A lot of people still think that the secret to a healthy green lawn has to do with all the chemicals and fertilizers you dump on the grass and little else. But you can save yourself a lot of money and keep your lawn healthy in a more natural way with the proper use of one of your favorite power tools: your lawn mower!
Follow these grass cutting tips for a healthy green lawn.
Sure, the basics of grass cutting are pretty simple: start up your lawn mower and push it over all the high grass until it isn’t high anymore. But, like most home improvement and gardening skills, the devil is in the details. Here are some grass cutting tips and tricks which will help your lawn grow more and more healthy and stay lush and green throughout this season and into the next:
Cut Your Grass High
This doesn’t mean you should let the grass in your lawn reach two feet high, but you should try setting your mower on the highest or next to highest setting and cutting your lawn at that height all the time. Longer blades of grass means the root system below the ground will also be longer and healthier. Longer blades of grass tend to collect more light and grow healthier and higher blades often help block out crab grass. As an added bonus taller grass often looks more “lush” and dense than grass that’s been cut very short.
Don’t Use A Grass Bag
Some people are obsessed with bagging cut grass and turning it to compost. But as good as that compost is for plants in beds, it’s even better for the grass itself. By cutting your lawn without a bag and leaving the clippings on the lawn you’re adding extra nitrogen, water and nutrients back in the soil as those clippings decompose. You also get to avoid emptying the bag every 20 minutes.
Rake Out Piles of Cut Grass
Okay, when you let your grass grow a little higher than normal and when you don’t use a bag you’re bound to get little piles of cut grass around your yard from time to time. Don’t just leave those piles around if you can avoid it. They look ugly and they can sometimes actually kill the the grass growing beneath them because they act like a thick carpet, blocking out sunlight and air and eventually choking off anything growing beneath them. Take 10 minutes or so after mowing and lightly rake those piles out, so they’re even distributed around the yard. If you have too much cut grass then, sure, throw some in the compost pile.
Mow Only When The Grass is Dry
When you mow your lawn when the grass is wet you’re just going to get clumps of grass, uneven cuts (wet blades of grass slip and slide away from mower blades, creating “chops” instead of fine cuts), invite all sorts of fungus to grow in the damp clippings and endanger yourself. Wet grass is slick and slipping into a running lawnmower is no fun.
Mow Only When The Grass is Cool
I’ve been unintentionally following this one for a while. Try to mow your grass when it is cooler, not in the middle of the day, especially if you’re going through a dry period or your grass is wilting. Grass like any houseplant you may have in your home: extreme temperatures or handling can damage it. I tend to mow my lawn in the early evening or late morning because I don’t like pushing a mower around in the heat of the afternoon.
Really, Cut Your Grass High
Yes, I’m repeating this one. It makes a big difference. The general rule of thumb is to only ever cut off a third of the height of your grass. So if you most of your grass is about three inches high from the ground, you should only ever cut off about the top one inch. Don’t obsess about this and take a ruler to your lawn, but if you keep your mower on the highest setting and mow regularly you should be okay.
Change Direction Each Time You Mow
I never thought much about this until recently, but I’ve found that it not only helps my lawn but also breaks up the monotony of mowing. When you cut your lawn in several different patterns you’ll avoid creating ruts or pathways in your lawn from repeatedly going over the same spot each week. If you’re leaving your grass clippings on your lawn and you have some small clumps, try going over your lawn again quickly in another direction to disperse them. For a rectangular lawn you have lots of cutting pattern options like concentric circles, “up and down”, “back and forth”, on a diagonal (left and right) or even a combination. I’ve even seen people mow their lawns with a neat “wavy” pattern from time to time.
Plan to Mow Your Lawn Once A Week
Yes, I know grass grows at different rates and sometimes it rains a lot and sometimes it doesn’t rain for a week. But try to aim to always mow your grass sometime in the 6 – 8 day range. This helps you keep the height of the grass from becoming too tall and it helps keep you on a schedule you’re more likely to follow. If your grass doesn’t really need to be cut at the allotted time, that’s fine. On those days sit back and enjoy a lemonade while admiring your grass. By building “grass mowing time” into your schedule it becomes a little less of an “added” chore and more of “just something that’s gotta be done” like brushing your teeth.
Mower Maintenance
This is kind of a no-brainer, but a lot of people forget about this. Keep your mower in good working order. Always clean out grass clippings and debris when you’re done, keep the fuel and oil relatively clean and fresh, and keep the blades in good condition. It depends on how large your lawn is, but generally I find that replacing lawn mower blades or having my existing blades sharpened once a season works for me. It’s actually pretty easy to remove and replace a lawn mower blade. A dull blade will basically rip and tear at the ends of your grass and give it a ragged appearance. A sharp blade will make a clean cut and keep your grass healthier. Obviously, an electric lawn mower is better for the environment, but if you aren’t there yet, then at least keep your gas mower in good working condition. Don’t forget to properly winterize your gas lawn mower at the end of the summer to help it last from one season to the next.
These tips will not only save you lots of money you would normally spend on poisonous lawn chemicals, but they will also help you grow a healthier lawn from one year to the next. By following these mowing tips your grass will grow in stronger and greener and your entire yard will be much easier to maintain from one year to the next!