When it comes to lawn care, many people focus on weed removal or landscaping while overlooking the basic foundation of a healthy lawn: your grass. Without grass that is cut regularly to a healthy height, your lawn could impact the overall appearance of your home and affect the way your family and pets enjoy their time outdoors. Here are our suggestions for keeping your grass trimmed to the perfect height, which keeps your lawn looking its best.
Know Your Grass
Whether you’ve recently moved to a new home or are just beginning to learn how to care for your current lawn, the first and most important thing to consider is the type of grass that is growing on your lawn. Usually, the grass type depends on where you live, the seasons you experience in your region, and the severity of your local weather conditions.
Even if your grass is struggling and you feel like your lawn looks unattractive, it’s never too late to learn more about how to care for your lawn and help your grass grow to reach its full potential.
Types of Grass
In general, there are two types of grass: warm-season grass and cool-season grass. Warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda grass, grow best during the summer months, while cool-season grasses, like fescues, grow during spring and fall, when temperatures are mild. Once you know your grass, you can confidently create a lawn care routine that’s best for you and your lawn.
Finding the Perfect Height
For most grass types, three inches is the minimum height recommended for consistent and healthy growth. This height leaves a good amount of green grass blade, which stores water and nutrients for the grass and contributes to the overall health of your lawn. However, your grass will still look neat and trimmed, keeping your outdoor space attractive and ideal for enjoyment.
A good rule to follow when finding the perfect grass height is to always avoid cutting more than a third of a grass blade at one time. This means that you should first determine the recommended height for your particular type of grass, then allow your grass to grow at least one-third taller than its ideal height before your next mowing session. This way, you’ll cut your grass to its perfect height and begin following a mowing schedule that complements your lawn’s natural growth cycle.
How Often to Mow
Regardless of your grass type, good lawn care begins with mowing. This basic chore has frustrated many lawn owners over the years. Skipping a mowing session results in long, overgrown grass that can impact the appearance of your home, but it can seem impossible to find the time (or the motivation!) to mow your lawn regularly. Once you understand your grass and how mowing keeps it looking green and healthy, committing to mowing regularly will be much easier.
In general, you want to allow your grass to grow taller during the summer and during droughts. This allows your grass to retain the water it needs to stay green and encourages uninterrupted growth during times when it may be under-watered. During cooler seasons, you want to remain aware of how dropping temperatures can affect your lawn.
For example, if you live in an area that is often covered by snow during the winter, you’ll want to cut your grass shorter during your last fall mowing session to prepare your grass and avoid mold growth over the winter months.
Why You Should Avoid Over-Mowing Your Lawn
While a lawn with a close trim can look attractive, it could expose your grass to different problems over time. Cutting your grass shorter than three inches could result in a lawn that is vulnerable to being overgrown with weeds. While your grass grows back at a regular pace, weeds can invade a lawn in a matter of days and are able to grow even more quickly in a lawn with over-mowed grass.
In addition, shorter grass can easily be damaged and dried out by the sun, resulting in grass that takes much longer than normal to grow. Over time, this grass may even die and turn brown. Finally, if your region experiences a drought, your grass will typically die more quickly if it has been over-mowed. Instead of mowing your grass shorter to create more time between mowing sessions, make sure your grass is thriving, and your lawn stays green by keeping it at its recommended height.
Why You Should Avoid an Overgrown Lawn
Just like an over-mowed lawn, an overgrown lawn comes with its own problems. You might be tempted to let your grass grow longer during the summer months when you’re enjoying vacations and trying to avoid mowing in warmer weather. However, overgrown grass can quickly take your lawn from an attractive green space to a jungle, complete with local animals and insects hiding out of sight. These unwanted visitors can affect the way you, your family, and your pets enjoy your lawn.
If your lawn is overgrown, you’ll soon find that skipping your regular mowing sessions didn’t save you any work. Mowing longer grass is more challenging than mowing grass that’s close to its perfect height. In addition, you may need to rake the longer grass clippings off your lawn and bag them separately after mowing. In the end, the extra work isn’t worth it. Keeping your lawn at a consistent height is more convenient for you and better for your grass.
Enjoy Lawn Care
For most lawn owners, the end goal of good lawn care is the ability to enjoy a green, relaxing outdoor space right outside their front door. However, many people don’t realize the value added to their home by a well-maintained lawn. You can get a head start on controlling local pests and insects and protect your grass from sun damage and drought by keeping your lawn at its recommended height.
In turn, your lawn remains green and attractive, which improves your home’s curb appeal and can even boost your house’s resale value. Even when your grass is growing at its fastest rate, you typically don’t need to mow your lawn more than once every week when you follow a regular mowing schedule.
With this consistent care, you’ll have the satisfaction of seeing your grass thrive, and your lawn look better than ever. Even better, by keeping your grass healthy, you’re making sure that you and your family can enjoy a luscious lawn for years to come.
Get Started Today!
If you want to improve your lawn but aren’t able to commit a regular lawn care schedule, the experts at Weed-A-Way are here for you. We’re a family-owned and operated lawn service company with a range of plans to fit every lawn owner’s needs. We have over 40 years of experience serving Southern Ontario using products that eco-friendly and organic, making them safe for both kids and pets and giving you peace of mind.
Above all, your satisfaction is guaranteed when you use our services to maintain your lawn for you and your family. Don’t wait any longer to see your lawn transformed! Reach out to Weed-A-Way today to learn more about our services. We look forward to serving you!
