Common Mowing Mistakes That Could Be Damaging Your Lawn

Is your lawn looking a little less green and lush than you would like? People often assume that ugly lawns need more fertilizer or more frequent watering — and indeed, sometimes this is the case. However, often a yard looks unkempt and ugly because it is not being mowed properly. Here are some mowing mistakes that could be damaging your lawn.

Not mowing often enough.

Some homeowners mistakenly assume that it is best to let the lawn grow quite long before mowing it. However, this results in you taking off a good portion of the grass blades each time you mow. The lower portions of the grass that remain are used to being in the shade, and it takes time for them to get used to capturing more sunlight. You are therefore better off mowing your lawn a bit more often. You should be mowing it at least once week, and often twice a week during the peak growing season of the spring and summer.

Mowing too short.

It's tempting to mow the lawn a little extra short so that you don't have to mow it again soon. But in doing so, you risk exposing the lawn's roots and also leaving the plants without enough leaves to capture the sunlight they need. You never want to mow most grass shorter than around 2 inches. Do some research online to learn what the optimum mowing height is for the type of grass that you have on your lawn

Leaving the lawn clippings behind.

It's definitely easiest to just mow the lawn and leave the lawn clippings in place, and some people even assume this is a good practice since the lawn clippings will break down and add nutrients back to the soil. However, leaving grass clippings on the lawn usually does more harm than good. The clippings trap moisture against the grass, which may lead to fungal growth. The clippings may also share the grass and keep it from capturing enough sunlight. Whether you rake the lawn or buy a mower with a built-in mulch collector, make sure you don't leave those clippings on the lawn.

Lawn care starts with good mowing practices. Follow the tips above, and your lawn's health should improve. Remember, you can also rely on a lawn care service that provides lawn mowing services to do this maintenance for you. They have the right equipment and knowledge to do a top-notch job.


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