How Often Should You Mow Your Lawn?

 

One of the most crucial aspects of lawn care maintenance is mowing the lawn. However, most people homeowners mow their lawns incorrectly. It is important to know when and how often you need to mow the lawn in order for you to develop and maintain an excellent quality lawn. Mowing the lawn too often than recommended or doing it at the wrong time can be detrimental to your lawn’s condition. So, how often should you mow your lawn?

The Importance of Knowing the Right Time for Mowing

The aim of mowing the lawn correctly is to ensure that the grass is maintained at an ideal height. If the grass is cut too short, it tends to suffer in terms of growth and vigor. This is because the roots of the grass cannot receive ample amount of food, water and nutrients.  In hot climates when the grass is cut too short the sun can dry the ground excessively and damage the roots. On the other hand, leaving the grass to grow too long can result in shocking the grass when cut and an excess of grass residue on the turf that may take longer to decompose.

The One Third Rule of Lawn Mowing

 

According to many lawn care experts, homeowners need to follow the “one third rule” when mowing their lawn. If  you have set the cutting height of your lawn mower to 1 inch then you need to mow when or before the grass reach the height of 1 ½ inches. This means that you will need to cut one-third of the grass blade. There will be no damage to the grass if you cut more often as long as the lawn mower and the blades are in good condition.

Things to Consider

How often you mow your lawn will depend on how fast the grass grow and which specific type of grass you have in your lawn. Here are some of the things you need to consider when mowing your lawn:

• The amount of fertilizer used

The more nitrogen fertilizer you use, the faster grass grows. This means that you may need to mow your lawn quite often.

• The amount of water used

If you have cut back the frequency of watering your lawn, the grass tends to grow less. This means that you don’t need to cut as often. More water used means more mowing time for you.

• The time of the year

Warm-season grasses are known to grow fast during summer due to the warm temperature. On the other hand, cool-season grass grow faster during fall and spring due to the cool temperature. During those time periods, you may need to mow the lawn more often.

Different grass types come with different ideal heights. You may need to do some prior research about the ideal height for each variety before cutting the grass. Also, it is important to note that over-cutting can result in unhealthy-looking grass. If you find your lawn to be quite tall since you have neglected your duty of cutting the grass, it is advisable that you cut the grass in batches while following the one third rule. This allows you to mow your lawn effectively without inflicting too much stress on the grass.

How Often Should You Mow the Lawn?

The truth is that there is no definite answer to this question. It often boils down to personal preference and season of the year.

In terms of seasons, you may need to mow your lawn at least once every week or two during late spring and summer. The amount of rain during this season can also affect how often you need to mow. If there are rains during the season, you may need to cut more often – perhaps once or twice every week. If the summer season does not come with any rain, you can expect a more relaxed mowing schedule since a lack of rain can hamper the growth of grass.

Similarly, it is not advisable to shy away from cutting your lawn during the winter season if you live where grass will grow during that season. Leaving the grass to grow long during the cold season can have a negative effect on the quality of the grass. Doing so can result to moss invasion and can reduce the grass’ aesthetic appeal. Therefore, you should not completely store the mower during winter months as you may need the machine occasionally, depending on where you live.