The Importance Of Establishing A Good Lawn Mowing Routine

Most gardeners mow their lawns in a fairly ad hoc sort of way. They look out the window and think, “I must mow the lawn this weekend,” and come the weekend, if the weather is right, it may just get done – or they’ll wait until the next weekend when it ‘really must get done’. Establishing a regular mowing routine is good for your lawn, and good for you as well.

Grass is a plant, and like all plants, it has an optimum growing height. Let it grow too long and it becomes scraggly and prone to run to seed – weeds can often be missed in long grass until it’s too late and they have taken hold. Cut it too short and you run the risk of scalping it, letting in diseases, insects, and weeds. The ideal height for most grass types is between 1.5″ and 2.5″ – keep within those parameters and your lawn will look and feel good.

If you allow your lawn to grow too tall, then the temptation is there to cut it back hard. This can place a lot of stress on your lawn, and the results are similar to cutting your lawn too short. In general terms, your lawn should only be cut back by a third every time you mow. If your preferred height is two inches, then you need to be mowing when your lawn is at three inches. For some grass types, this can be a pain as they may need cutting twice a week in prime growing times.

For most lawns, you can rely on a pattern of mowing every week in late spring through to early fall. You can then drop back to every two weeks until your lawn goes dormant for winter. Unless you have included a winter grass, you can then put your lawn mower away until spring returns. Mowing frequently when your lawn is at an appropriate height helps your lawn to develop strong roots and a strong crown – both essential for a healthy lawn.

If you have let your lawn go, or perhaps even cut it too low, you may need to oversow to help thicken it up again. A lawn seeding tool will make light work of this task and help to return your lawn its best.  Keep your lawn at its optimum length and you’ll find that maintenance issues are less of a problem.