Honda Lawn Parts Blog. First lawn mowing
The First Mow of the Season – Helping Your Lawn Through the Start of Spring
Temperatures are warming up, and that means it will soon be time to start mowing. What do you need to do to prepare for the first mow of the season, and what do you need to do to get your grass off to a good start?
Making Sure Your Mower is Ready
A fresh tank of fuel and some clean oil will help the engine run, but when it comes to cut quality, everything is dependent on your mower’s blades. Dull blades will tear grass instead of cutting it, leaving damaged tips that are open to infection.
If you’re sharpening Microcut blades, remember that the flat sides of the lower blade and the sides opposite of the wings on the upper blade do the cutting. The edge of the blade should have a continuous edge that’s as sharp as a butter knife. After sharpening, check the blade balance. If you don’t have a blade balancer, simply hang the blade on a nail. File down the side that tilts down until the blade sits evenly. If the blades are severely worn or have signs of cracking or bending, they need to be replaced.
Making the First Cut
The right cutting height will depend on the grass you have on your lawn. For most turf grasses, this means waiting until it’s three inches tall, then cutting it back to two inches. Other varieties like Zenith zoysia need to be cut back once they reach one-and-a-half inches. This can take a while as the grass will grow slower while coming out of hibernation. As always, limit the cut to 1/3 of the total grass height at a time. If the grass grows past the recommended height, cut part of it with the first mow, then get it to the desired height with a second mow three or more days later.
Even if the grass is growing, the ground needs to be fully thawed before mowing. If there’s freezing weather in the forecast, hold off a few days to let the tuft recover.
Watering
Wait for the grass to wilt a little before the first watering. This will trick the grass into thinking the weather is going to turn dry, forcing it to grow deeper roots that will help it resist heat and droughts in the summer.
Dethatching
A thick layer of thatch can hold in moisture, causing drainage issues and mold growth. It’s good practice to take care of thatch in the fall, but problems may not show up until the spring. If this layer of material is over half an inch thick, removing it now will help the grass throughout the year. Wait until the second or third mowing to give the ground a chance to dry out and new grass to thicken up so it can withstand the action of the dethatcher.
Spring Deadspot
This fungus can hibernate for up to two years, blooming shortly after the grass starts growing in the spring. Infections will create circular patches of brown grass. It can be treated with a fungicide and prevented by managing thatch thickness and keeping the lawn watered during the summer. Overuse of nitrogen when fertilizing in the fall can also encourage fungus growth.
Snow Mold
Pink and gray snow mold can take hold of grass if there were heavy snowfalls early in the winter before the ground had a chance to freeze. The added moisture opens the door for the growth of this mold when temperatures rise.
Like deadspot, the first signs of snow mold pop up as circular patches of brown grass. This is usually coupled with visible mold and, in severe cases, mushrooms. Snow mold starts growing once temperatures are around 30°F and keep growing until temperatures are regularly in the mid-40s for gray snow mold and as high as 60°F for pink snow mold.
This mold can be killed off by helping the grass dry out. Hold off on watering and gently rake matted grass to increase exposure. Keep the grass cut to the recommended height. Fungicides are rarely necessary, but a severe infection can be stopped by applying thiophanate-methyl. Managing thatch, controlling thatch levels and spreading out snow banks can keep this mold from taking hold of your lawn.
How High Should Grass Be Cut?
David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience.
Sonya Harris is an award-winning gardening expert with two decades of experience teaching and sharing her extensive knowledge about small space gardening. She is a Master Gardener and founder of the award-winning Bullock Garden Project in New Jersey. Sonya has written for Martha Stewart Living’s site, won South Jersey Magazine’s One to Watch Award, and is also a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.
For someone who’s new to mowing grass, one of the most common questions is “How high should grass be cut? What is too low?”
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. It is very fair to want to know how much of the grass blade should be removed when cutting grass. Let’s review before you make one of the biggest lawn care mistakes.
A Rule of Thumb
How high should you cut the grass when you mow? The general rule of thumb for determining what the grass height should be on your lawn for a cool-season grass generally is about 2 1/2 inches. And at each mowing, only remove about the top 1/3 of the grass blade. Consequently, a good time to mow lawns is when your grass is about 3 2/3 inches high.
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 you 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 lawnmower wheels when the weather is really hot or dry, and just mow at that height until we approach the fall season and the weather starts to cool off a bit.
Explanation of the Rule of Thumb
Why are 2 1/2 inches an optimal grass height, generally? 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.
