Lawn mowing mistakes – Part Two

In last week’s article, I shared the first two of five lawn mowing tips from Better Homes and Gardens. We established that there are a few common mistakes you will want to avoid in order to have a healthy and beautiful lawn. Read on to discover the final three of these in Part Two of this two-part series.   

To briefly review, it may be that you are cutting your grass too short which can do more harm than good. Mowing the yard too close reduces the amount of leaf surface available to facilitate the critical plant function photosynthesis, resulting in a somewhat patchy lawn, damaging or even killing your grass. Short grass also makes it easier for weeds to move in and take over.

Instead of scalping the lawn, keep your lawn mower blade relatively high and mow more frequently. As a rule of thumb, you should never remove more than about one-third of a blade of grass in a single mowing. 

Number two on the list of lawn mowing mistakes to avoid has to do with whether or not you collect your lawn clippings. Removing grass clippings while mowing the lawn with a bagging lawn mower is tempting, but doing so will rob your lawn of valuable nutrients. 

A common misconception is that grass clippings cause thatch, a layer of partially decomposed grass roots and stems that can build up between the soil surface and the growing grass. However, if your clippings stay under one inch in length, they won’t cause this problem. 

Now for number three of the five lawn mowing mistakes to avoid. If you’re always mowing the lawn in the same direction, eventually your grass blades will start bending that way. Changing the pattern each time you mow will eliminate this issue and decrease soil compaction. Alternating directions, either at right angles or diagonals, can also help control creeping grass runners and reduce thatch development.

Number four: Here’s a golden rule of lawn care: Never mow your grass when wet. For starters, it’s a lot messier than mowing the lawn when it’s dry—nobody wants wet grass clippings sticking to everything and clogging your mower’s blades. Wet soil is softer than dry, so your mower may pull the lawn’s roots out of the ground, leaving you with patchy, dead areas. Dry grass takes less time to mow, cuts easier, won’t clog or mat, and looks better when you’re finished. It’s also safer to mow on dry grass because there’s less risk of slipping (especially on slopes) and getting injured by the mower.

Number five involves sharpening your lawn mower blades. If you notice that your lawn mower or lawn edger isn’t getting the job done as well as it used to, try sharpening the blades. Just like kitchen knives, mower blades will become duller with each use, resulting in grass that gets “torn” instead of “cut.” These ragged edges will look bad, and they can also invite diseases or pests in through damaged areas, so it’s worth taking the time to sharpen the blades at least twice a year. You can do it yourself with just a wrench and a medium file or a sharpening power tool. 

I hope these tips will help you have the healthy, well-manicured lawn you always wanted. 

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, former Perry High School horticulture instructor, and former horticulturalist at Henderson Village and Houston Springs. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery located on Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478)954-1507 and timlewis1@windstream.net.