Not only the appearance, but of more importance, the general health and vigor of the lawn is contingent on a good mowing routine. Only a sharp, properly adjusted mower set to the minimum of 2 1/4" in height should be used.

Rotary mowers are the most common mowers for homeowners. It is important to keep the mower blades sharp so that the grass blades are cut cleanly. Too often this is overlooked, causing the blades to tear and rip causing "white tipping."

Change the direction and pattern each time you mow. If you mow repeatedly in the same direction, the mower tends to push the grass over rather than cut it cleanly. Eventually the grass begins to lean in the direction mowed.

Ask any homeowner what the least favorite part of maintaining a lawn is, and most would answer mowing. Lawn mowing is one of those necessary evils. A weekly chore for which we can find all kinds of excuses not to do. And yet proper lawn mowing is one of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy lawn.

Scalping the lawn

Mowing height and frequency are vitally important for a problem free turf.  It is widely assumed that cutting the grass short will cause it to grow slower. Cutting it too short will restrict its ability to absorb sunshine. This will only cause it to grow even faster until it produces a blade long enough to absorb the sunshine necessary to store energy and remain healthy.

Weed control

Cutting the grass too short will keep it in a perpetual state of stress. This will limit its ability to fight off invaders, like weeds. Weed seeds can survive for long periods of time, just waiting for the chance to spring to life when conditions are right. A Well maintained thick and dense turf will crowd out and limit the weed invasion.

We humans produce a lot of trash. Our landfills are running out of space. It is estimated that up to 18% of trash hauled to the landfill each year is yard waste, and 75% of it is composed of  grass clippings. One thousand square feet of lawn area can produce 200 lbs of grass clippings per growing season. That's a lot of trash, not to mention all the plastic bags used to put it in.  We are filling our landfills with material that can be 100% recycled!

Grasscycling is the practice of leaving your grass clippings lie on the grass after mowing. Grass clippings are almost 90% water and are very high in nitrogen. That's a lot of valuable nutrients that could be utilized by the grass instead of being thrown away. Not bagging your grass clippings, and returning them to the soil, is a natural way to fertilize your lawn.

A big misconception about Grasscycling is that grass clippings cause thatch build up. Thatch consists of dead grass stems and roots of the grass plant itself. Grass clippings break down quickly and are recycled back into the lawn, providing additional nutrients to promote growth.