Have you noticed the difference between your neighbor's lush, thick, green grass and your slightly brown, patchy, and barely surviving lawn?
Do you mow the lawn or hire a company to do it, yet you desire better growth, more thickness, and a deeper green?
While there could be many lawncare issues at play here, well start with one many homeowners get wrong. The way they mow their yards. You would think it is as easy as heading to a local home improvement store, buying a mower, learning to pull the start cord, and voila!
And what I see more is people looking at a yard full of clover weeds mowed down very low and thinking to themselves it is a clean beautiful cut. From a distance in the early spring maybe so. But an up-close look from the eyes of a professional tells a different story. It speaks on an unhealthy lawn.
Simply put, and often understated is this fact: the way you mow the grass will have a significant impact on your turf's overall health including thickness, lushness, greenness, the ability to fight off weeds, drought tolerance, diseases, and much more.
Plus the way you mow the grass could affect your wallet, as mowing incorrectly could result in you needing other lawn care services more often than otherwise necessary. We here at Kevin J Services wouldn't allow anyone to throw their money away as we only follow the best practices for giving customers a healthy lawn.
If you follow these lawn mowing tips, as they are specifically for our cool season grass types, your lawn will be 1 step closer to a clean bill of health. I'll mow to that!
So what are the lawn mowing tips in short order?
A deeper look into those lawn mowing tips:
When it comes to mowing your lawn in Northeast Ohio, the height you choose is more important than you might realize. The cool season grass we have plays a significant role in its growth, so it's crucial to maintain the recommended cutting heights for spring, summer, and fall as outlined in this tip.
By doing so, you'll give your grass the best chance to thrive.
Once temperatures consistently reach 50 degrees, it's time to start mowing. Start at 3.5 inches in the spring to promote root growth and prevent weed infestation.
For the first mowing, bag the grass clippings and complete the spring cleanup, then mulch the clippings back onto the lawn for every mowing afterward.
During the scorching summer months, it becomes imperative to mow your lawn with precision at a height of 4.0 inches. This strategic move is essential in combating the detrimental effects of droughts and soaring temperatures, which have the potential to render your lawn dull and lifeless.
Hang onto this height of 4 inches until the arrival of October, regardless of any rain showers or dips in temperature.
As the vibrant colors of fall take over, it's time to adjust your lawn mowing routine. In October, reduce the mower height to 3.5 inches and embrace the beauty of mulching leaves for the first few weeks.
Around October 15th, take it down a notch further to 3.0 inches until the final mowing of the season. Keep mowing until 1 or 2 weeks after the first frost or when temperatures consistently drop below 50 degrees.
This lower height not only helps prevent snow mold but also simplifies your fall cleanups.
There may come a time when you need to mow your lawn below the recommended height of 3.5 inches. This could be during dethatching and overseeding or aeration and overseeding projects.
However, it's important to exercise caution and wait until fall for such projects because you have cool season grasses. This will help minimize the risk of weed seeds taking root and ensure a healthier lawn.
Remember, if you plan on overseeding, always do it after detaching and aerating within 48 hours, as both activities expose the soil to weed seeds.
Knowing the correct lawn mowing frequency is important because mowing at the wrong frequency can have negative effects on your lawn and mower. Incorrect mowing intervals can lead to cutting too much grass, getting cited for overgrown grass, stressing the mower, promoting weed growth, and wasting money on lawn care products. It's crucial to mow your lawn at the right frequency to maintain its health.
Maintain a weekly mowing schedule for healthy lawns, following the 1/3rd rule and proper mowing height. Cutting too short can cause weed growth. If you notice more weeds, start mowing weekly and consider aerating and overseeding in the fall. Invest in lawn care to save time and money.
Consider mowing every 5 days during the rainy spring and rainy September for optimal grass growth. This adheres to the 1/3 rule and maintains mowing height while providing long-term benefits from the extra grass clippings.
In hot, dry summers with little to no rain, many people don't water their yards, resulting in brown, crispy, dormant grass. In these circumstances, switch to mowing the lawn every two weeks until the grass starts to green up again. If the grass still isn't growing, wait before mowing to avoid causing turf damage. It's also best to keep everyone off the lawn during this time.
When it comes to mulching, bagging, or side discharging your grass clippings, each mowing option has its purpose, but mulching is the best for optimizing your lawn's lawn health.
Mulching is the best option for your grass if it is not overrun with weeds. It provides health benefits by adding nutrients back into the soil. Mulching also reduces mess and eliminates the need for bagging or side discharge.
It requires a slightly slower mowing speed for a perfect cut, but it saves time in the long run due to the lack of cleanup. And mulching does not lead to increased thatch if done properly.
However, mulching should be avoided for overgrown grass and wet grass as it can clog the mower deck and cause uneven cutting. Mowing wet grass is not recommended for any method.
Bag the grass clippings during the first spring mowing and possibly in late fall if the leaves are too heavy to mulch. these are the only recommended times to bag the grass clippings.
While bagging gives a clean appearance, it robs the lawn of nutrients that mulching provides.
Bagging can slow down weed spread, but it's essential to address the weed problem with treatments. Otherwise, the weeds will continue to spread slowly, and the lawn will suffer from the lack of fertilizer that comes with mulching.
Side discharge is an option to consider for cutting grass under the right circumstances, as it can deliver a high-quality cut. However, it may leave behind larger clippings that need to be spread out or removed. Side discharge is particularly useful when the grass is too tall for the 1/3rd rule, but it can get messy.
One strategy is to first cut the grass to the desired height, then go back and mulch the clippings. If necessary, bagging can be done on a third cut.
Don't put away the lawnmower just because October rolls around! The grass is still growing in October and even November. It's important to keep mowing into the fall until growth slows down completely.
Need advice on when it's officially safe to stop mowing, or when your last mow of the season should be?
Northeast Ohio's average October high temperatures drop from 68 degrees to 57 degrees by the end of October. Grassroots will keep growing until soil temperatures reach freezing. So in October, the grass is still growing, albeit slowly.
The same is true for November, and if you stop cutting the lawn too early you risk having too high of grass during the winter.
It's important to mow your cool-season grass gradually down to 3 inches going into winter to avoid snow mold caused by longer blades. Keep mowing even in the early fall to prevent this.
To determine when to stop mowing, wait for temperatures to regularly fall below 50 degrees. Use a 7-day forecast to check the average temperature. If it's below 50 degrees for the 7-day average and not just 2 of the 7 days for example, consider mowing one last time as long as there's no frost and the temperature is above 42 degrees.
Doing this will help make sure you don't stop mowing too early in the fall.
Concluding words: There are definitely other lawn care tips you will need to ensure a healthy lawn year in and year out, but these tips specifically for the tasks of lawn mowing can not be ignored. While there are plenty of beautiful lawns here in Euclid, Ohio, and the surrounding areas, there are others that need some fine-tuning. There's no better way to start giving your lawn the health care plan it needs than by implementing these mowing tips for a beautiful lawn!
