How tall should grass be

Cool-season grasses are typically kept from 2 to 4 inches. Turf grasses should not be cut extremely low nor allowed to become extremely long prior to winter dormancy. Be careful not to scalp your lawn. This low mow will cut off the brown winter grass blades and open up the soil to the warm spring sunlight. As the heat of summer arrives, raise your mower height for cool season grasses and keep it closer to four inches. A taller plant shades the soil and keeps the root zone cooler during periods of high heat.

If your lawn is allowed to grow too tall, it can result in broader leaf blades, a lower plant density and becomes more susceptible to turf disease. Having a routine mowing schedule for your lawn is common.

However, you should only mow your lawn when it needs mowing. Grass will grow at different rates depending fertilization, season and weather conditions. In the spring, with longer days, cooler temperatures and plenty of rain, grass grow quicker than in the summer.

Regardless of the grass species you have, you should not remove more than the one-third of the grass height when mowing. This is important because the grass is a living plant and they all undergo some stress when cut. Keep your mower blade sharpened! Mowing before the hottest or sunniest part of the day also leaves the grass vulnerable to extra stress. Trimming your grass is already a stressor in itself.

Thus, early evening allows the grass lots of time to recover overnight. Mowing direction is also surprisingly important. Following the same route with your mower each time you cut the grass can lead to the grass leaning that way permanently, which can make your lawn look awkward and uneven.

I recommend that you change up your pattern at least every other mow. This will ensure that the grass grows straight and tall. While clippings can seem a bit unsightly on a lawn, they are actually very good for plant health.

They prevent weeds from popping up and provide important nitrogen and other nutrients to the newly cut grass. If you do still decide to bag the clippings, consider composting them and then using the compost to fertilize your own yard once every year.

You may not think of this, but lawn health and environmental health have direct links to lawn height. Letting your lawn grow taller is not only good for the grass itself and the root system, but it also supports the ecosystem in your yard. Longer grass offers the following benefits:. Deep roots that form by letting grass grow a bit longer will help sustain a healthy lawn.

I've learned to love caring for my lawn naturally and enjoying it daily. On this blog I'll share some of my best tips and tutorials to help you make your lawn the best on the block!

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content. Shorten your cool season grass to about 2. Mow warm-season grasses to 1. About Cookies on this site Davey uses cookies to make your experience a great one by providing us analytics so we can offer you the most relevant content. Topics mowing lawn care mowing heights. How short to cut grass in spring A shorter spring cut rids your lawn of any winter-burned strands and preps it for a fresh growing season.

What height should grass be cut in the summer? The best height to cut grass in the fall Inching into fall, mid-length grass is the preference. Find out when to stop cutting your grass in fall. Share This Post. Join The Discussion. How high you should allow the grass on lawns to reach before cutting it is perhaps the most frequently asked question about lawn care that people have. And, "How much of the grass blade should be removed when you are cutting grass?

So let's tackle both queries below. How high should you cut the grass when you mow? Well, there is a general rule of thumb for determining what the grass height should be on your lawn. It is especially recommended that you stick to this rule of thumb in fall and, to a lesser degree, in spring, but see below. In summer, meanwhile, if can't remember the measurements, err on the side of mowing at a greater height.

It is not a bad idea, in fact, to choose one of the higher settings on your lawn mower wheels when the weather starts getting really hot, and just mow at that height until we approach the fall season and the weather starts to cool off a bit.

Well, what you are striving for is a balance. On the one hand, mowing the grass is like "pinching" a garden plant to stimulate rugged growth. So if you are letting the grass get tall, you are not mowing very much, which means you are passing up opportunities to stimulate good grass growth and make your lawn healthier and more attractive. But if you cut grass too short known as "scalping," for obvious reasons , you stress it.