The general rule of thumb is to mow your lawn weekly but some lawns need to be cut more frequently than others. Some lawns might only need to be cut once every ten days to two weeks as some lawns will grow slower.
Mowing is an important factor in keeping a healthy lawn. There are, however, a number of things to consider when you mow your lawn. This includes deciding on how often you should mow your grass and the many important factors you need to look at when making this decision.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about how often should you mow your lawn and what factors influence this!
What Factors Influence How Often You Should Mow Your Lawn?
Deciding when to cut your lawn isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of situation. How often should you mow your lawn? Once a week or once a month? Well, every homeowner will reach a different answer depending on several different factors. Let’s take a look at some of the most important ones!
Grass Type: Cool Season Grasses Vs Warm Season Grasses
Cool season grasses, such as fescue, ryegrass and bluegrass, have their growing season around spring and fall and tend to grow much slower during the hotter months. You will also need to adjust your mowing schedule according to the amount of water your cool grass is getting, as it generally needs to be cut more often during higher rainfall.
Generally, if you are not sure about the number of days you should wait between mows, it is recommended that you cut your green lawn frequently enough that you do not need to cut more than one-third of the height of the grass blades. A number of the cool season grasses can be mowed between 3 ½ and 4 inches.
Warm season grasses, such as Bermuda grass, zoysia grass and centipede grass, have their growing season in the hotter months of the year, such as the summer season, therefore, as with cool season grass, they will not require as much mowing during their “off seasons.” Warm season grass can generally be mowed to 1 to 2 inches in height.
As with cool season grass, warm season grasses require more frequent mowing during high rainfall months and don’t grow much over the winter months.
Seasons: Spring Vs Summer Vs Winter Vs Fall
You should cut your grass at least once per week in the early spring and twice per week when the grass is more actively growing in the mid to late spring.
In summer, you should cut the lawn about once a week. The intense heat and full sun can often cause lawns to go dormant. Healthy lawns that are also hydrated well will still see slower growth in the spring.
During the winter months, you will want to increase the amount of time you wait between mows, as your grass will not grow as fast. During winter, you also need to ensure that you are careful when you cut your lawn, as it’s easy for you to damage your grass if there is frost on the ground or if the ground is very wet.
In the fall, you should continue to cut the grass twice per week. However, you need to wait until the new grass is tall enough and mature enough to be mowed if you’ve overseeded it in early fall.
Interested in lawn striping? Check this out for everything you need to know!
Tips For Proper Lawn Mowing
Mowing a lawn sounds pretty straightforward, but you should always maintain proper mowing techniques for the best results. Remember the following:
It is important for you to decide on a schedule for mowing your lawn and to adopt an efficient mowing pattern in order to encourage healthy grass. During the growing season of your grass blades, you will want to cut the grass more frequently.
Your grass will be kept looking both healthier and fuller if you cut consistently. A good mowing schedule and removing grass clippings after you cut your grass will also reduce the space and nutrients left behind for those pesky weeds.
In terms of the equipment you use, you need to make sure you keep your mower blades sharp, as dull mower blades are likely to damage the grass blade as they pass through.
If you find yourself with an overgrown lawn, you should not remove more than one third of the leaf blade when mowing. You can ensure you achieve this by adjusting the height of your mower blades.
If, after the initial mow, your grass is still too long, it is best to wait a few days before mowing your lawn again to reduce the grass height. You can continue to follow this method of mow, wait a few days, and mow again, until you get the height you’re wanting.
If you find yourself with an overgrown lawn that is above the height of your knee, the best way to get it down to a mowable height would be to use a brush cutter. Once it’s down to a nice mowable height, you can follow the same method I mentioned to get it down to the perfect height.
Check out this video by YouTube user Silver Cymbal for more information on the ideal grass height you should aim for:
The time of day you cut your grass is super important to keeping your lawn healthy. It’s best to mow in the mornings and evenings instead of at midday.
FAQs
Is Frequent Mowing Good For Grass?
Frequent mowing is good for grass as mowing helps it grow thicker. Some lawns require you to cut it more often than others, however, the general rule is to cut it weekly.
Can I Mow My Lawn Twice A Week?
You can mow your lawn twice a week. Mowing your lawn twice a week could give you a more lush lawn. It is said that the biggest reason for professional baseball diamonds and golf courses looking lusher than yards is due to how often they’re mowed.
Can I Mow The Lawn Every Other Week?
You can mow the lawn every other week instead of weekly. This can support the health of bees, as mowing more often than this can impact their pollen source.
Ready To Mow Your Lawn?
Knowing what’s the perfect frequency to mow your lawn will make a world of difference in your lawn health. Remember that too often or too infrequent mowing could leave you stuck with a damaged lawn.
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