Things You'll Need:
- a lawn mower
- good observation skills
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Step 1
Know your lawn.
Different grass species have different ideal heights for optimum health. Bermuda grass and seashore paspalum, for example, can be mowed to one inch, while zoysia prefers 2-3 inches, kentucky bluegrass prefers 2-4 inches, and buffalograss should be cut no lower than 3-5 inches. -
Step 2
Avoid scalping.
Turf grasses should never be scalped (mowed down almost to the soil surface). Scalping often occurs accidentally on lawns with uneven ground, so become familiar with any bumps or depressions that might result in scalping and use your trimmer to neaten these areas. -
Step 3
Don't cut too much at once.
Never cut more than one third of a grass plant on a single day. Cutting off too much can seriously weaken the grass plant and leave it vulnerable to disease, drought, pests, and other problems.
If you go away on vacation and your lawn gets away from you, cut it back down to its normal level gradually, not all at once. -
Step 4
Grasscycle.
Mulch your grass clippings and allow them to remain on the lawn, rather than raking them up. This is called "grasscycling" and it allows valuable nutrients to be recycled back into the soil, improving the health of your soil and lawn. In fact, leaving your clippings on the lawn can return up to one half of your lawn's annual nitrogen needs to the soil.
If the lawn is unusually tall or lush, you might need to rake some of the thicker piles of clippings up and add them to a compost pile or spread them manually, as thick piles of clippings can smother the lawn. Grasscycling clippings does NOT result in thatch. -
Step 5
Avoid uneven compaction.
Vary your mowing direction every time you mow in order to prevent uneven compaction of the soil.
