How Do I Mow My Lawn

Do Rotate Your Mowing Pattern

Glen DellaValle, CEO of DellaValle Management, a property management company in Lexington, Ky. that cares for more than 150 acres of private lawn, recommends frequently changing up the direction of your mowing. Rotating the pattern in which you cut your grass will help it be more evenly cut over the long term, he says. Another benefit: It prevents your mowers wheels from compacting the same area over and over.

Get Your Mower Serviced Regularly

Get your mower serviced at the start of every growing season to ensure a clean, quality cut. Chipped or blunt blades will bruise the grass and can cause straw-coloured dieback at the tips. Watch our video guide to maintaining a petrol mower. Clean out your mower regularly to avoid a build-up of clippings.

Be Courteous To Your Neighbors When Mowing

Its just common courtesy to avoid mowing too late or too early. The Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization that fights noise pollution, has enacted a Good Neighbor Policy.

Regarding the use of lawn equipment, the policy suggests that people:

• Use a reel mower and rake whenever possible.
• Use power lawn and garden equipment between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• Do not use a leaf blower for health and noise reasons.
• Whenever possible, avoid the outdoor use of power tools on Sunday.
• Avoid the use of power lawn equipment if your neighbors are in their yards.
• Establish a schedule for motorized outdoor lawn and garden work with your neighbors .

If courtesy isnt enough of an incentive for you, be aware that more than 500 local governments have passed noise pollution legislation, violations of which could force you to pay a hefty fine. Electric mowers are a quieter choice than gas mowers.

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How Long Should My Grass Be During The Winter

Grass height should vary based on the season as well as the type of grass. Warm season grasses are kept shorter compared to cold season grasses. During winter, a warm season grass length should be kept at 1.5 to 2 inches tall, where cold season grass lengths can be kept closer to 2.5 inches tall.

Do you know your grass type? Read our post from earlier this year that describes the growing areas, characteristics and care instructions for the most common grass types, some of which are listed below:

Why Grass Shouldn’t Be Too Short In The Winter

Cutting grass too short can also affect the health of your lawn. If grass is too short, it has a harder time absorbing sunlight and nutrients. This causes the grass to turn yellow or brown in appearance and will make it spend most of the spring trying to work its way back to a healthy green color.

It’s important to never cut more than one-third of the grass blade at a time. This means that if your lawn is three inches tall, only one inch should be cut. If your lawn ends up getting longer than you’d like, cut it to the desired length gradually by mowing more frequently, while still remembering to cut off no more than a third with any one mowing.

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Is It Bad To Mow After Rain

The short answer: No. Mowing wet grass can be problematic for your lawn, your lawn mower and you. If you do mow wet grass, you risk leaving clumps of clippings that could smother the grass beneath. Wet grass can clog the mower, causing it to overheat, and stick to the mower’s underside, which is difficult to clean.

Proper Height To Cut Grass

The proper height for your grass will depend on its species. See the chart below for details. But over the years, turfgrass specialists have created one important rule: The 1/3 rule, which states that you should never remove more than 1/3 of your grass on any cutting. If youve been out of town or just got a little backed up with other chores, no matter how tempting it is to whack it all down to size at once, dont do it. Adhere to the 1/3 rule, and cut your grass down in increments. This will reduce the amount of stress you put on the grass.

The 1/3 rule is critical, said Campbell Vaughn, agriculture and natural resources agent for the University of Georgia-Augusta Richmond County Extension. Virtually all mowers have a height adjustment, so use yours. To adjust your mower, dont just eyeball it. Get out a tape measure and park your mower on a hard, even surface. Measure from that surface up to the blade. To adjust your mower to the right height, place it on a hard, even surface and measure from the blade to the hard surface. In many cases, you will find that the highest mower setting is the preferred cutting height.

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How Early Can I Mow My Lawn

Living in a home with neighbors creates a sense of safety, community, and peace of mind. On the downside, being so close in proximity to others means that you have to be considerate and mindful of how much noise you make.Yard work is most assuredly one of the noisiest activities you can do outside. Its no wonder that we are commonly asked, How early can I mow my lawn?

In many places in North Texas, there is no law regulating when yard work should start and end. On the other hand, it is generally unacceptable to start yard work before 7 a.m. We highly recommend following this general rule of thumb for the sake of being neighborly. At the same time, there are scientific reasons not to perform yard work in the mornings wee hours. Knowing these reasons can help you avoid wear and tear on your mower, while not disrupting your neighbors.

