Mowing Tips
Read these 17 Mowing Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Lawn tips and hundreds of other topics.
Leave the clippings
Leaving your grass clippings on the lawn is actually a good thing. As the grass clippings decompose they add valuable nitrogen to the soil - almost 2 pounds per 1000 square feet each season. As well they add organic matter and other benefits to the soil that will actually make your lawn healthier. Make sure you mow frequently, and remove no more than 1/3rd of the leaf blade with each mowing. LUCKIE
Cool and dry
Mow when it's cool and dry. After the morning dew dries off is the best time for the grass--it isn't suffering afternoon heat stress but it isn't so damp that grass clumps form. Late afternoon or early evening following a morning watering is just as good.
Alternate your pattern
Lawns that are mowed frequently can develop ruts from mower wheels, especially if you have a large, heavy tractor or rider. When you mow, alternate your pattern. Mow once traveling horizontally across the lawn. The next time, travel vertically. If you really want to get fancy and impress the neighbors, travel diagonally on the third mowing and diagonally from the opposite corner the fourth time.
grass clippings and thatch
There is a wide spread belief that leaving the grass clippings on your lawn contributes to thatch - dead or dying grass parts that prevent moisture and oxygen from reaching plant roots. But the truth is that the just opposite is true. Fresh clippings stimulate earthworm activity which breaks down the thatch.
Big League Striping
Striping is done using a roller pulled behind the mower deck. The mower must be a rider, and the roller must support the full weight of the mower so that the pressure forces the grass down and away, in the direction the mower is traveling. Light reflects off of the grass differently depending on how the blade lies, creating the different shades.
Mow at full throttle
Your mower's engine drives the blade with the right amount of energy when it is used at full throttle. You do not save gas by slowing the engine down. In fact, the bogging and slowing down this causes probably uses more gas than if you ran the engine efficiently.
Mowing Centipede
Centipede prefers mowing to about 2 inches in full sun, 3 inches in part shade. Centipede forms a poor turf in full shade and should not be planted there. When you mow Centipede, your goal is to have the target height after having removed only 1/3rd of the grass with each mowing. So if your Centipede is in full sun, you should wait until it reaches 3 inches and remove 1 inch. If it's growing in part shade, wait until the grass reaches about 4-1/2 inches, and remove about 1-1/2 inches. Keep your mower blade razor sharp!
Wear your safety gear
You don't look stupid when you wear safety glasses and sturdy, non-slip shoes. You look like a professional, and a smart one at that.
Mowing Tall Fescue
Tall Fescue prefers mowing to 3 inches in full sun, 3-1/2 to 4 inches in shade. When you mow Tall Fescue, your goal is to have the target height after having removed only 1/3rd of the grass with each mowing. So if your Tall Fescue lawn is in full sun, you should wait until it reaches 4-1/2 inches and remove 1-1/2 inches. If it's growing in shade, wait until the grass reaches about 5-1/2 inches, and remove about 1-3/4 to 2 inches. Keep your mower blade razor sharp!
Make every pass count
The old saying goes, "make every pass cut some grass." If you find yourself going back over areas that you have already mowed to get to areas you're trying to mow, you're not mowing efficiently and you need to develop a pattern. Sketch a rough layout of your lawn. Include corner spots and hard to reach areas. Make a plan for getting to those areas first and getting them out of the way. You should end up with one or more rectangular, triangular or oval shaped areas that are easier to cut.
Mow at the right pace
I know the ball game starts in 30 minutes, but you can't run through the yard with the lawn mower. Take your time and do it right--let the mower do the job you bought it to do. Not only is rushing it going to give you an ugly cut, you could seriously injure yourself.
Mowing Zoysia
Zoysia prefers mowing to 1 to 1-1/4 inches in full sun and between 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 in part sun to part shade. When you mow Zoysia, your goal is to have the target height after having removed only 1/3rd of the grass with each mowing. So if your Zoysia is in full sun, you should wait until it reaches 1-3/4 inches and remove just over 1/2 inch. If it's growing in shade, wait until the grass reaches about 2-1/2 inches and remove just over 3/4 inch. Keep your mower blade razor sharp!
The Rumble
Most properly designed mulching mowers make a rumbling sound as they move over new grass. This is completely normal and is no cause for alarm. By all means, inspect your equipment if you hear something funny--but if you recently purchased a mulching mower and the only thing you've heard that worries you is the rumble, relax with the knowledge that the equipment is working exactly as it was designed.
Mowing St. Augustine
St. Augustine prefers mowing to 3 inches in full sun, 3-1/2 to 4 inches in shade. When you mow St. Augustine, your goal is to have the target height after having removed only 1/3rd of the grass with each mowing. So if your St. Augustine is in full sun, you should wait until it reaches 4-1/2 inches and remove 1-1/2 inches. If it's growing in shade, wait until the grass reaches about 5-1/2 inches, and remove about 1-3/4 to 2 inches. Keep your mower blade razor sharp!
Mowing Common Bermuda
Common Bermuda prefers mowing to 1 to 1-1/4 inches in full sun. Bermuda forms a very poor turf in any shade and should not be planted there. When you mow Common Bermuda, your goal is to have the target height after having removed only 1/3rd of the grass with each mowing. So if your Bermuda is in full sun, you should wait until it reaches 2-1/4 inches and remove about 3/4 inch. Keep your mower blade razor sharp!
Mowing Hybrid Bermuda
Mowing the hybrid Bermuda varieties requires specific knowledge about the growth and mowing requirements of the variety or varieties you have in your lawn. If you are unsure about the type of Bermuda you have, ASK SOMEONE! You should have the variety identified by a qualified turfcare professional or your Cooperative Extension Service. Mowing these grasses also requires the use of specialized equipment. Ordinary rotary mowers are ill-suited to mowing most hybrid Bermuda varieties. Pardon the pun, but a $140 red ranger from the discount garden center won't cut it. You will ruin the turf in one season. To properly maintain your hybrid Bermuda, you'll need a reel mower. A power reel mower can be bought from lawn and garden equipment dealers who cater to turf managers and groundskeepers. A reel mower like the one your grandfather used to mow his grass with can be had for the same price as the red ranger, but you'll have to look around. If you don't have the money for the power equipment and you don't have the energy to mow your hybrid Bermuda with a old-fashioned reel mower, you'll either have to hire someone to mow your lawn, or replace the grass with something you can mow yourself.
Little League Striping
Mark off your stripes with twine and stakes. Buy a high quality drop spreader (rotary broadcasters won't do) and chelated iron. Apply the iron as directed on the package to alternating stripes. Mow the grass at a perpendicular or angular pattern to create stripes.