Take note that it is the height that the grass has attained that should determine when it is time to mow: it is your lawn’s way of giving you a cue (straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak). It would be arbitrary to establish a schedule for mowing based on length of time between mowings. For instance, advising someone to “mow every other week” fails to take into account the growing conditions during that period of time. For example, rainfall stimulates growth in lawns, so the presence or absence of rain will have a great impact on mowing frequency.
While the 2 1/2-inch height for a cool-season grass is optimal for the fall, it is hardly an absolute figure that must be adhered to throughout the mowing season. If you are trying to get rid of crabgrass, for instance, you may wish to make an adjustment in spring and summer. That is because it is during these seasons that the annual crabgrass weed competes for space with your lawn grass.
Some experts recommend keeping lawn grass around 3 inches tall during spring and summer. Why? Because the extra shading that results may inhibit crabgrass enough to keep it in check. In fall, you can go back to maintaining the 2 1/2-inch height, since, by then, frost will have killed the tender crabgrass.
A Trick to Help You Remember These Measurements
So how do you remember this rule of thumb? You do not want to have to go out there with a tape measure to gauge the height of your lawn and determine when it’s time to mow, right?
A tip to make things easier on yourself is to draw a line across one of your lawn mower tires that stands 3 2/3 inches above surface level. Draw an arrow, as well, to indicate which direction is up/down. That way, when you think mowing time might be near, you can just wheel the mower out and see where the grass level stands in relation to your line.
As for achieving that ideal grass mowing height (at the end of the operation), initially, you’ll have to play around with the tire adjustment mechanism on your mower. But once you’ve figured out what slot results in the mowing height you want (namely, leaving the grass at 2 1/2 inches tall), mark that slot so that you’ll always know where it is.
Lawn Mowing Tips FAQs for Minnesota
Mowing your Minnesota lawn can seem like a daunting task. It can be time-consuming, requires owning and maintaining equipment, and small details like grass length and watering needs can be challenging to remember. Luckily, the Minnesota lawn experts at Rainbow Lawncare have compiled a list of lawn mowing tips, along with frequently asked questions (and their answers!), so you have a guide of best practices to refer to when mowing your lawn!
Why is proper mowing important to my lawn’s health?
Proper lawn mowing increases root depth, reduces weeds, and helps your grass resist diseases and insects. However, mowing improperly can be detrimental to your lawn. It can increase the need for water and fertilizer and promote weak, shallow root systems leading to decreased drought tolerance.
Minnesota Lawn Mowing Tips at a Glance
- Plan to mow from late April to early November
- Never cut more than ⅓ of the blade at a time
- Keep your blade sharp
- Mulch grass clippings for free fertilizer!
- Do not mow when the grass is wet
- Protect your eyes and feet
- Be sure kids and pets are indoors
How short should I cut my grass?
Our Minnesota lawn care experts recommend never removing more than ⅓ of the grass blade. If more is taken, the grass blades will take energy away from the roots as they try to regain the lost growth. This weakens your lawn, making it less tolerant of drought and more susceptible to diseases and weeds. If your lawn gets away from you, mow several times to reduce the height, leaving a few days between each mowing to reduce the stress on your lawn.
What are the benefits of taller grass height?
- Promotes deeper root growth, as the grass plants have long enough blades to make enough food through photosynthesis
- Decreases the likelihood of weeds germinating by crowding them out
- Requires less water because the taller grass keeps the soil shaded, reducing the amount of moisture lost through evaporation
Why is it important to mow my lawn using a sharp blade?
Mowing is a stressor on grass, but you can minimize damage by ensuring your mower blade is sharp.
- Dull blades rip and bruise the grass, leaving it frayed and battered. These frayed ends will discolor, giving your lawn a tan or brown appearance. They also provide a point of entry for diseases.
- If you are unsure how to sharpen your mower blade, check your owner’s manual.
Pro tip: Buy an extra blade so you always have a sharp one on hand if one is chipped, or is at the shop getting sharpened.
Is it better to bag or mulch my grass clippings?
Leaving the grass clippings on your lawn provides you with free fertilizer. They are an excellent nitrogen source and can help your grass recover from the mowing process. Grass clippings generally degrade back into the soil within a week or two. Using a mulching mower speeds up this process and distributes the grass clippings more evenly.
Environmentally Friendly Lawn Mowing Tips for a Greener Minnesota
- Avoid spills. than 17 million gallons of fuel are spilled yearly as lawn care equipment is refilled. Use safe gas containers, pour slowly, and tightly seal gas tank covers.
- Keep your gas mower well maintained, including regular oil and air filter changes. Four-stroke engines produce less pollution than two-stroke engines.
- Consider an eco-friendly push mower for smaller yards—or electric or solar-powered options.
How often should I mow my lawn?
