There are many steps to keeping your landscape looking its best, but one that is absolutely essential is mowing your lawn. Different areas have different requirements so you’ll need to base some notes off of that. One thing we can all agree on is that long unruly grass or yellow grass does not look good. Follow the tips below to help your property look its best!

Tip 1 – Use Sharp Blades!

The difference between an even cut and an ragged cut can be your lawn mower blades. Think of a time you shaved with a dull razor, you had to work harder and your skin probably ached from all of the pulling. If the blades are bent or dull, the lawn suffers in the same way. Without sharp blades, your yard will look jagged and rough. Unfortunately, being cut by blades that aren’t sharp can lead to your grass dying. With sharp (and not bent) blades, the time it takes to cut your grass will be decreased as you’ll never have to go over the same spot twice.

Tip 2 – 1/3 Rule

Mowing grass can be a weekly chore or a biweekly chore, but one rule that should always be followed is the 1/3 rule. The rule is to avoid cutting more than 1/3 the length of your grass. This can be tricky depending on how quickly your grass grows, but the benefits are tremendous. The root structure of your grass will be markedly stronger than if you cut more than 1/3. Another issue that pops up is if you cut more than 1/3 of the length, you risk the grass dying or encouraging weed growth.

Tip 3 – Mow when Dry

As with most of the other tips on this list, if you cut the grass when it is wet, your risk having an uneven cut. Another issue with cutting it while wet is the grass clumps underneath of the mower. If left alone, this can cause clog up the blades, which can cause the lawn mower to break from undue stress. Another issue with wet grass is if it clumps up and lays on the lawn, that will smother the live grass and kill it. When you mow dry grass, lawn upkeep is easier and you don’t have to worry about the equipment.

Tip 4 – Grasscycling

There have been rumors that allowing grass to lay on the lawn following a mow will hurt the live grass. This is not the case, unless the grass is wet and heavy, or the cut grass is long and smothers the live grass. Grasscycling allows the live grass to thrive off of the nutrients of the cut grass, such as nitrogen, which increases the livelihood of the lawn. By grasscycling, your lawn will be greener and the root structure will become stronger.

Tip 5 – Mowing Patterns

The pattern in which you mow the grass does matter. While certain mowing patterns don’t change the health of the grass, not repeating the same pattern will keep your lawn healthier. By alternating your mowing patterns, you prevent from matting the grass or creating indents from where the wheels run each time. Your lawn will look more even and will not die in certain areas because of being matted down.

Tip 6 – Use Grass as Compost

Grasscycling is a form of composting, but cut grass can be used as a part of a compost pile. Our How to Compost guide will teach you how to make a compost pile. You can use your old grass clippings to create stronger plants around your property. Recycling the grass in this manner will allow you to utilize nutrients without having to buy expensive bags of product.

Tip 7 – Mowing Deck height

Rarely are yards completely even throughout the entirety of the yard. This can create uneven cuts of your yard and could kill portions of the lawn as it can be cut too short. Fortunately, this can be avoided if you lower and raise your lawn mower deck wherever you have higher or lower spots in your yard. By doing so, you will keep your yard as healthy as possible, while avoiding bare spots or hitting the ground with the blades (which can dull and bend them).

Check back to our blog weekly to learn more about home landscaping and if you have questions regarding landscaping work, feel free to contact us for a free estimate!

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