How Often Should You Mow the Lawn?

Mowing on a regular schedule keeps grass strong and healthy.

Keeping your lawn mowed at the proper height throughout the season offers several benefits. These include strong root development, healthy growth of grass blades, lower risk of diseases and insect problems, and fewer problems with thatch and weed control. Factors affecting mowing frequency include grass type, weather and fertilization schedules.

Grass Types

Mowing the lawn needs to be done often enough to keep grass at its recommended height. Maintaining cool-season grasses at 1-1/2 to 2 inches provides the best results, while the recommended height for warm-season grasses vary from 1/2 to 1 inch, according to the University of California Cooperative Extension. This requires mowing every four to 10 days throughout the growing season. An exception to this is buffalo grass, which needs mowing no more than once every 10 to 20 days, according to Colorado State University Extension.

Weather and Seasons

Keeping cool-season grasses slightly longer, at 2 to 3 inches in height, during the hot summer weather minimizes heat damage. Summer heat causes cool-season grasses to grow slower, resulting in a mowing frequency of between seven to 10 days. Warm-season grasses do just the opposite, growing rapidly and thriving in hot weather.

Considerations

Fertilization and watering also affect the growth rate of grass, increasing the need for mowing. Avoid mowing your lawn when it is wet or with dull mower blades. Both result in tearing the grass instead of creating a clean cut. Most homeowners use rotary mowers, but if you use a reel mower, take it in to a hardware store for sharpening.

Warning

Never cut too much off the grass blade at one time. Removing more than one-third of the height of the grass causes the grass to thin. This not only creates a poor-looking lawn, but also leaves the yard more susceptible to diseases and insect infestations. If lawn mowing gets away from you during the season, bring the grass back under control by mowing more frequently than usual, slightly decreasing the height setting on your mower each time until grass reaches the recommended height. By comparison, excessively tall grass encourages thatch buildup in warm-season varieties.

References

• University of California Cooperative Extension; Lawn Grasses Perform Best When Mowed Properly; Ed Perry; Marh 1999
• University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Manageent Program: The UC Guide to Healthy Lawns
• Colorado State University Extension; Lawn Care; T. Koski, et al.; December 2003
• University of Idaho Extension: Mowing

Resources

• Ohio State University Extension; Lawn Mowing; William E. Pound