Grass grows at different rates according to the season and the weather. Mowing once or twice a week may be needed during peak growing conditions in the spring and fall, and once every seven to ten days may suffice during hot and dry summer weather.
When should I start mowing my lawn in Minnesota? How late should I mow into the fall?
In Minnesota, you can usually begin mowing in late April and continue as needed into early November. There is a growing movement to avoid mowing too early in spring to provide undisturbed habitat for pollinators. Want your lawn to provide benefits to pollinators in May? In order to obtain a healthy and resilient lawn, the University of Minnesota recommends mowing as high as your mower will allow and often enough to avoid removing more than 1/3 of the height.
Does it matter what direction I mow my lawn? Should I use a pattern?
To avoid training your grass to lay in one direction and possibly looking less attractive, mow in a new direction each time. A fancy ballpark pattern might look great, but it will add time. Consider a happy medium for variety, for example, working from north to south one time and then reversing your mowing direction the next time. For best results, keep backward motions to a minimum, as lawn mowers are designed to make optimal cuts working forward.
Is it okay to mow my lawn when wet?
It is best to mow when your grass is dry. While it makes sense to work early in the day before it gets too hot, wait until morning frost or dew has dried. Working when the lawn is wet, and therefore softer, can cause damage such as soil compaction, tearing the turf, or carving ruts in the soil.
Safety first!
Always wear close-toed shoes or boots when mowing, and work across slopes to avoid slipping and falling under the mower. Eye protection, such as sunglasses, is also recommended. To avoid damaging your blade or sending a dangerous chunk of rock or wood flying, it’s a good idea to walk the yard and remove debris before you mow. Finally, be sure kids and pets are inside while you mow, as it can be difficult to hear them approach over the noise of the mower.
Believe it or not, a rock hit by a lawnmower blade can have the same impact as a bullet shot from a.357 Magnum revolver. This premise was confirmed in a 2015 episode of MythBusters, appropriately titled Accidental Ammo.
Interested in Rainbow Lawncare’s services?
Read more about our lawn care services, expertly designed for Minnesota lawns. After you mow, leave the rest to us!
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About Rainbow
Since we began in 1976, we have built our business by being on the cutting edge of what gets the best results. Dedicated to scientifically proven methods, we are continually educating ourselves in order to provide the most effective solutions to you. Rainbow is 100% Employee-Owned.
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Soren came bright and early this morning, explained what he was going to do. then did a thorough neat job and left a well-satisfied customer. If the seeding works as well as Soren I will do tis year after year.
Jack and Micki, you are wonderful! Thank you for your attention to detail installing our Holiday lights. They are beautiful! Many thanks from both my husband and me.
About a week ago, Rainbow Lawncare came and aerated my yard. Perry did the work. He’s a nice, conscientious young guy who did a thorough job. I just finished fertilizing and overseeding my yard, and I could tell that he had been all over the yard with his aeration machine. I’d certainly use Rainbow’s services again. And by the way, I felt that the cost of the aeration job was very reasonable. Mike Stephenson, Brooklyn Center
I was impressed that they walk the talk. Even when you question something in lawn care they give you the answer and right away fix the issue. Totally satisfied
Very courteous tech who let us know why he was at our address today. All applications made per contract. One issue is the fertilizer over spray left on hard surfaces which I swept off as much as possible. Would like to see tight spaces near city drains, sidewalks and patios treated with a more strategic application.
I’ve used Rainbow Lawncare for a couple years now and they have always been great. They’ve handled fertilizing the lawn as well as spot weed control and crab grass control. We’ve had them aerate the lawn a couple times as well. Very shortly we will be working with them to convert our backyard into a ‘pollinator friendly lawn’. They’ve been great with answering all my questions and always provide top notch service. Their technicians are always knowledgeable and friendly and we plan on continuing to work with them for the foreseeable future.
We used Rainbow for lawn repair/renovation which included adding topsoil, aeration, slitseeding and hydroseeding. All employees (Ryan. field rep, Mary. scheduling, Matt, Ben and others. seeding crew) were knowledgeable, professional, helpful and courteous. I highly recommend them for lawn care needs.
I’m always pleased about the work I’ve done with Rainbow. for lawn care, tree care, and pest care. They are responsive, communicative and professional and I appreciate that. I feel that their services are a good value too. I enjoy working with them and recommend them!
Great customer service, professional technicians and easy online pay bill options. Saves me time and they get the job done!
I am very pleased with Rainbow Lawncare. My weeds have been greatly decreased and my lawn looks so much healthier. It had been several years since I had a lawn care service and my lawn needed help desperately. Still a work in Progress but very satisfied. My neighbors have even commented on how good my lawn looks. John Maiers who is the technician that does my lawn is very professional and will to answer any question I have. I did a lot of research on different lawn care services before selecting Rainbow. Very happy I went with them.
