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.
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.
If a lawn is normally cut at 2.5 inches, for example, increasing it to 3 inches in the heat of summer will come with many benefits.
“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.
Cool-season grasses should typically be cut to about 3 to 4 inches high. Warm-season grasses should typically be cut to about 2 to 2 ½ inches high. The common cool-season grasses include fine and tall fescue grass, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass. Common warm-season grasses include Bermuda grass, St.
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.
A dull blade and cut too short is a guaranteed way to burn out and kill the grass during extreme heat. Ideally, keep your grass 3+ inches tall for most of the season. In extreme heat, consider leaving your lawn 4 inches tall for maximum resistance.
what temperature is “too hot” to mow grass. When temperatures go beyond 80°F, your cool-season grass may begin to struggle. And when high temperatures last for extended periods of time, it can cause your grass' growth to slow down and its vibrant green color to fade.
Check the soil: If the it looks muddy or feels soft, it's usually better to wait. Ideally, you should wait until the grass is dry enough so that you can walk through the lawn and not have wet shoes.
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.
AVOID MOWING DURING EXTREME HEAT When your lawn is particularly stressed from heat or drought, it can be limited in its ability to recover from mowing and can be damaged even more. Instead, mow the grass after a rainfall or after irrigation day.
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. You don't like to be stressed and neither does your poor lawn.
Areas where grass blades were cut too short will usually recover slowly, but the brown patches may be evidence that you cut into the crown (growing point) of some grass plants and killed them. If the dead patches are no more than a few inches in diameter, grass regrowth may fill in the bare spots.
Although a low-cut, manicured lawn might seem ideal, turf grass actually does better in the summer heat when you let it grow a bit. Longer shoots mean deeper roots, which the lawn needs to suck up whatever moisture is in the soil. A higher lawn also shades the soil, minimizing evaporation.
Grass generally stops growing once temperatures drop to below the range of 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit or reach above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Most turf grasses can grow up to 4–24 inches tall. An overgrown lawn is more susceptible to pests, weeds, and diseases. If you don't mow your lawn, it may be difficult to mow it in the future.
It's best to wait for wet grass to dry before mowing. Wet grass clippings can clog your mower, causing it to choke and spit out clumps of wet grass that could smother and kill your lawn if left unraked.
'As long as your blades are sharpened, and the grass isn't not soaking wet, mowing in the early morning dew is totally fine,' says Douglas Dedrick.
As the heat starts to put stress on your lawn you may notice full brown blades of grass or grass with brown tips. They may have begun to curl.
Between irrigation and natural rainfall, your grass should receive between 1 and 1.5 inches of water each week during the summer. Water deeply every other day for the best results. Your turf should receive about 1/3 an inch of water every two days in order to maintain deeper roots, thus helping protect against drought.
Mid-morning (between 8 and 10 a.m.) tends to be the best time of day for mowing your lawn. It allows enough time for dew to dry, resulting in strong, perky blades of grades, while avoiding the hottest periods of the day.
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.
How Short Should You Cut Grass in the Spring? In the spring, cut cool season grass to around 4 inches, and warm season grasses to around 2 inches. Cutting your grass a little shorter this time of year will get rid of any winter damage and set your lawn up for a productive growing season.
Growth will slow as the grass puts its resources into the leaf tips to help them recover. Also, repeatedly cutting too much or mowing too short will leave your lawn susceptible to weed invasions, diseases, and an overall thin stand. It can also result in an excess of thatch developing.