Lawn Care & Mowing Information
HOW HIGH TOCut less than
MOW THE GRASS | 1/3 | |
Often cutting height is a | ||
Optimal | ||
matter of personal prefer- | ||
cutting point | ||
ence. Typically, you should | ||
at less than | ||
mow the grass when it is is | ||
1/3 from top | ||
between three and five | ||
of grass blade | ||
inches high. The proper | ||
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cutting height range for a | Cutting down to this | |
specific lawn will depend | ||
upon several factors, | area contributes to | |
including the type of grass, | thatch problems | |
the amount of rainfall, the |
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prevailing temperature, and |
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the lawn’s overall condition. |
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Cutting the grass too short |
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causes weak, thin grass |
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plants, which are easily |
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damaged by dry periods |
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and pests. Cutting too short |
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is often more damaging |
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than allowing the grass to be slightly higher. |
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Letting grass grow a bit |
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1/3 |
protects the grass from heat damage and other problems. |
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However, allowing grass to grow too high can cause thin turf |
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and additional problems. |
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Cutting off too much at one time shocks the plant’s growth |
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system and weakens the grass plants. A good rule of |
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thumb is the 1/3 rule: to cut no more than one third of |
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the grass height, and never more than 1 inch at a time. |
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The amount of grass you are able to cut in one pass is also |
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effected by the type of mowing system you are using (for |
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example, broadcasting with side discharge decks can |
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| 1 inch | |
process a much larger volume of grass than mulching does). |
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NOTE: We cover some specific mowing instructions for |
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mulching and broadcasting later in this Lawn Care section. | Proper Cutting Height | |
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Cut Here On | Cut |
First Pass | Here On |
| Second |
| Pass |
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Tall Grass Requires Incremental Cutting
For extremely tall grass, set the cutting height at maxi- mum for the first pass, and then reset it to the desired height and mow a second or third time.
Don’t cover the grass surface with a heavy layer of clippings. Consider using a grass collection system and starting a compost pile.