Have been using several of Rainbow’s services, including Lawncare for a few years now. Made the switch from one of the well known big lawn care services after low attention to service and details. I have found Rainbow to be much the opposite. They care about their customers, the work that they do and for their employees. We have been very pleased with our decision to place our trust in Rainbow.
Pt 1 How To Cut Tall Grass with Cheap Lawn Mower. Mowing Tall Overgrown Grass
I bought my house 10 years ago. The first 6 years I chose to not have a lawn service. In the last 4 years I have had Rainbow Lawn Care for 3 out of the 4, and I chose to go back to Rainbow after trying out another company. My yard just looks the best with Rainbow taking care of my yard. The grass is full, and there are zero weeds!! I love the way it looks and I get many compliments from my neighbors. I’m extremely happy with their product and attention to detail. I’m a customer for life.Corwin K.
We have used Rainbow Lawncare for years, and they are great! Very reliable, prompt and professional. I would highly recommend.
You are very fortunate to have employees that care about the quality of work they preformed. Your price was very competitive. Great job done by all.
Great company! Used you for tree work for at least 20 years.Request:We have about 300 user names and passwords.It seems like it would be easier to simply pay through your web site.Maybe security requires password # 301. Please let me know.Scott
Always tremendous service from customer service to the lawn personnel. I truly appreciate their work!
I can’t stress how good a company this is. Every single employee we worked with (from the admin staff, assessors, and to the installers), were incredible! They were professional, informative, friendly, and helpful.During our initial search, we reached out to 3 other companies and this one came to the top. The were fair and the work was excellent. My family and I were amazed at the care and hard work of the installers when the laid down our sod. Our lawn looks amazing. I highly recommend Rainbow Lawncare and will be using their services in the future!
Rainbow are terrific. So professional, pleasant, and I appreciate the steady follow ups I get. Highly recommend.
Moved into a new house with a lawn that needed some major work. Fantastic service and helped get our yard into shape this summer/fall. Will absolutely keep coming back for weed treatments and any other services that may pop up. Also used Rainbow Treecare for some small stump removal. They were also fantastic. Can’t say enough nice things about this company.
I’ve been using Rainbow Lawncare for a few years now, and I highly recommend them. They are always professional and responsive, and my yard looks great. I switched to Rainbow because the previous provider was constantly trying to upsell services to me and was frequently calling. Rainbow does not do this. Also, Rainbow is employee owned and a local Minnesota company. We also use Rainbow Tree Care and they are fantastic.
We have never used a professional Lawn service until Rainbow Lawn care. We were very particular with who we choose for services and we are glad that we were. We have been very happy with Rainbow Lawn Care. It’s good to know that we are using products that are safe for our pets.
We had Chris aerate our lawn yesterday. He was kind enough to text us 10 minutes before he arrived, so that I could alert him to my neighbor’s irrigation heads and a problem corner of our yard. Thanks to him and Rainbow for another good aeration job!
Very happy with Rainbow Lawncare. We only had them for one summer but saw a big improvement and had one of the best yards in the neighborhood. We sold our house and moved to a different city but left the yard in great condition for the new owners.
We had some questions about our lawn service and John came out a second time to answer the questions, in detail. Much Appreciated!
I had some fertilizer burn in my lawn. I contacted Rainbow Lawn Care and the promptly came out and prepared the area for reseeding and then reseeded it. These guys are good!
Always great, reliable service! They walked me through each service and their recommendations for my lawn and trees. I appreciate their obvious expertise and detailed explanations. They always notify me when service is about to be performed, and then follow up with a notice after it is complete, so I don’t have to worry about anything. Super helpful and a very reasonable cost.
Very knowledgeable seemed like Well Done will see in long run how lawn looks but would recommend them.
I got a season organic and weed package. Communication was great, tech was careful and precise with weed control. I have fertilized my own lawn before. But it looks 10 times better after only two applications and really knocked back the creeping stuff. Thanks!
It was easy to set up a consult to discuss seeding a bee-friendly lawn. Tech very clearly explained the process, what would (and would not) be done. I was automatically scheduled and given notice prior to service. Didn’t have to do anything (including being home) other than making sure the yard was reasonably clear. Bee lawn is coming in great, would use this company again.
A professional company that communicates and does what they say. We’ve had them aerate/seed and use thier ‘organic’ fertilizer/weed control applications and after a couple of years our 20 year old yard has never looked as good!
Rainbow did our house lights for the holidays and they were fantastic. Our house was beautifully lit and looked great for the holidays!Customer service was great and they delivered on everything promised.
