5 Lawn Mowing Tips for Healthy and Beautiful Lawns

Keeping your lawn lush, green, and beautiful is about morethan just mowing the grass periodically. Your lawnmowing technique makes a significant difference to both theappearance and health of your lawn throughout the season. 

Learn five lawn mowing tips to keep your lawn looking itsbest. If you'd rather pass this responsibility over to the professionals,request a quote for expert lawn care in Moses Lake, WA.

1. Strategically Adjust the Heightof the Cutting Deck

Most push mowers have a switch or lever on the side thatlets you easily adjust the height of the cutting deck. Before you start eachmowing session, adjust the height according to these guidelines:

• For the first mow of the spring, set the blades lower than usual,     around 3 inches from the ground.
• For mowing sessions throughout the spring and summer, adjust the     blades to remove about one-third of the grass's height. 
• For the last mow of the season, set the cutting deck to     approximately 2 inches to prepare the grass for winter. 

It may be tempting to mow as low as possible each sessionfor a short, clean appearance and to extend the time between mowing. Butremoving just one-third of the height each time keeps the blades long enough tosupport the roots. A stable, deep root system can more easily find nutrientsand water in the soil, keeping the blades green and vibrant. 

If you prefer to keep your grass short, it is generallybetter to increase your mowing frequency than to remove more of the grassheight at once.  

2. Maintain Sharp Mower Blades for aCleaner Cut

Imagine trying to cut your hair with dull scissors. You'dneed to repeat each pass several times, and the cuts would be jagged anduneven, creating split ends and unnecessary damage. The same philosophy appliesto your mower; mowing with dull blades can rip and shred the grass, creatingstress and increasing the risk of bacteria and mold spores damaging yourlawn. 

It's best to sharpen your mower blades at least three timesa season or replace them altogether as needed. Keeping the blades sharp allowsfor a cleaner cut, slicing through each grass blade rather than tearing it.

3. Change Up Your Cutting Pattern EachSession 

It's easy to get into a routine of mowing your lawn in thesame pattern each session. But one of the most commonly overlooked lawn mowingtips is to change the direction and pattern each time you mow your grass. 

When you consistently start in the same spot and mow eachstripe in the same direction, the blades will begin to grow in that directioninstead of vertically. This will cause your lawn to look uneven and make itmore challenging to cleanly cut each blade in a single pass. 

If you typically mow horizontal stripes as part ofyour lawn care routine, consider alternating them with vertical stripes everyother week.

4. Mulch Instead of Bagging 

You might think that bagging the grass as you mow creates acleaner appearance. While bagging may help your lawn appear neater after eachmowing session, mulching the grass has long-term benefits for your lawn'shealth and beauty. 

Grass clippings deliver nutrients to the roots of theexisting blades, helping your lawn grow greener and healthier. The only timeyou should consider bagging the clippings is if you have neglected your lawnfor several weeks and the grass has become overgrown, as mulching longclippings could smother the emerging grass shoots.

5. Hire Professionals for Expert LawnMaintenance 

Achieving a beautiful, healthy lawn is no easy task, evenwith these lawn mowing tips. Different grass species require different care,and your lawn's health can quickly suffer with one wrong move. If you're tiredof making mowing mistakes, Tatum Lawn Care LLC would be happy to take over thejob for you.

Give us a call today at 509-765-4000 to learnmore about our lawn maintenance services and request a quote.