Use Your Leaf Blower To Contain Grass Clippings

Unless your lawn mower automatically bags grass clippings youll have grass clippings all over your lawn after mowing. That isnt a big deal most of the time, and youll even want to leave grass clippings down sometimes to help restore your soil.

But anytime your grass clippings are starting to build up, wet, or clumped instead of evenly distributed, you should remove them.

Using your leaf blower is a simple way to move grass clippings and contain them on your lawn.

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Riding Lawn Mower Patterns

Since a riding mower cant turn quite as quickly as a push mower, opt for an easier pattern. You can simply roll around the perimeter of your yard once or twice, close in a bit to make a smaller perimeter cut and then make smaller and smaller squares until you reach the middle of the lawn.

Or, mow the lawn like a pro with the Zamboni pattern. Yes, think big machine used to smooth over an ice rink. Heres what to do:

• Cut the border of the lawn, and then ride down the middle all the way across.
• Go around the perimeter again in the opposite direction, and then ride back down the middle, slightly overlapping the first line.
• Keep this up until you have overlapping lines throughout the whole yard.

Want more tips to cut grass like a pro?

Dont Blow Grass Onto Driveways & Sidewalks

Freshly cut grass sticks and stains concrete driveways and sidewalks. Instead of blowing grass onto them, simply change the direction you are mowing on the edges of these hardscapes so the cut grass blows back into the yard. It will keep your yard neat and save you the time of having to blow them clean later.

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Choose Your Tool Wisely

It’s important to remember that no two lawns or gardens are the same even if they are side by side. Take into consideration the condition and size of your lawn, and your gardening needs when choosing the best tool for the job. Choose an electric lawnmower over a petrol one for the more eco-friendly option.

Lawn Mowing Patterns Tips & Tricks

Creating stripes and designs in your lawn is easy, and it wont take you any extra time to mow once you get the hang of it. Here are a few tips and tricks to remember when youre just getting started

• Try to use a different pattern or change the direction of your stripes after every 2-3 mows. This will keep the grass growing its best, and avoid wear and tear damage caused by the mower tires.

• The trick to creating darker lawn stripes is to mow the grass taller, because the blades dont bend as well when theyre cut short.

• Use a sidewalk, driveway, or other hardscape in your yard as a guide to keep your lines straight.

• Experiment with different cutting patterns to see which one you like, and what looks best in your grass.

Beautiful straight lines mowed in the grass

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Mow Around The Perimeter

Once you’ve got your lawn looking luscious, it’s time to wheel out the mower.

It’s generally best to mow around the perimeter of the garden first, particularly in plots where it’s difficult to turn the mower at either end, suggests the lawn experts at Flymo . This achieves a more even cut and nicer-looking lawn.

Don’t cut your lawn too short, says Paul. This will impact the stripes, so he suggests going no shorter than 1.18in .

Mowing around the edges of your garden first will help you achieve a more even look with your stripes

How Often Should I Fertilize My Lawn

While many people mow their lawns for aesthetic reasons, fewer fertilize regularly. This is an important aspect of lawn care, particularly since over-fertilizing is common and can both damage and add to your maintenance costs. In general, warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda, St. Augustine and zoysia, do well when fertilized in the early spring, since this is the best time to deliver plenty of needed nutrients before peak growing season. Testing your soils nutrient levels prior to fertilizing is very important to ensure you are purchasing the correct fertilizer and applying it in the right amounts at the right times. If creating a fertilization schedule yourself sounds too time intensive, you can always contact a lawn care specialist.

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Grass Cutting Tips And Tricks

Lawn mowing neednt be a chore if you follow a few simple rules:

Tips On Cutting Your Grass

Mow the grass in patterns for a great looking lawn. You can create stripes by making parallel passes back and forth, or make multiple passes to create zig-zags, diamonds, or checkerboards.

Set the mower deck at the right height. Its ideal to only trim the top one-third of the grass blades because tall grass stays greener, and it cushions any falls. Cut the widest possible swath with each overlapping pass. Dont go too wide or youll leave strips of longer grass. For safetys sake, mow slopes from side to side, not up and down, and save steep slopes for the edge trimmer.

Dont mow the lawn while the grass is still wet. Mowing a wet lawn can damage your grass, your mower, and you .

Mow the lawn on natures schedule, not yours. Grass grows far quicker in wet, warm conditions. Also, longer grass retains more moisture, so if you wait too long between cuts, matted clumps of grass could start to spew from your mower deck when you mow.