The lawn looks good, still quite a few dandelions and clover-both kinds.The check is in the mail! Thanks, Ann Canis and please correct the spelling of our last name.
Technicians are knowledgable and professional. They show up and get the job done. I feel like the company does what it says it will do. The communication is good with Rainbow lawncare.
A job well done by Michael. He answered my questions and completed the work as requested. He gave good customer service.
They hydroseeded my front lawn and it looks great. and at a fair price. After horrible service from a Burnsville lawn company that rhymes with Crop Voice, now I’m paying Rainbow to fertilize my lawn. My neighbors don’t stand a chance. best lawn on the block. Worth the money.
We have been with Rainbow Lawn care for many years now, after trying 4 other companies. Our lawn is happy,healthy and pretty. Great customer service worthy of high recommendation.
Anthony at Rainbow was great to work with. Informative and provided great service. Highly recommended for lawncare solutions.
The lawn care team helped me make adjustments to my service that support my future lawn plans and desire for organic products. All communications have been friendly and professional, and responses to my questions have been very quick. The support and servicefeels “personal”. I’m very happy with Rainbow.
We LOVE the team and services at Rainbow Lawncare. They are experts, the service is excellent, and the expertise the team has is second to none. We endorse working with them!
All their employees are courteous and the text notifications on when they are coming helps know to pick up toys etc out of yard.
Top-notch customer service, very responsive to questions and evolving w the times: Pay online now available, as well as text alerts. And, when needed, I can always talk to a live person at the office! Very satisfied customer!
I’ve used Rainbow Lawncare for several years and have always been pleased with their service and results. They are always willing to come out and assess any issues or recommendations for service.
We have used Rainbow Lawncare for several years. Our neighbor always asks how we get it so green compared to his yard. Very happy with the result and they have great customer service to top it off.
Rainbow Lawncare has done a wonderful job servicing my lawn this year. I had previously used another company for years, and this year decided to make the switch to organic lawn care. I have a beautiful lawn without all the chemicals. I recently had my lawn aerated and over seeded. The tech was very careful to cover the entire lawn and took care to not hit my sprinkler heads. I will be using Rainbow Lawn Care again next year.
I have been served by Rainbow Lawn for about the last 4 or 5 years. My lawn has really prospered.When I originally called Rainbow to examine my lawn, the representative concluded that my main issue was grub worms whose activities made the grass come out in large bunches during the Spring raking. Besides grubs, my backyard was infested with violets and because of the almost complete shade there were many bare spots. Also, a perennial issue stemmed from a mature elm tree in a good neighbor’s yard which bombards my lawn with seeds each year and produces a host of tiny elms within a month of their drop. Grub control, aeration, weed control treatments, and some re-seeding improved my lawn better than it had ever been since living at that house for 20 years. It looks weed-free and healthy.Rainbow has been very dependable on giving early alerts about upcoming treatment times. The same representative who originally visited has come out at times over the years when I had questions. Plus, Rainbow is always responsive to calls and email.I highly recommend the services of Rainbow Lawn.Bill Bailey
When I spoke with Customer Service on 10/4/18, I requested thatTechnician speak with me before applying the weed control material.When he arrived he started the fertilizer and weed control applications,but he did not speak with me first. I ran out to meet him and asked ifhe had been instructed to contact me first, and he replied that he hadnot been given those instructions. Fortunately, I caught him in timeto show him an area where I will be reseeding and did not want weedcontrol spray applied. If I had not heard him, I would not have beenable to reseed as I had planned. Outside of this communication lapse,the Technician did his usual good job. If the communication piece hadgone as intended I would have given the service a 5 rating. My concernis that communication glitches like this one have occurred previously,indicating a systemic issue exists.
Lawn Mowing Tips: How to Mow a Lawn the Right Way
Lawn mowing is an important part of keeping your grass healthy and looking good. It can be the difference between a green expanse or a brown, bland disappointment. We’ll share lawn mowing tips to help you cut your grass the right way.
How you mow, when you mow, and what you mow with will all make a difference in keeping your lawn looking and feeling its best.
Why Mow?
You are doing your lawn a favor when you mow it. Mowing your lawn stimulates its growth. A grass plant’s purpose in life is photosynthesis — that is, pulling in carbon from the air, energy from the sun, and water from the earth to grow roots and blades of grass.
When you cut off the tips of the grass plants, they are stimulated to grow more. The result is a thicker lawn with better roots, which crowds out weeds and makes your turf oh so nice to roll around in and toss the ball on.
But as anyone with parched brown spots, patches of weeds, or scalped grass can attest, a lot can go wrong in the process.
