Correct Mowing Height
Cutting your lawn at the correct mowing height is very important to having a healthy beautiful lawn.
What type of grass are you mowing?
There are a multitude of grasses; there are basically 2 grass types: Cool Season type grasses and Warm Season type grasses with each type better suited to particular climates in North America. Most turf grasses were brought to this country and then adapted through selective breeding and cross-breeding to provide us with the grasses that we are most familiar with today. Knowing what type of grass will help you decide at what height to set your mower.
Correct Mowing Height
Lawn mowing is simple enough but if you are cutting your lawn too short you are damaging the leaf blade and making it hard for your lawn to develop correctly. On the other hand if you are letting your lawn grow too tall you are probably removing too much of the leaf blade when you cut. A general rule is to not remove more than a 1/3 of the leaf blade at once. This allows the leaf blade to heal correctly and fight off lawn disease. Mowing your lawn often is also an important way to ensure a healthy beautiful lawn. Mowing your lawn frequently helps to keep your lawn healthy and encourages rapid new growth.
|
BAHIAGRASS |
2 – 3 INCHES |
|
BENTGRASS |
¼ – 1 INCHES |
|
BERMUDA – COMMON |
1 – 2 INCHES |
|
BERMUDA – HYBRIDS |
½ – 1 INCHES |
|
BLUEGRASS |
1- 3 INCHES |
|
BUFFALO |
2 – 4 INCHES |
|
CARPETGRASS |
1 – 2 INCHES |
|
CENTIPEDE |
1½ – 2 INCHES |
|
FESCUE – CREEPING RED |
2 – 3 INCHES |
|
FESCUE – FINE |
1 – 2 INCHES |
|
FESCUE – TALL |
2 – 4 INCHES |
|
RYE ANNUAL & PERENNIAL |
2 – 3 INCHES |
|
ST. AUGUSTINE – COMMON |
3 – 4 INCHES |
|
ST. AUGUSTINE – IMPROVED |
2 – 3 INCHES |
|
ZOYSIA |
1 – 2 INCHES |
Sharp Blades and Mower Maintenance
Maintaining your lawn care equipment often goes forgotten, but it plays a major role in the overall health and look of your lawn. Check tire pressure on your mower, blow out your air filter on your mower, clean your mower’s spark plug at least once a season and most importantly sharpen your lawn mower blades regularly. Sharp mower blades will cleanly cut the tips of the lawn instead of tearing the leaf blade. Dull blades will damage the leaf blade and invite different types of lawn disease to destroy your lawn.
When to Cut
The best time of the day to mow your lawn is late in the day or during the evening. The fact is that mowing damages the plant and it will take a day or two for the grass to fully recover. Mowing in the evening provides about 12 hours of respite for the grass from the sun. Mowing in the morning means that the stressed grass will be subjected to the sun much quicker and if there is morning due on the lawn the grass will be cheated from the rejuvenating effects of the moisture because mowing will hasten evaporation.
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