Introduction:
Have you asked yourself, “what height should you mow your lawn? Does it even matter what height you cut your lawn?”
Maybe you want the lawn to look like a golf course putting green? Can you make it look like that? Is it a good idea to make it look like that? Let’s get started and talk about the best cutting height for your lawn.
By cutting your lawn at a higher height, the lawn will be healthier and more immune to disease. The height you should mow your lawn is anywhere between 2 ½” to 3”. Under 2 ½” is too short and the lawn needs a lot more water to stay green and flourish. Mowing the lawn under 2 ½ ” it’s usually puts the lawn under more stress. This can include heat stress during the hot summer months. Plus water is a scarce resource and costs a lot of money. So it’s best to conserve water whenever possible.
The problems with cutting your lawn too short:
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More water is needed
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Your soil and ground need to be very level or you will magnify evey dip bump or uneven part or your lawn and it looks horrible.
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Need more care, fertilizer and nutrients plus is more susceptible to disease
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More herbicide is need to because weeds will be more prevalent when cutting shorter
Mowing over 3” can cause the lawn to look messy. It’s not bad at all to put the mower on the highest setting usually 3 ½ – 4” depending on the manufacturer. In fact I usually recommend that for most lawns especially if they are under stress, but keep in mind the lawn may look a bit unruly. When you get over 3” there are stragglers AKA Mohawks and the grass bends over easily.
If you do want to cut your lawn shorter because you like the look of the lawn at a shorter height, be sure to level your lawn with dirt and sand. By doing this, this can take a few seasons to perfect. You want to level the lawn so that all the imperfection aren’t be exaggerated when mowing that short. When mowing shorter you want to keep in mind that you will need to water more. The lawn will be more stressed out and will. need additional water to keep it looking green.
When mowing too short weeds have a better chance of popping up in the lawn because the lawn is under a lot more stress when cutting lower. A higher height allows the lawn plant to thrive, which in turns means deeper roots and density of the overall lawn. Deeper roots and density of the overall alwn helps fight out the weeds and doesn’t allow them to germinate as easily.
The benefits of mowing at a higher height are less water consumption, the lawn will look even due the the higher cutting height, the lawn is more disease tolerant, a deeper green color throughout the entire lawn and an overall healthier and better looking lawn with less work and less products needed to keep it looking green and weed free.
If you want to learn how to sharpen your lawn mower blade like a professional, click on this video here.