How to Mow a Lawn
“Without regular mowing, even a fine turf quickly becomes just another weed patch,” wrote Richard L. Duble, retired professor and renowned turfgrass specialist for the University of Texas AM.
But where do you begin? Whether this is your first time behind a mower or you’re a seasoned pro, follow these lawn mowing tips to increase the health and vigor of your lawn and get that gorgeous green look you’ve always wanted.
Sharpen Mower Blades Regularly
If you can’t remember the last time you sharpened your lawn mower blade, it’s time to do so.
“A dull blade is about the worst thing you can do to a lawn,” says Campbell Vaughn, agriculture and natural resources agent for the University of Georgia-Augusta Richmond County Extension. “When you tear the leaf, it opens it up for diseases to attack it. A clean cut helps it regenerate a lot faster and be a healthier plant in the long run.”
How often you need to get your blade sharpened will depend largely on how many hours of mowing it does. Mowing a large lawn frequently will cause more wear and tear than occasional use on a small patch of turf.
How to know if your blade is dull:
- Check evenness of the cut:
- If the individual blades of grass have been neatly sheared, you’re good.
- If they have an uneven, tatty appearance and torn leaves, it’s time to sharpen the blade.
You can take the mower into a shop or home improvement store to have the blade professionally sharpened, or you can do it yourself. Lawn mower blade sharpening kits cost as little as 10.
How to replace a lawn mower blade
If you’ve been hesitant to replace your lawn mower blade, relax. This is a beginner-level DIY project that you can accomplish with tools most of us have around the house.
Instructions vary slightly depending on the type of mower you have, so it’s best to follow your user’s manual.
- Disconnect the spark plug boot and remove gas from the tank into a safe storage container.
- Tip the mower on its side with the air filter facing up.
- Wearing gloves, secure the blade with a block of wood or a universal blade removal tool.
- Loosen the bladeretaining bolt to remove the blade.
- Install new blade, making sure the center hole aligns with the blade adapter.
- Using a torque wrench tighten the retaining bolt to the proper torque suggested in your user manual.
- Tip back onto its wheels, reattach the spark plug boot, and refill the gas tank.
Know When to Mow the Lawn
Ideally, you mow when your lawn needs it. Whether you do it yourself or hire a service, the idea is to schedule your lawn mowing so that it occurs when the grass benefits most from it.
Regularly scheduled weekly mowing may vary depending on a few things:
- Recent fertilization: Your grass will undergo a growth spurt, and you can increase the frequency to prevent excess accumulation of clippings.
- Drought: Set the mowing height higher and reduce your mowing frequency so the grass plants retain more moisture.
- Grass type: Different types of grass have different peak growing seasons.
There are differences in the growth patterns of warm-season and cool-season grass types.
- Warm-season (Southern) grasses such as St. Augustinegrass and Bermudagrass ramp up their growth in the summer, so expect to mow them more frequently then.
- Cool-season (Northern) grasses: Kentucky bluegrass, turf-type tall fescues, and fine leaf fescues have twin peaks of growth in spring and fall, so that’s when your heaviest mowing workload will be. You can back off on mowing frequency in the summer.
You can cease mowing when grasses go dormant, either due to extended drought or cold. How soon that is will depend on your climate.
- Cool-season grasses can take the cold and usually go dormant in the fall when the soil temperatures fall to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Warm-season grasses generally go dormant around mid to late October.
“During your grass’s growing season, mowing once a week should be plenty,” said Brad Leahy, owner of Blades of Green, a lawn care company that has been cutting Maryland and Northern Virginia lawns for more than 25 years.
Best Time of Day to Mow Your Lawn
When you mow can have an impact on your lawn’s health.
Best times to mow: The pros say mid-morning, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., or after 4 p.m. are the best times to mow your lawn.
Worst times to mow: Early morning, between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. There will still be dew on the grass at this time. The wet dew makes your lawn mower work harder and causes clumps of wet grass to clog the mower and accumulate in your yard. Wait until that dew has dried and then have at it.
In addition, avoid mowing at mid-day — it’s just too hot — and in the evening after 6 p.m. when the grass won’t have time to recover before nightfall.
Mowing Pattern
“Once you finish mowing around any features and move on to mowing the open lawn, I suggest homeowners establish a mowing pattern, whether that’s straight rows or circles; again, whatever works best for you and your lawn,” says Leahy.
For the best lawn, it’s better to vary your mowing pattern, especially if your mower is heavy. That way you don’t wear grooves in your yard and you catch the blades of grass that may have bent out of the way the last time.
Proper Height to Cut Grass
The proper height for your grass will depend on its species. See the chart below for details. But over the years, turfgrass specialists have created one important rule:
No matter how tempting it is to whack it all down when your lawn is growing wild, don’t do it. Adhere to the one-third rule, and cut your grass down in increments. This will reduce the amount of stress you put on the grass.
