Wendy's Wanderings
July 12, 2018
How Low Can You Mow?
It is nearly impossible to keep up with the landscaping chores during this year’s rainy season. You can sneak out to prune plants or dump the rain gauge, but keeping up with the mega lawn is nearly impossible. Just when you have it mowed to the proper height, four days later it is almost ready to mow again, and it’s raining when you try, so you just wait another day.
One of the most important things you can do for your lawn’s health is to mow it to the correct height at the right frequency. The growth rate of the lawn determines the frequency it needs to be mowed and this year’s rain and heat makes it hard to keep up. Do try to mow at the recommended heights for your turfgrass species (see the chart below). It helps to actually measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of the mower deck on a flat surface to check your blade height.
When you mow don’t remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade, if you do, you essentially scalp the grass. Scalping looks bad, stresses the turf, and allows more sun in to encourage weed seeds. Mowing high encourages deep roots and gives the grass greater tolerances to diseases, insects, temperature stress, poor soil conditions, nutrient deficiencies, and traffic. Try to mow at a frequency that prevents you from removing more than 1/3 of the blade height at each cutting.
| Turfgrass Species | Optimal Mowing Height (inches) | Preferred Mower Type |
|---|---|---|
| Bahiagrass | 3.0–4.0 | Rotary |
| Bermudagrass | 0.5–1.5 | Reel/Rotary |
| Centipedegrass | 1.5–2.0 | Rotary |
| St. Augustinegrass | 2.5–4.0* | Rotary |
| Zoysiagrass (coarse types) | 2.0–2.5 | Rotary |
| *Dwarf and semi-dwarf cultivars of St. Augustinegrass (Captiva, Delmar, Seville) are the only cultivars of this species that should be mowed at 2.5” Other cultivars should be mowed at 3.5–4”. | ||
Other tips for a well-mowed lawn are:
- Don’t mow wet grass; it can clog the mower
- Sharpen your mower blades often for a clean cut
- Mow in a different direction to prevent wear patterns
- Leave clippings on the ground to recycle nutrients
- Sweep up any clippings left on paved surfaces to avoid water pollution
- Wear sunglasses or protective eye wear
- Wear proper shoes when mowing; this does NOT include flip flops.
-- Wendy Wilber