How high do you mow your grass?

[sixdogs]

How high do you mow your grass? Mine has been 3" and I'm thinking of going to 3 1/2" or so. The yard is typical Midwest rural with dog, people and equipment pressure and is a blend of bluegrass and some thinner bladed fescues and ryegrass.

Just wondering what others are doing and if should go taller. If it matters I mow with a 7' pull type Woods mower or a B7800 Kubota with a 6' belly mower.

 

[RoyJackson]

I use a zero-turn on the lawn...and I keep it 3-4 inches. The first cut of the season is at least 4".
I mow the filed with an RFM...set at 4".

 

[TripleR]

Three inches, Kentucky 31 fescue.

 

[peterc38]

I cut mine at 3-4"

 

[Thomas]

2" before mowing but durning hot summer times 3"

 

[Bird]

I usually scalp my lawn first thing in the Spring and use the bagger to get rid of the clippings. Next couple of mowings I raise the deck a notch each time, so I usually then stay at 3", although sometimes in the heat of the summer I go on up to 3.5".

 

[RSKY]

I start at 4" then drop a quarter inch or so every 4-5 days until it's down to about 2.5-3.0". My yard is mainly zoysia in the front and a fescue/weed mix in the back. The zoysia is slow growing and THICK. After the first of July I gradually raise the height according to rainfall.

Sounds complicated but it really depends on the moisture in the ground.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

During the summer, I mow mine 3 and 1/2 inches, which is as high as my mower will cut. In the fall, when the grass turns brown, I mow occasionally when the leaves are thick and gradually lower it to about 2 inches by the first of April. I will mow it at that height for a couple of times and then raise it 1/2 inch every other mowing. This keeps me from having to scalp and bag my dead grass and keeps the leaves mulched. My grass is about half weeds and half Bermuda.

 

[dodge man]

3 1/2" for my yard. I've read, and believe its somewhat true, that you need to mow your yard because the grass is uneven, not because its too long. In other words, any given length will work, but you end up mowing because parts of its 4 inches, some is 3 1/2", some is 4 1/2" and so on and it looks uneven. Longer is suppose to help crowd out weeds also, but it doesn't seem to help mine that much.

 

[Norm W]

I cut my lawn as close as I can. I keep trying to kill it, but so far no luck. I hate mowing, so it grows up to about 3" before I cut it again. When the dry part of the summer comes along the neighbor, that pampers his lawn, has a brown lawn. Mine, to spite me, is still green and growing. I can't win.

 

[rekees4300]

This is from my JD X500 Owner's manual
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The following recommendations will produce the best lawn cut quality and appearance:

. Keep mower blades sharp. Dull blades will tear grass; tips of grass will then turn brown.

. Cutting grass too short may kill grass and let weeds grow easily. The suggested finished cut height range is 44 - 70 mm (1.75 - 2.75 in.).

. Adjust cutting height to remove only 1/3 of the grass at a time.

. Do not mow wet grass.

. Mow grass often. Short grass clippings will decay quickly.

. Mow with engine at full throttle.

. Adjust travel speed to match mowing conditions:

. Travel at slow speed when you mow thick, tall grass, make sharp turns or trim around objects.

. Travel at moderate speed when you mow thin grass.

. Use a different mowing pattern each time you mow. Overlap mowing paths 50 - 100 mm (2 - 4 in.).

. Drive over ridges and through shallow ditches straight-on, not at an angle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[sixdogs]

If I mow at 3" and want to go to 3 1/2", do you think this will make much of a difference in how the lawn looks ?

 

[oosik]

I mow at around 3". If you mow 1/2 inch higher it will probably make the entire lawn look a bit thicker & greener.

 

[rswyan]

Anywhere from 3" to 4" - shorter during cool wet weather, longer during warm dry weather.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Here are a few good general rules for mowing.
1. Mow 1/3 of the height of the grass at each cutting. Example - If you wish to maintain your grass at 3", mow it when it gets to 4". This may be every 3 or 4 days when it is growing fast.
2. A higher mowing height is better than lower.
3. Mow in a different direction each time. This helps prevent compaction from mower tires.
4. Keep blades sharp. In my experience, new blades will need to be sharpened at about 20 hours of use, then about every 10 hours after that, and will need to be changed at about 50 hours.

 

[the old grind]

^^This.^^ :thumbsup: (on edit)

Taller the better in most cases. Different types (fescue, rye, etc) will gain height at different rates. When scalped, some will regrow faster and look uneven sooner. Removing the 'green' reduces ability to feed from the Sun so leaving more 'on there' will deplete the soil less and allow better fill-in if lawn isn't too busy growing back height that's been sheared off.

New weeds can be deterred by mowing taller, but well-established ones will remain until killed or aged out. They will thrive at low cutting heights disasterous to grasses. The more clippings you bag/remove the more fertilizer you might need in the long run. Check Ph of areas that do poorly and adjust accordingly, or don't expect fertilizer to do much good.

Funny thing about mowing 'tall' is that it may be more difficult to tell when you need to mow, as grass will tend to be of more even height between cuts. Anti scalp wheels are just that, not gauges for cutting height, and I laugh whenever I see someone's deck riding on them vs properly adjusted for height. Never mowed with a rider's deck more than one notch below the highest setting.

Don't expect to fix a weedy lawn in one season no matter what you do. Results take time and years if you keep doing what works.

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

I mow mine at 4". The longer grass shads the roots from the hot sun and also prevents some light from reaching the soil so it stunts weed growth. I fertilize three times per year May, July and Sept. I also spray with 2-4-D in early May and late September to control weeds. The September 2-4-D application really helps keep the dandy lions from coming up in the spring. I also dethatch the entire lawn in the spring.

 

[DK35vince]

2 1/2 to 3 inchs

 

[SPIKER]

Re: How high do you mow your grass? Well all depends if it is warm or not, if HOT then at least a 6 pack to get me going, but then I tend to wander around some & lines are not as straight

OK SOMEONE had to say it lol....

a couple posts up was good for me, usually keep mines in the 3" or so maybe less when rain in forecast...

Mark

 

[Egon]

I cut my lawn as close as I can. I keep trying to kill it, but so far no luck. I hate mowing, so it grows up to about 3" before I cut it again. When the dry part of the summer comes along the neighbor, that pampers his lawn, has a brown lawn. Mine, to spite me, is still green and growing. I can't win.

Be kind to your lawn. Add lots of nitrogen fertilizer. That will give you the colour you desire.