“The one-third rule is critical,” said Vaughn. Virtually all mowers have a height adjustment, so use yours.
How to adjust your lawn mower
Don’t just eyeball it. Here’s how to get an accurate cutting height every time.
- Get out a tape measure and park your mower on a hard, even surface.
- Measure from that surface up to the blade.
- Most lawn mowers adjust the height of the deck with levers on the wheels.
As you adjust the height of the mower, you may find that the highest mower setting is the preferred cutting height.
Grass Clippings: Mulch Them
The standard wisdom has changed in the past few decades about grass clippings. A few decades ago, lawn clippings were thought to contribute to thatching, so the common practice when mowing your lawn was to bag lawn clippings and discard them.
It has since been discovered that mulching — leaving clippings on the lawn — is the better choice. Letting your mower chop the grass blades returns nitrogen to the soil and does not contribute to thatching. It does contribute to weed control and is an organic way to fertilize and maintain a healthy lawn.
Regular lawn mowers do an adequate job of mulching, but mulching mowers have a special blade that chops the grass blades into fine pieces, hastening their decomposition.
Pro Tip: It’s fine to run your mulching blade over leaves to add them to the mulch mix. If the leaves are thick, though, rake them up for leaf removal into a compost pile.
Lawn Mowing Tips
Pablo Solomon says he started mowing lawns for 50 cents a yard with a human-powered push mower when he was a 10-year-old growing up in Houston, where, he said, “the grass grows faster than the national debt.”
Now 71, he is a renowned “green designer” who chooses his grasses carefully. “Each type of grass has its own characteristics that determine when it grows, where it grows, and when it may go dormant according to the climate,” he said.
Over the years, he has developed his own mowing technique, which he still practices on the large lawn surrounding his historic house north of Austin, Texas.
“Remove any rocks, debris, toys, etc., that might damage your mower or that might be thrown by your mower and hurt someone or damage something. A lot of Windows are broken by lawn mowers slinging stuff, and a lot of people have gone to the hospital with shrapnel wounds,” Solomon said.
Power mower: You ride up and down the slopes horizontally so that the mower is never tilted to one side.
Push mower: You do the opposite and mow parallel to the contour of the slope.
- Not too close: Don’t get your mower too close to trees, the curb, flower beds, rocks, playground equipment, your shed, or anything else, he said.
That’s what the line trimmers and edgers are for. “By trying to get too close to stuff, you run the risk of damaging the stuff, the mower, and/or yourself,” he said.
If you are using a lawn care professional, make sure you convey your wishes to your service provider.
Solomon advises. “I know that people that care about having their lawns perfect can be somewhat neurotic at times. But allow yourself to be a bit less compulsive when you run the risk of a heat stroke or heart attack.”
Leahy agrees. “We always recommend starting at the places that will take the most time: around rocks, shrubs, buildings or other features in your lawn,” he said.
“By doing this at the start, you’re still fresh and willing to take the time to mow these areas carefully and correctly. If you wait till the end, you may rush these parts, potentially damaging your lawn mower.”
Be careful with a mower on newly sodded grass or new lawns grown from seed. The root system of the grass is not very deep, so be gentle by minimizing turns with your mower. Make the turns off the lawn or over pavement or bare soil, where possible.
Caveat: Mowing height recommendations will vary by grass type.
How To Choose The Right Lawn Mower
There are several different types of mowers that you can use in your lawn maintenance. Purchasing the correct mower for your needs really comes down to the size of your yard, your budget, and your personal preference.
This Honda Mower Was Not Worth Picking Up
Riding mowers are recommended for larger yards, while push mowers can handle small to medium jobs.
- Lot size: A homeowner of a large property with multiple acres requires a different type of lawn mower than a person with a small yard. For this person, a riding lawn mower would be the weapon of choice.
Riding lawn mowers range in price from 600 to 14,000, depending on the power, size, and quality of the machine that a person needs. A large property will also restrict homeowners from using corded electric lawn mowers that require the machine to remain plugged into an outlet.
The standard rule for choosing a lawn mower based on yard size is:
- Yards no larger than one-half acre, stick with a push mower.
- Lawns larger than one-half acre, the homeowner should begin to consider a riding mower, which will save time and energy for the user.
- Greater than three acres, look at upgrading to a zero-turn or garden mower, which will provide better mobility and ease each time the grass needs mowing.
Determine how much you have to mow to choose the best option for you.
