A longer grass blade will shade the ground underneath, keeping it cooler, meaning it won't dry our as quickly as when the lawn is mowed short. In other words, the lawn does not have to receive as much supplemental water. Reduces weed growth.
Letting your lawn grow also helps you be more eco-friendly in the landscape by saving water and reducing emissions. And the best part of mowing your lawn less is that the landscape will do most of the work for you.
Proper Mowing
Mow the lawn as high as possible—as high as you can comfortably tolerate. A longer lawn means more leaf blade, and this provides several benefits. More leaf blade means more photosynthesis, which results in stronger, more prolific root and shoots growth.
Grass Goes to Seed
In periods of stress such as unusually hot weather or being allowed to grow too long, grass can go to seed. This results in the grass looking more like a weed with its small white flowery stems.
Letting the plants grow a bit unruly, especially if you have a lawn, is actually a big help for insect wildlife. The mini jungle created by long grass gives them a safe haven to hide in, and if there are wildflowers in there, it's good for bees too.
Once grass starts to grow again, it's okay to mow with your mower set to 3 ½ inches. Do not scalp the lawn to try to remove brown blades of grass. Let new fresh grass grow around them. Leave grass clippings on the lawn to fertilize the lawn naturally.
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.
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.
Taller grass also shades the ground, slowing weed growth and water loss from the soil. The ideal length of your lawn depends on your climate, but most experts agree you should keep your grass between 2 1/2 inches to three inches long, with the last cut of the season remaining the same.
For most lawns, a mowing height between 2½ to three inches is suggested; the upper range is best for summer. Lawns mowed at higher heights tend to have deeper roots, less weed problems, and look much better. Mowing too close invites problems such as weed invasions.
Lawns should generally be mown weekly or fortnightly between March and October to keep them neat and in good condition.
Cutting grass too short allows weed seeds easy access to sunlight, whereas longer grass blocks this light from getting to the weed sprouts. Mow your grass no more than a third of its length at a time; it's better to have longer grass than shorter grass.
It also reduces weed and insect pest problems. The higher a lawn is mowed, the deeper the grass roots grow into the soil. Deep roots can take up water from deeper in the soil profile, meaning that you may be able to cut back on how often you water.
Tall grass becomes thin and uneven. After too long, the grass goes to seed, making the lawn look more like weeds than grass. No one wants their lawn to be the one in the neighborhood to garner complaints.
No Mow May was first popularized by Plantlife, an organization based in the United Kingdom, but is now gaining traction across North America. The goal of No Mow May is to pause mowing during the month of May, allowing flowers to bloom in your lawn to help early season pollinators.
It actually helps your grass stay strong. When you forego mowing, and your grass grows to excessively high levels and goes to seed, you're doing more harm than good. Much of the grass seed that pops up on the tips of the blade may actually be sterile-so don't expect bare patches to miraculously fill in.
“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.
Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn When Needed
Water and nutrients need to reach lawn roots in order to lead to thicker and greener grass. Over time, lawns can become compact, whether it's from traffic or harsh weather, limiting this easy access of water and nutrients. The solution is annual aeration.
Nitrogen is especially important for getting beautiful green grass. As with other aspects of lawn care, when you apply fertilizer depends on your lawn type: Cool-season grass generally needs fertilizer at both the beginning of spring and fall. Warm-season lawns need more frequent fertilizer.
The best fertilizer to thicken grass must contain Phosphorus. It's an essential nutrient that helps to stimulate root growth and enhance plant vigor and soil tests have revealed it is greatly needed in our region.
No Mow May is a national campaign to encourage people not to mow their lawns until the end of May in order to boost the flowers, and nectar, available to pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and moths. It also allows spring flowers to set seed and plants to establish themselves in advance of the summer.
Seeding to Revive Dead Grass
You will need to prepare the soil by removing the dead grass and then enriching the soil ahead of laying down new seeds. After the seeds are planted, you will need to fertilize and nurture your grass until it reaches maturity.
Lawn scalping (or grass scalping) is when you cut your grass significantly low so that the stems of your grass are exposed. Scalping your lawn gets rid of any build-up from the winter and exposes your soil to sunlight. Ultimately, scalping your lawn stimulates your grass to grow.