5 Mistakes You Might Be Making Every Time You Mow The Lawn
Mowing your lawn is one of the most common—and frequent—yard chores out there. Even if you're more of a hands-off gardener, chances are you've still had to rev up your mower on a regular basis. However, properly caring for your lawn involves a bit more than just pulling your lawn mower out once a week and running it across your yard. To score the healthiest fresh-cut grass, there are a few common mowing mistakes that you'll want to make sure you avoid. Avoid these common pitfalls and you'll have a beautiful lawn each time you mow.
Karla Conrad
1. You Mow Your Grass Too Short
It may seem like mowing your grass shorter would mean you can get away with mowing less frequently, but in actuality, this can cause more harm than good. Each blade of grass is part of a plant that gets its nutrients partially from photosynthesis. Mowing too low reduces the amount of leaf surface available to soak up the rays, so you may end up damaging or even killing your grass. Short grass also makes it easier for weeds to move in and take over.
Instead of mowing down your lawn super short, keep your lawn mower blade high and mow frequently. As a rule of thumb, you should never remove more than one-third of a blade of grass in a single mowing. If your grass has gotten tall, mow as high as you can, then a few days later, mow again a little bit lower, rather than waiting another week. Grass clippings should always be less than 1 inch long.
How short you mow your lawn also depends on the season. Lawns can be mowed a little lower in the spring and fall when the weather is cooler. In summer, keeping the height taller allows the blades to shade their roots and provides extra leaf surface to fuel the roots.
Experts have raised their recommendations in recent years for mowing heights between 2 and 3.5 inches, depending on the type of grass. Cool-season grasses—such as Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass—can generally be cut to 2.5 to 3.5 inches. Warm-season grasses that grow horizontally—such as zoysia and Bermuda—can be mowed lower, down to 2 to 2.5 inches.
Marty Baldwin
2. You Collect Your Lawn Clippings
It's tempting to remove grass clippings as you mow with a bagging lawn mower, but doing so will actually rob your lawn of valuable nutrients. Here's why: Grass blades are primarily composed of water (about 85%) and also include nitrogen, so they break down quickly and will add nutrients back to the soil, allowing you to use less fertilizer. If you have a bagging lawn mower already, you don't need to buy a new one—you can just remove the attachment on most models.
Related: How to Find the Best Lawn Mower for You
Another common misconception is that grass clippings cause thatch, which is a layer of partially decomposed grass roots and stems that can build up between the soil surface and the growing grass. However, if your clippings stay under an inch in length, they won't cause this problem. (thought if your lawn already has thatch that's more than ½ inch thick, grass clippings can contribute to the problem). If thatch becomes a problem for your lawn, you can rely on power raking, verticutting, or core aeration in the spring or fall to open up more space for the roots.
To prevent grass clippings from making a mess, keep them away from hard surfaces such as streets and driveways. If they're sitting on concrete or another hard surface, they can be swept into storm drains and clog them or affect water quality down the line. Grass clippings contain phosphorus, a nutrient that turns lakes green with algae, and chemically treated decomposed clippings can also pose a threat to fish and other wildlife.
3. You Don't Switch Directions Each Time You Mow
If you always mow your lawn in the same direction, eventually your grass will start bending that way. Changing up the pattern each time you mow will eliminate this issue, as well as decrease soil compaction. Alternating directions, either at right angles or diagonals, can also help control the runners of creeping grasses and reduce thatch development.
4. You Mow Wet Grass
Here's a golden rule of lawn care: Never mow your grass when it's wet. For starters, it's a lot messier than mowing it when it's dry—nobody wants wet grass clippings sticking to everything and clogging the blades of your mower. Wet soil is also softer than dry, so it's possible that your grass's roots may end up getting pulled out of the ground by your mower, leaving you with patchy, dead areas. Dry grass takes less time mow, cuts easier, won't clog or mat, and looks better when you're finished. It's also safer to mow on dry grass because there's less risk of slipping (especially on slopes) and getting injured by the mower.
Chip Nadeau
5. You Don't Sharpen Your Lawn Mower's Blades
If you notice that your mower isn't getting the job done as well as it used to, try sharpening the blades. Just like kitchen knives, mower blades can become duller with each use, resulting in grass that gets "torn" instead of "cut." While these ragged edges will look bad, they can also invite diseases or pests in through damaged areas, so it's worth taking the time to sharpen the blades at least twice a year. You can do it yourself with just a wrench and a medium file, or a sharpening power tool.
