How Low Should You Cut Your Grass

QUESTION: How Low Should You Cut Your Grass

Answer:

Whenever you mow your lawn, you, of course, want it to look nice and even and uniform.

If it doesn’t, then it’ll look a bit off and you won’t be satisfied with the work you put into it.

However, cutting your grass isn’t as simple as just running the mower over it and hoping for the best.

You have to determine when you should cut your grass and how low you should cut it.

If you didn’t already know, most lawnmowers come with an adjustable blade height, meaning that you can set it to cut your grass shorter or higher depending on what the situation calls for.

If you leave it too long, it might still look like a bit of a mess, and if you cut it too short, it can stunt the growth of your grass, leaving you with dead spots in your lawn.

The first thing you have to decide is when you’re going to cut your grass.

You don’t want to let it grow too long, because you might end up with a complaint from the HOA, and you don’t want to leave it looking overgrown.

However, if you don’t let it grow out long enough before you cut it, that can cause some different problems.

Cutting your grass too early won’t encourage growth, meaning it’ll be a bit harder for the grass to fully come back after winter.

When you let your grass grow out just a bit more than usual, it allows the grass to better develop roots in the soil, meaning that it’ll take less effort from you to keep the grass sustained.

Cutting it too short will mean that the grass will have a harder time keeping itself alive, especially during dryer conditions where the top layer of soil is dried up.

Sometimes, it can be beneficial to cut your grass just a little shorter than usual.

Typically, in the fall heading into winter, your grass will stop growing, signaling to you to cut it one last time in preparation for the cold weather.

Often times it’s recommended to cut your grass a little shorter than usual going into the colder seasons so that there’s less volume of the plant that needs nutrients and they can survive without the extra.

Otherwise, during the rest of the year, you should cut it a bit higher so that it can thrive and continue to grow.

What is the ideal lawn height?

About 2 1/2 inches as a rule of thumb.

Optimal height for a cool-season grass generally is about 2 1/2 inches.

And at each mowing, you should only be removing about the top 1/3 of the grass blade.

Consequently, a good time to mow lawns is when your grass is about 3 2/3 inches high.

Springtime is the best for overseeding and lawn aerating to help its growth from coming out of the colder months.

But of course, that is when the weeds are on the full attack too. To help with your weed control either pre or post over the time we have found that Tenacity has been the best.

Being a commercial herbicide but safe for the family and your pets, you will get the best results on crabgrass, dandelions, clover.

Tenacity herbicide is used right around the country on many a golf course and treats over 40 different weeds.

As for pests in the garden, Neem oil is a natural control for pests. Being all-natural it’s safe to use daily or whenever is needed and safe to your family and pets.

If you’re not already part of the family and haven’t already got my free Lawn care for beginners guide below…