A riding lawn mower, for example, wouldn’t be a great fit for a yard with steep hills and tight spaces due to the lack of mobility that they provide compared to push mowers. If your lawn is bumpier than you like, you may need to level your lawn.
- Physical fitness: Lawn care is a physical activity that requires a certain level of strength and stamina. This can be offset to an extent with a riding lawn mower, but the individual would then incur a greater cost.
Motorized push lawn mowers are generally a perfect balance between the price (compared to that of riding lawn mowers) and the physical effort needed to propel a nonelectric reel lawn mower that uses only the physical exertion of its user to cut the grass.
A study by Harvard Medical School measured the calories burned by people in different activities, including lawn mowing. A 155-pound person pushing a manual push (reel) mower would burn 198 calories in a half hour — the same caloric output as someone doing a half hour of low-impact aerobics.
Pushing a motorized mower was less strenuous, the study found, burning 162 calories in a half hour — the same as a good half-hour game of badminton.
Average cost of a reel mower: 104
Average cost of a walk-behind mower: 363
Average cost of a riding mower: 2,450
Average cost of a robot mower: 1,470
- Personal preference: Personal preferences mean you may choose an electric versus a gas push mower or choose to go completely low-tech with a standard reel mower.
Mowers can also be personalized with features that include a mulching blade that chops up the grass into tiny bits and distributes it across the yard or a grass bag that collects the grass clippings as you go to make for easier disposal.
Be Courteous to Your Neighbors When Mowing
It’s just common courtesy to avoid mowing too late or too early. The Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization that fights noise pollution, has enacted a “Good Neighbor Policy.”
Regarding the use of lawn equipment, the policy suggests that people:
- Use a reel mower and rake whenever possible
- Use power lawn and garden equipment between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- Do not use a leaf blower for health and noise reasons.
- Whenever possible, avoid the outdoor use of power tools on Sunday.
- Avoid the use of power lawn equipment if your neighbors are in their yards.
- Establish a schedule for motorized outdoor lawn and garden work with your neighbors (e.g., even number days only).
If courtesy isn’t enough of an incentive for you, be aware that more than 500 local governments have passed noise pollution legislation, violations of which could force you to pay a hefty fine.
To mow with as little noise as possible, electric mowers and reel mowers are a quieter choice than gas mowers.
FAQ: How To Mow Your Lawn The Right Way
Yes. Mowing incorrectly can leave brown patches and scalped grass that can ruin your healthy lawn. Here’s the right way to mow your lawn:
Follow the One-Third Rule Keep mower blades sharp Mow mid-morning or late afternoon Vary your mowing pattern Cut at the proper height Leave your clippings on the lawn
Simply bend the grass blades in opposite directions to create that baseball field look in your lawn. With a simple striping kit, you can create checkerboard, diagonal stripes, waves, or any other shape you desire.
Attach a striping kit to your mower. Striping kits are mini lawn rollers that help the grass blades to bend in the desired direction. Start by mowing the entire perimeter of the lawn. Look for a straight path or driveway to follow. First stripe should be mowed parallel to this. At the end of that stripe, either elevate the mower deck or make a tight turn with your mower to mow the following row. If your turn marks are visible, finish by cutting a final strip of grass along the yard’s perimeter to hide them.
Making the fewest number of turns is the fastest approach to mowing your lawn. According to David’s Lawn Mowing Efficiency Hierarchy, the list of fastest to most-time consuming mowing methods are:
Spiral: Start from the outside and spiral into the middle. (No 180-degree turns!) Long stripes: Mow the long edge — the length of the rectangle — then u-turn, and go back the other way. Short stripes: Same as long stripes, but mow across the short side. Diagonal stripes: Start at one corner, and go back and forth across the diagonal.
In most places, no, the lawn does not need to be mowed in winter. In fact, mowing the lawn in winter when your grass is dormant can hurt it a lot more than help it. In areas with particularly mild winters, such as South Florida, the grass may never go dormant and may need occasional mowing (think once a month or less) during winter.
Yes, you can mow and fertilize on the same day. Mow first, then wait a few hours before applying fertilizer. Ideally, you should mow a few days before fertilizing, but doing both on the same day is OK in a pinch.
Mow it Yourself? Or Hire a Pro
Your other choice is to forgo the lawn mower purchase and instead hire a professional lawn service. So, if you don’t want to learn the fine art of lawn care, see if we provide service to your area. Finally, make sure to check references and Better Business Bureau ratings for your pro before they mow.
Daniel Ray
Daniel Ray is LawnStarter.com’s former editor in chief. He is an award-winning writer and editor who previously was editor in chief of the personal finance websites Bankrate.com and CreditCards.com, but with 30 years of gardening experience, he’s well qualified to help consumers grow a different kind of green.
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