Is grass too long to mow? The health and look of the grass deteriorate when the mower stands idle for long periods of time. Regular lawn maintenance, which includes mowing, keeps the grass at the optimum height for proper development. While certain ornamental grasses are intended to grow tall, turf grasses require frequent mowing to maintain a healthy, strong root structure.
Unpleasant Appearance
In most lawns, tall turf grass is considered ugly. The tall grass thins out, with some blades growing much taller than others, giving the grass an uneven appearance. The grass may go to seed after a lengthy amount of time without being mowed, making the blades look more like weeds than grass.
Read: Quickest Way To Mow Tall Grass.
Excessively tall grass reduces curb appeal and puts the homeowner in danger of receiving complaints. Many cities compel homeowners to mow their lawns on a regular basis. If a neighbor complains, the homeowner may be subject to city fines.
Difficulties in Grass Mowing
When only one-third of the grass height is cut, the tension of mowing is reduced. It becomes more difficult to keep within the prescribed guidelines if you wait too long between mowings. Setting the mower higher and gradually lowering the height is the greatest option for the least amount of stress. Even with a higher blade height, the mower may struggle to cut down the tall grass. A sharp blade is vital, and moving slowly allows the mower to cut down the thick grass more efficiently.
Grass Cuttings in Excessive Amounts
When you mow your tall grass, the clippings that remain are longer and harder to manage. The short clippings simply fall to the ground after regular mowing, where they decay and give nutrients to the soil. Longer grass clippings collect in unsightly bunches on top of the lawn. These clippings also obstruct sunlight from reaching the turfgrass, causing it to wilt. The clumped mounds of grass clippings are reduced by periodically mowing the lawn.
Unhealthy Grass
A lawn that isn’t mowed to the proper height on a regular basis is frequently less healthy than one that has been maintained. To repair overgrown grass, remove more than one-third of the blade length. Your lawn may stop growing or require additional irrigation to recover. The grass becomes weakened when root growth decreases. Disease, pests, and weeds thrive in a yard with poor grass. During the growing season, mow your lawn every two to three weeks to keep it healthy and resistant to injury.
4 Reasons Why You Should Keep Your Grass Length Long | Grass too long to mow
- The grass blade is the portion of the grass plant that produces food. Photosynthesis occurs here, and the plant makes the essential nourishment for healthy root and shoot growth. The shorter it is, the less food the plant will generate.
- A longer grass blade shades the ground beneath it, keeping it cooler and preventing the lawn from drying up as rapidly as when it is mowed short. In other words, the lawn will not require as much additional water.
- Weed growth is reduced. Every grass has hundreds of weed seeds that are just waiting for the ideal conditions to germinate. One of these requirements is that the seed receives enough sunlight to warm up and germinate. The seed will have a significantly lower chance of germinating if the sun cannot reach it. One of the most effective weed management approaches is to mow high.
- Finally, when a grass plant’s leaf blades are clipped short, the plant has little choice but to do whatever it takes to develop a new one. The plant uses its food stores to create new shoots in order to do so. Because these reserves are frequently held in the roots, forcing the grass plant to constantly develop new shoots decreases the plant’s food storage capacity. There are plenty of leaf surfaces available when the lawn is cut high enough to keep the plant healthy. This allows the grass to build up its food reserves and develop stronger roots, resulting in a greener and healthier lawn.
How to Mow Grass That Is Too Long
- With a ruler or yardstick, measure the length of the grass blades and multiply by three.
- Mow the lawn with a lawnmower set at the proper height to remove one-third of the length of the grass blades. Set the mower to the highest setting if the grass is severely overgrown and you can’t get it high enough.
- After a few days, mow the grass again, cutting the length of the grass blades by one-third. Rep the procedure until the grass falls within the acceptable limits.
- To avoid unsightly brown clumps of dead grass, rake, bag, and remove the clippings. Overgrown grass clippings may be too long to be filtered into the lawn or mulched.
Mow Like a Pro | How to Avoid These Top 10 Lawn Mowing Mistakes
Although most homeowners are unaware of it, poor mowing is one of the leading causes of lawn problems. Fortunately, it’s a simple issue to resolve. It’s a lot easier than attempting to figure out what’s causing a disease or pest problem, or how to get rid of mold or weeds. To keep your grass healthy and looking its best, Custom Lawn and Landscape has put together some simple lawn mowing guidelines.
1. Don’t mow your lawn too often.
Cool-season grasses such as fescue, ryegrass, and even bluegrass are common in the Kansas City area. The majority of the growth occurs in the spring and fall with these grasses, and may not be necessary as regularly in the summer depending on the weather.
2. Avoid scalping your lawn by not mowing it too short.
The most common lawn care mistake is “scalping” a lawn, or mowing off more than the recommended 13% of the height. They do it in the hopes of having to mow less frequently.
In reality, it makes your lawn more prone to weeds and less capable of coping in the event of a drought or other natural disaster.
3. Avoid mowing wet grass.
When the grass is damp, avoid cutting it. The blades tend to cling together, resulting in an uneven cut. The clippings might clog the mower and mat on the grass, obstructing light. Your mower’s blades will miss the grass matted down by the wheels, and that grass will reappear later, making your lawn uneven.
4. Don’t Be Hasty When Mowing
Your hectic schedule may urge you to rush through mowing responsibilities, but this may result in an uneven lawn. Furthermore, rushing through mowing might result in uneven clumps of clippings on the grass, giving it an unsightly appearance.
5. Don’t mow in the same pattern every time
Mowing in a variety of patterns encourages the blades to grow straighter and healthier. Grass blades grow in the same direction as they are mowed. The blades will return to a more upright position if the pattern is alternated. This will help prevent ruts from forming in your lawn caused by the mower wheels.
6. Use Sharp Mower Blades Instead of Dull Mower Blades
Mowing with dull mower blades isn’t a good idea. Ensure that your mower blades are razor-sharp. Dull blades will shred instead of cutting cleanly, allowing illnesses and vermin to infiltrate the blades. Sharpening your blades every couple of months is a smart idea. If you haven’t had them sharpened in a long time, now is the moment. (If you’re a current Custom Lawn customer, we’ll sharpen your blades for free!)
7. Instead of bagging your grass cuttings, mulch them as you mow.
Homeowners used to collect clippings and throw them away in bags. Plant experts now advise leaving the clippings on the grass to act as a mulch, helping to maintain moisture in the soil and adding nutrients as they decay.
Grass clippings can provide up to 30% of your lawn’s nitrogen requirements. Leaving the clippings on the grass reduces your labor and improves your lawn’s growing environment.
As long as you follow the one-third rule when cutting your grass, the clippings should degrade quickly.
8. Make sure your rows aren’t too far apart.
It’s recommended to overlap each pass by at least three inches for even coverage. It’s preferable to overlap than to glance back and discover the grass you missed.
9. Avoid blowing grass into driveways and sidewalks.
Freshly cut grass adheres to concrete roads and sidewalks and stains them. Change the direction you’re moving on the margins of these hardscapes so the cut grass blows back into the yard instead of blowing onto them. It will keep your lawn tidy and save you time from having to clean it afterward.
10. Do not purchase an edger
While an edger can undoubtedly be useful, why spend money on a one-trick pony when you can use the string-trimmer head in a vertical position to cut crisp edges around curbs and walkways?
Related Articles You should Read: