don't go overboard with your speed. Lawn mower speed is complicated by time and money factors. It's natural that you want to mow as quickly as possible, either for your business or your personal lawn.
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.
Mowing every two weeks — instead of weekly — and not dousing grass with chemical herbicides and fertilizers, helps the environment and supports the health of bees, which are among the world's most important pollinators.
When the grass is growing rapidly, you will need to mow more often. Mow less often when the grass is growing slow. Cool-season lawns, like Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass should be mowed about two times per week in the spring and fall, and about one time per week during the summer.
of the grass blade at one time, this promotes deep root. growth. Grass that is cut too short may kill grass and.
"There is no "right" order when it comes to mowing and edging." As I mentioned earlier, there are arguments to be made for both approaches. Let's look at the pros and cons of each. “There is no “right” order when it comes to mowing and edging.”
However, most professional gardeners would agree that between 8 AM and 10 AM is the best time of day to cut your grass. The reason for that is that lawns need time to heal before evening. Grass needs the benefit of the day to dry and heal before dusk settles.
However, be mindful that mowing too close to nightfall (between 6 and 8 p.m.) will not give your grass enough time to recover, making your lawn more susceptible to fungus and turf disease. It's recommended to avoid cutting your grass in the early morning and midday.
The short answer: No. Mowing wet grass can be problematic for your lawn, your lawn mower and you. If you do mow wet grass, you risk leaving clumps of clippings that could smother the grass beneath. Wet grass can clog the mower, causing it to overheat, and stick to the mower's underside, which is difficult to clean.
For this reason, some people prefer to mow at 3 or 3.5 inches. For the healthiest and most sustainable approach, Michigan State University Extension says 3.5 to 4 inches is most desirable. Lawns mowed at 3.5 or 4 inches out-compete weeds, tolerate grubs and look just as good as lawns mowed at 2.5 inches.
In fact, some cool-season grasses will go dormant during the hot summer months until early fall. During a heat wave—a period of abnormally hot weather that lasts longer than 2 days—it's recommended that you do not mow your lawn.
Mowing too short or scalping results in stress to the grass plant. Weak grass plants will take longer to recover. To maintain a 3-inch lawn, mow before the grass reaches 4.5 inches tall. Mowing too short can allow weed seeds to get more sun and increase the chance of germination.
As a general rule of thumb, you should look to wind down your mowing between October and November. As the weather becomes cooler and often wetter, mow your lawn to approximately two to two-and-a-half inches and maintain this height until growth stops.
Some people find that by trimming the edges first you are able to mow over the cut grass from the edges, which will leave the lawn clean of debris when finished. But if you don't mind blowing these trimmings away afterwards, then it doesn't really matter.
Step 1: Trim first.
If you use a string trimmer, use it before mowing. The mower will chop the trimmings and reduce the need for raking. Do not use line trimmers to cut grass against the bark of trees. This will damage the bark, often severely enough to kill the tree.
Mow First
By mowing first, you know how short to trim grass along edges and will be less likely to scalp those areas, giving rise to bare or weedy patches.
The one-third rule means that when you mow, you want to cut off the top one-third of your grass blades. So, for three-inch grass blades, you want to mow when they grow to approximately 4.5 inches tall (3 / 4.5 = 0.667).
A general rule of thumb is not to remove more than one-third of the total leaf surface when mowing your lawn. This may require mowing every four to five days during rapid growth in the spring.
If the grass is too wet, you shouldn't mow and if it's too dry you shouldn't either. Remember, mowing is a stressful event for your lawn. If you mow when it's already under stress, such as during dry spell or drought, then it will become even more stressed.
Frequency of Mowing
Typically, mowing once a week during the growing season should suffice to keep your lawn healthy.
Having a schedule for mowing your lawn encourages your grass to be healthy and green. You'll want to mow your grass more often during its growing season with the average being about once per week depending on the type of grass. Cool season grass' growing season is during spring and fall.