Many people think that a well-maintained lawn means keeping it short. Others will keep their lawn short so they don’t have to mow as often. However, there are several reasons why you shouldn’t lower your mowing height. When you cut your lawn short, you’re essentially cutting off most of the grass blade, making it weak since it can’t produce most of its food. It will take longer to grow, which for people looking to mow less, it’s great. What’s not so great will be the amount of weeds that will take over their weak scalped lawn. In addition, shorter grass will expose more of the soil, drying it out faster and requiring more water.
Why You Should Increase Mowing Height
There are many benefits to keeping a taller lawn. It becomes more drought-tolerant and resistant to weeds. It will shade the soil, helping to keep it cool during the summer months, retaining more water.
The ideal height for a residential lawn is 3 to 4 inches. To make sure your mowing height is on the tall end, set your mower height to one of the 2 highest settings or measure the distance from the mower blade to the floor. If measuring, be sure to remove the spark plug or battery to prevent the mower from accidentally going on. An increased mowing height makes it easier to follow the all important 1/3 rule: never cut more than 1/3 of the grass blade. This will keep your lawn growing strong.
Best Times To Mow The Lawn
The best time to mow the lawn is between 9 and 11 am or after 5 pm. Avoid mowing in the middle of the day which is typically hotter. Mowing the lawn is already stressful enough on the grass plant which is to be expected, but if you’re able to remove other stressful elements such as heat, do it. There will be times when that’s not possible, life gets busy and you will have to break these best practices. However, if you don’t make it a habit, your lawn will thank you for it.
