Grass Cutting & Lawn Aesthetics

Most of us would love to have a beautiful lawn year-round, but how do we accomplish this? Grass cutting techniques are key during the warmer months with grass growing at higher rates.  To keep your lawn at it’s best, use these rules of thumb:

  • Don’t go too short. It can be tempting to mow too low, but if you do, you can scalp your lawn which will kill the grass and refocus its energy on blade development instead of the root system. Focus on mowing only the top ½ of grass, erring on the long side if you’re unsure.
  • Keep it sharp. If you’ve never checked your blade sharpness, you may find that you’re damaging your lawn. Dull blades will pull instead of cut grass, leaving you with a less than stellar look.
  • Let it dry. If it’s rained recently or there’s a heavy dew on the lawn, we suggest holding off on mowing. Waiting until the end of the day when things are driest will give you a crisp cut.
  • Vary pattern. If you mow in the same pattern or direction each time, the grass will start leaning that way. Instead, vary your methods and you’ll get a better result.
  • Don’t schedule it. It can be tempting to mow the same time each week, but instead mow only when needed. Over-mowing can contribute to grass that’s too short or scalped.
  • Slow-mow. While your mower has several speeds, from slow to fast, it’s better to err on the slow side as increased speed can contribute to a sloppy, uneven cut.

As with most things, different types of grass do better at different heights and with different moisture levels, so be sure to understand if there’s specific care that will be helpful to the type you have in your yard.

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