Plan to mow twice a week during peak growing periods, especially in the spring. During a mid-summer drought, you might be able to go 2-3 weeks between cuts. Just be sure to wait until the morning dew burns off.

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Dont Cut Off More Than A Third Of The Grass Blade

The pros recommend never cutting off more than one-third of grass leaf tissue during each mow. Cutting off too much at one time stresses grass and weakens your lawn over time. So if youre mowing at three inches high, dont let your grass grow higher than 4-1/3 inches. If it exceeds that, best to cut it in stages. Mow at your mowers highest height first, then mow again at a lower height later that day or the next.

How To Take Part In No Mow May

• Register for Every Flower Counts at plantlife.org.uk
• Leave your mower in the shed from 23 to 31 May and again from 11 to 19 July.
• At the end of each period, throw a tennis ball into a patch of your lawn, mark out a square metre with sticks around the ball and count and identify the flowers in that square and then upload your findings.

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Mow Like A Pro: How To Avoid These Top 10 Lawn Mowing Mistakes

Most homeowners may not know it, but improper mowing is one of the most common causes of lawn problems. Luckily, its an easy problem to fix. Its much easier than trying to diagnose a disease or pest problem or remedy mold or weed issues. Custom Lawn and Landscape has put together some basic lawn mowing tips to keep your lawn healthy and looking its best.

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Lawn Mowing Pattern: Circles

Round and round your yard you go. Cutting in concentric circles is an efficient pattern because all the turns you make are in the same direction. Since turns are more gradual, its also easier to maneuver your mower. A circular pattern will match the cuts you make around trees and flower beds as well.

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Keep Your Mower Blade Sharp

For the cleanest cut, sharpen mower blades at the first sign of wear. Dull blades tear up grass, causing ragged, brown edges. Continually using a dull mower blade can also cause your grass to weaken over time, making it more susceptible to disease, insect damage, and other stresses . A mower tune-up and blade sharpening once a year helps in many ways: Your mower will start easier, make cleaner cuts, and slice your clippings without bogging down the mower blades. Also, remember to wash your mower after each use, to help prevent any blockages within the mower itself.

Products And Tools Youll Need To Mow The Lawn

• Lawnmower: A power mower uses one or more spinning blades to cut grass. Match the mower to the size of the lawn.
• Gasoline safety can: For uninterrupted mowing, fill a gasoline safety can with ample fuel. Youll skip this expense if you have an electric mower or a push mower.
• Edge trimmer: Edge trimmers cut grass using thick plastic strings rotating at high speeds. There are both electric and gasoline models.
• Broom/blower: Use a rough-surface push broom when you sweep up stray clippings. If you prefer, use a leaf blower.
• Lawn and leaf bags: Put any excess grass clippings or grass clumps in a large trash bag.

There are other safety items youll need, like yard gloves, closed-toe shoes, and sunglasses or other eye protection.

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Do Regular Equipment Maintenance

Keeping your mowing eqipment in top condition is critical to mowing your lawn like a professional. At minimum you should do your own inspection at least once a year to make sure all electronic and moving parts are in good condition.

Even better would be taking your lawn mower, string trimmer, and other power tools to a professional for maintenance once a year, just before mowing season starts.

If you live somewhere were you mow year-round, get your lawn mower checked in early spring.

Th Day To 10th: Mowing After Overseeding

Set your lawn mower height to three inches and mow the entire lawn. The blades on your mower should be sharpened so as to not damage the new seedlings.

After mowing, its important to water the lawn again. It will help the grass recover from being trimmed and prevent drying out. Composting the grass blades is also a good idea, as they will provide nutrients for the new plants.

All grasses grow in a different pace and this will also determine when you can start mowing. For example, if youre using a slow-growing grass such as bluegrass, you will most likely have to wait up to 20 days.

Height for different grasses

Different grasses have different ideal mowing heights.

If you overseed your lawn with a specific type of grass, research the ideal mowing height for that particular grass species.

It will ensure that you cut your lawn at the proper height, giving the new grass a chance to establish itself.

Mowing at the wrong height can damage your lawn and make it more susceptible to weeds and disease. Below is a list of common grasses for warm and cool climates and their ideal mowing heights.

Warm Season Grass

Warm-season grasses are types of grass that thrive in warm climates. They are typically green all year long, although they may go dormant during periods of extreme drought. Here is the mowing height recommendation for some common warm-season grasses:

Cool-Season Grasses

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