If you’re thinking about doing some yard work but don’t want to use a lawnmower and risk damaging your grass, this blog post is for you. Here are some lawn-cutting do’s and don’ts that will help prolong the life of your grass.
1. Do Wait for a Dry Day
It’s best to mow grass when it’s dry. Wet grass will cling to the underside of the mower and may cause blades to jam or misalign, leading to damage and poor cutting performance. You’ll get better results and extend the time between maintenance checks if you wait until your lawn is completely dry to mow it.
2. Don’t Overlap Each Cut
You should overlap each pass by only 1/3 of the width of the blade to avoid damaging your lawn while you cut. For example, if your mower has a 20-inch-wide cutting deck, you should stop and turn after making a 10-inch pass.
3. Do Keep a Sharp Blade
A sharp blade produces a clean cut and is less likely to damage your lawn than one that’s dull. Dull blades tend to tear more of the grass blades, resulting in more of them browning out, weakening the grass plant and setting it up for disease. In fact, keeping your blade sharp will allow you to cut your grass more often, which means that it will fill in low spots quickly and make your lawn look better.
Learn more: How Long Does It Take for Grass to Grow
4. Don’t Raise the Cutting Blade More Than 3 Inches
Raising the cutting blade too high can damage or kill certain types of grasses. For example, St. Augustine grass will brownout or die when subjected to a blade that is more than 3 inches above the soil surface. This may result in bald spots that require reseeding, which can be time-consuming and expensive.
5. Do Mow Slopes Gradually
It’s best to mow slopes down rather than up because it’s easier on your lawnmower’s engine and prevents scalping. If you have to mow up a slope, however, reduce your cutting height by half so that the blade doesn’t jump out of the grass.
6. Don’t Cut More Than 1/3 of the Grass Blade Tall
While it’s good to cut off long, weedy grass and to give your lawn a tidy appearance, cutting more than 1/3 the height of palmetto grass will weaken it. The grass will become spindly or grow unevenly, leading to spots that are more prone to disease.
7. Do Raise the Cutting Deck When Operating on Weeds and Stumps
Raising the cutting deck (1/2 inch for every 1-inch weed height) will help keep it from plunging into weeds and stumps, which can damage your lawnmower’s engine and drivetrain as well as cause you to lose control of your mower, especially if the stumps are on a hill or in soft soil.
8. Don’t Mow When It’s Wet
If you’re tempted to sneak in an early-morning or late-evening mowing when the grass is wet, don’t do it. Worry about the task when it’s dry so you can go over the lawn slowly, which will prevent scalping.
9. Do Clean Your Mower After Every Use
A dirty mower deck also increases the potential for scalping since grass clippings are likely to build upon it after every cutting session. When mowing wet grass, the deck especially should be cleaned to make sure that you don’t damage your mower.
Make sure that children are never left unattended near an operating power tool. Don’t forget about these tips if you want your yard to look its best all summer long! If you think you don’t have much time to take care of your lawn yourself, turn to a professional Lawn Mowing in Cumming. Hope this article was informative.
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