A beautiful-looking lawn is undoubtedly one of the most satisfying things for most of us. Nothing feels better than the scent of fresh grass. However, the other side of the coin is that a delightful lawn always requires routine maintenance. But sometimes, even a particular maintenance routine can cause more damages than good. Having said that, can mowing too much kill grass?
Mowing grass too short does more harm than good because mowing too much leads you to bare patches on your lawn, which does not look good at all. Besides, bare patches leave your yard more vulnerable to diseases that ultimately kill your grass. When mowing too much, you might end up cutting the crown of the grass.
Unhealthy grass can really damage the overall look of your home, and over-maintenance is one of the problems that destroy your lawn. Therefore, this blog post aims to discuss many over-maintenance problems in detail to help you deal appropriately with the issues.
Can You Mow Your Lawn Too Much?
The lawn looks fresh when it is treated in the right way. Indeed, routine and regular maintenance always keep the grass happy and healthy. While it is very important to do timely maintenance of your lawn, too much of something is not always a good thing, and mowing your lawn is no exception.
You might have heard somewhere that the more often, the better. But when you mow your grass too much, you might spot yellow patches on your lawn, which is not an attractive sight for greenery lovers. Therefore, some of you might not prefer to mow too much.
The most important aspect in this regard is how much grass you want on your lawn. For instance, some individuals like extra short grass, but doing this requires lots of extra care and effort. But if you are not one of those, it would be good to let your grass grow a little longer.
When you cut your grass too short, you might end up seeing bare patches in the lawn, which leaves your lawn more open to diseases. Therefore, I suggest you keep the blade a little higher while mowing the grass. ⅓ of the blade is perfect at each mowing.
According to the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, (source
)you should only cut about 30% of the height of the grass in the first mowing. You should apply this rule even if you think your grass is overgrown.
When you cut the grass of your lawn too short, it removes too much photosynthesizing grass, which results in killing it. Therefore, always avoid cutting your grass too short.
No one likes overgrown lawn, but mowing too much from the top weakens the root system. In this situation, it becomes difficult for your grass to absorb the fertilizer and water that it needs to stay healthy. Therefore, always avoid mowing too much from the top.
Does Mowing Too Often Kill Grass?
First of all, if you want your lawn to be green, your grass must be growing. When you see yellow patches, it means it is not. Therefore, the most important factor in keeping your lawn healthy is mowing it according to the growth of the grass. For instance, if the grass of your lawn grows quickly — because it receives lots of rain, fertilizers, etc., — you should mow it more frequently as you need to mow more often when the grass grows faster.
Therefore, rather than a specific period, schedule mowing your lawn at the rate at which your grass grows. When you think your grass is taller than its desired height, it is time to mow.
Mowing can be unhealthy in only one condition: when you cut your lawn too short within a too short period. So, if you want to mow your lawn consistently, keep the blades at ⅓ of the length of your grass. In other words, mowing itself does not hurt, but it hurts to cut your grass too much.
Have you ever seen a golf course? Even though they use different grass than most homeowners, they bring the mowers every day and cut the tiny bit to keep the grass healthy.
Some homeowners make the mistake of cutting the grass to its desired level all at once when the lawn gets too long. Don’t ever do that, because the healthiest part of the grass is the closest one to the tip of the blade, and when you try to mow the grass at once, your grass gets stressed, which can kill it. Therefore, try to avoid that.
Use the ⅓ rule, and leave your grass alone for 2 to 3 days before using your mower again(source).
My advice for a healthy lawn is to always follow this one-third rule, meaning cutting one-third of your grass even if it’s overgrown because cutting grass too short is damaging. The grass on your lawn looks perfect and beautiful when it stays at a certain height.
Therefore, you should always use your mower to maintain the same height. Suppose you live someplace where it rains often. Then, you can mow your lawn twice a week, but you should always remember to follow the one-third rule.
How Many Times a Week Should You Mow Your Lawn?
Generally, you should mow your lawn at least once a week, especially during growing seasons. Although, several factors come in the way when you are determining the frequency of mowing your lawn.
First of all, you must remember that every lawn is different. That difference exists because every homeowner follows different maintenance schedules and practices. Other affecting factors include the time of the year, how often and how much you fertilize, and what type of grass you are growing.
I have included some universal factors for you, which you can find below:
- Your grass will be healthier when you mow it to less than ⅓ of its current height.
- Fertilizer significantly affects your mowing schedule. When you apply more nitrogen fertilizer to your lawn, the grass grows at a greater rate, which means you need to mow more often.
- Watering also affects the growth of the grass. If you are watering your lawn frequently, your grass will grow more quickly, and so, you will have to mow accordingly.
Does Frequent Mowing Thicken Grass?
Mowing grass actually helps your grass grow thicker, and there is a scientific reason behind this. Each tip of the blade carries hormones that crush horizontal growth. When you mow the grass, you cut those growing tips that allow the grass of your lawn to get thicker near the roots, which increases the beauty of your lawn.
You need to maintain the balance between the size of the roots of your grass and the length of their tips. Once you achieve that balance, your grass will be healthy and able to bear all kinds of stress. Therefore, you should mow your lawn at least once a week.
Here is a tip for you. When you think your grass has gone really long, try not to cut it to your desired length in one go. Stick to the rule mentioned earlier. Cut only ⅓ of the grass, and then leave it alone for 3 to 4 days before mowing it again.
Other Important Considerations
- While mowing your lawn, you need to keep your blades sharp because blunt blades can damage your lawn by leaving heavy patches. Therefore, always try to use sharp blades to prevent any kind of damage to your lawn. Additionally, when you think your yard is having problems, try not to use string trimmers.
- In hot summer months, I recommend you to keep your grass long, so that the long tips can provide shade to the roots of the grass.
- For healthy and beautiful grass, try not to use any stressors, like grubs and weed competition.
- You should also get a testing kit. Use it to check the fertility and pH of your lawn. This thing can save you from a hassle.
- Also, if you are using a huge riding mower, consider that the tires may damage the lawn. My advice is to buy new ones if possible. Otherwise, you may need to slightly deviate from the above guidelines.
Conclusion
Your maintenance routine can lead you to kill your beautiful-looking grass within days. However, by following the guidelines listed in this article, you can resolve your issues appropriately. As long as you follow these guidelines, you don’t have to worry about the grass on your lawn.
