As spring approaches, many homeowners are getting ready to smell that freshly cut grass. While mowing grass may not seem like an overly difficult chore for most, the care you give it can have a tremendous impact on your lawn’s overall health and appearance. Fortunately, we’re going to share six of our best tips for mowing your grass in the summer to get amazing results that you can be proud of.

Mow Once a Week

One of the best and simplest things you can do is commit to mowing your lawn at least once a week. Whether you choose Monday or Saturday, it doesn’t really matter. Just pay close attention to the forecast so you can pick a day without scheduled rainfall.

Don’t Mow Wet Grass

While you may be chipping at the block to mow your out-of-control lawn after a rainstorm, think again. You never want to mow your lawn when it’s still wet. This can lead to fungal disease and unwanted clumping that can further damage your precious lawn. Even worse, those clumps can get clogged in your mower and cause it to malfunction or even break.

Mow in Varying Patterns

A great strategy to use when mowing your lawn is to do it in the opposite direction each time. If you’re really strategic, you’ll have a few different diagonal and side-to-side directions that you use to change it up often. The whole idea behind varying your mowing patterns is to avoid rutting in your yard where your mower’s wheels roll on the ground.

Keep Grass to Three Inches

While there is some variation in grass length, mostly because of preference, the best length we know to keep your lawn is three inches. This allows it to be tall enough to still produce blades of grass so it can continue to grow. It is also long enough for the roots of your grass to continue to grow deeper so that they can access necessary water during drought-like conditions.

Sharpen Your Blades Regularly

Sharp blades on a mower are what allow it to accurately cut your lawn and not tear it. Dull blades simply spin at a high enough speed to tear the blades of grass, leaving them susceptible to fungal and other diseases. Do yourself a favor and sharpen your mower blades on a consistent basis. While the frequency is going to depend on the size of your yard, make sure you commit to a minimum of every two weeks.

Skip the Bagging

One mowing practice that has unfortunately made its way into the mainstream is bagging your lawn clippings. The idea is that it provides a much neater-looking lawn. While this may be true, it’s also robbing your existing lawn of much-needed nutrients. Lawn clippings left on the lawn will make their way down to the soil and eventually deteriorate. This will release helpful nutrients and organic matter into the soil, which your yard will then use to grow back even healthier.

Published by: Martin De Juan