Mowing your Lawn

Height counts when cutting your lawn. Cutting is stressful to the lawn. When weather is hot or there is less rain, cut the grass higher. When the weather is cooler, you can cut the grass a bit shorter. If grass has grown extremely long, then go ahead and cut it at the highest setting of your lawn mower. If the clippings are too long, cut at a higher height, then try to bag the clippings as you go along. You may have to cut again at a lower height. Once the lawn is cut, you will want to edge if you are looking for a finished look. An edger is used along side of driveways and sidewalks and will take up the grass down to the dirt to make a clean even line. You can cut the grass at least weekly and if its growing quickly, you may even be cutting twice per week.

As the season change and the weather becomes cooler, you will be cutting less and getting the lawn ready for the fall and winter seasons. You will need to know if your lawn is made up of fall turf grass or warm turf grass. Common cool grasses are Bluegrass, Bentgrass, Fescues and Ryegrasses. Warm turf grasses include Bermudagrass, Saint-Augustine Grass, Zoysiagass and Buffalo grass.

If you have turf grass, you can cut it up to the time you see it stop growing. If you have a warm turf grass, you need to increase the height by 1/2 inch. Don't cut more than about 1/3 of the grass at a time. The care you give your lawn at this time will pay off with the new year's spring season.