Making the Cut: How Your Lawn Stacks Up

Many people often hold the misconception that cutting grass is a fairly mundane and simple task, however, there is a bit more to it than most people think. It is true enough that cutting grass (as a mechanical process) is a relatively simple task, but lets talk about the science behind behind the cut, and how following some simple manicuring guidelines will yield vastly better results for your lawn.

“How tall should I cut my grass?”

This is a question I get asked often by customers. Generally speaking you should not cut any more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the grass blade length at any one time. Cutting more than this amount will subject the grass to less heat and drought tolerance as well as make it more prone to disease. This often means that grass should be cut every 3 to 5 days during the spring months. As the grass grows more slowly in the summer heat, you can scale back to weekly mowing.

Cutting height is also an important factor to consider. Most fescue varieties of grass should be cut at 3″ to 4 1/2”. Cutting grass at a higher length during the hot summer months will allow you to water the lawn less. Grass holds approximately 90% of its water in the grass blade itself. So keeping the grass taller in the heat allows the plant to conserve more water.

For more questions or information please contact Dynamic Earth Lawn & Landscape.