Avoiding Common Lawn Mowing Mistakes

While weeds, disease, and insects can cause a lot of damage to lawns, the most common cause of lawn problems is the mowing habits of gardeners. If you don’t mow your lawn correctly, you will leave it susceptible to problems like weeds and disease and you may even be inviting insects in. There are times when lawns are taken for granted and gardeners forget that lawns are just fields of grass, and that grass is a living plant. Like all plants, treat them poorly and they will suffer, either not thriving and sometimes even dying off.

So what are the most common lawn mowing mistakes made by gardeners? Consider some of these habits and compare them to yours. Are you guilty of mistreating your lawn?

Mowing too short. Different grasses require different heights. In general, especially in a mixed grass lawn, maintaining a height of around two inches is recommended. While many will recommend this in summer, longer grass will also protect the plant’s roots from frost and cold weather in winter, so it’s a good all year habit to get into.

Mowing with blunt blades. Blunt lawn mower blades thresh the grass rather than cutting it. The best mowers are the reel mowers as they use a scissor action to cut the grass. If the tips of the grass in your lawn are a little jagged and yellow, then your lawn mower blades need sharpening. Be sure your blades are balanced because an unbalanced mower will also cause problems.

Mowing wet grass. There are several problems associated with mowing wet lawns. Wet grass clippings will stick to the blades, making them unbalanced – it will also prevent the blades from cleanly cutting your lawn. Wet lawn clippings will clump, causing the lawn under each clump to yellow and perhaps even die. If you must mow when wet, stop and clean the blades regularly and collect the clippings rather than leaving them on the lawn.

Mowing in the same direction. While not as damaging as the previous point, always mowing in the same direction can ‘teach’ your lawn to grow in that direction. A simple north-south, east-west, south-north, and west-east mowing routine will have your lawn standing upright and looking good.

Simple lawn mowing techniques that will improve your lawn’s ability to fight off weeds, disease, and insects. You will reduce the amount of time you spend on lawn repairs, leaving you free to work on other areas of your garden – or free to just sit back and enjoy a wonderful lawn.