It’s not just caring for your home on the inside that counts. Its exterior counts, too – especially when it comes to your lawn. No matter how much you water and fertilise it, mowing your lawn plays a big role in maintaining your home’s appearance. 

If you’re wondering how often you should mow your lawn, here are some professional tips to help you out.

How Often Should I Mow My Lawn

When you should mow your lawn depends on multiple factors, like rain, soil, fertiliser, etc. The best time to mow your lawn differs per region and season. 

In summer: You should mow your lawn twice a month.

In autumn: At most, you should mow your lawn once a month.

Spring and cold weather: How often you mow your lawn here changes depending on the rainfall during that season.

For most types of grass, in the right climate, mowing your lawn once a week is enough.

However, don’t stick to it like this. Recognise when your grass has outgrown and mow it then. 

The Best Time To Mow Your Lawn

Sure, you might be tempted to mow your lawn when you have time in the middle of the day. However, there are better times to do so. 

Like what? Well, a great time to do so is around mid-morning. This is because all that early morning dew has evaporated, and the afternoon heat hasn’t set in yet. 

Also, aside from waiting for a dry day, it’s important to mow your lawn on days when the grass will have shade. 

Mowing when the sun is high in the sky can stress your lawn. Plus, mowing your lawn in the heat isn’t easy on your body. 

With that said, mowing your lawn too late in the evening might result in trimming mishaps that can be dangerous, due to low visibility.

How much to mow your lawn also matters—restricting the grass’s vertical growth by cutting it frequently and correctly will promote its lateral growth – giving it that much-desired lush, healthy look. 

The One-Third Rule

The one-third rule is the best gauge for how often you should mow your lawn.

The one-third rule means you should only cut off one-third of a grass blade per mow.

Cutting off more than this amount may not seem like it could be an issue; however, here are some lawn height facts:

  • The taller the leaf, the deeper the roots.
  • Deeper root systems may help with drought tolerance, stress management, and nutrient use.
  • Taller cuts tend to help weed growth control.

Here’s How To Mow Your Lawn The Right Way

1. Conquer Edges & Trim

First, take care of your lawn’s edges. Doing this gives you ample room to turn your mower around, making it an easier, quicker job.

Ensure that you sharpen your lawnmower’s blades at least once per season. 

Here’s how:

  • Disconnect the spark plug (with the mower upended) and remove the blade. 
  • Sharpen the edge with a heavy-duty mill file, and check blade balance afterwards. 
  • You can also take the mower blade to a repair shop and have them sharpen it for you.

Pick A Pattern

Stripes

One of the most common patterns to mow a lawn is with stripes. Here’s how;

  • Complete one pass and then make a 180-degree for the next one, slightly overlapping the first one. 
  • Do this until the lawn is mowed. 

Circling

Circling is the easiest and most efficient pattern.

  • Once you mow the edges, pass around your lawn in a circular pattern until you reach the middle.
  • This is a pretty efficient method since it cuts down on most of the sharp turns and saves you plenty of time.

Checkerboard

This is the pattern that you see on most sports grounds. To get the checkerboard look:

  • Start by mowing in a straight line along the edges.
  • Turn around and mow in a straight line the opposite way. 
  • Alternate directions until you’ve finished your lawn. 
  • Then turn 90 degrees and mow lines across your yard in alternating directions.

Regardless of the pattern, ensure that you mix up your methods each time. This prevents the grass from growing only in one direction, which makes your lawn look far less attractive and makes mowing it much harder.

2. Handle Clippings

Leave your grass clippings on the soil when you’re done mowing. This allows valuable nutrients to return to your lawn. 

How so? These grass clippings contain nutrients like nitrogen and potassium, which are natural fertilisers.

3. Mow Your Lawn Only When Dry 

Sure, rain is an easy way to water your lawn. However, mowing grass when it’s wet can end up crushing it, as opposed to cleanly cutting it. 

What’s more, freshly cut, wet grass is more susceptible to diseases than dry grass. Cutting damp grass causes problems for your lawnmower too. To avoid this, give your lawnmower a thorough clean after use. 

Using The Right Lawnmower

Using the right machinery can make all the difference. Here are a couple of commonly used lawnmowers;

Rotary Mowers

There are two types of rotary mowers, mulching and catching. 

  • Mulching mowers cut clippings and deposit them on the lawn. This type of mower is good for lawns growing in poor conditions.
  • Electric rotary mowers are generally cheaper than petrol mowers and require less maintenance; however, they can be less powerful, and the cord can get in the way. 

Catcher mowers 

  • These mowers catch the clippings for discarding or composting.
  • Petrol-powered rotary mowers are affordable, powerful and easy to use.

Cylinder mowers

  • These mowers are extremely popular with lawn enthusiasts and excellent for short lawn varieties. 
  • Hand-pushed cylinder mowers are great for those with minimal lawn areas.

So, Why You Should Mow Your Lawn Regularly

Cutting grass promotes the growth of new grass blades, leading to a healthier lawn. Proper mowing also results in fewer problems with lawn health. 

If you aren’t in the mood to take on this task yourself, you can always hire professional lawn mowing services to do the job for you!