Mowing is the most frequent lawn job and the one most people get wrong. The height and the frequency matter more than anything else: cut too short and the lawn thins out and the weeds move in; cut too rarely and you scalp it. A lawn mowed right looks better, needs less water, and fights weeds on its own.
The one-third rule: never cut more than one-third of the blade at a time. A 3-inch lawn gets cut to 2 inches, not to 1. And 3 inches is the right height for most lawns — taller grass shades the soil, holds water, and crowds out weeds. A scalped lawn is a weedy lawn: short grass lets the sun reach the weed seeds. Watering matters too — the lawn watering guide covers how much, how often, and when.
Mow when dry. Mow when the grass is dry. Wet grass clumps, clogs the mower, and spreads disease. Morning dew is fine once it dries; after rain, wait a day.
Set the height. Set the mower deck to 3 inches — higher in summer heat, when the grass needs the shade. Measure once with a ruler: most decks lie about their height settings.
Sharpen the blade. A sharp blade cuts clean; a dull blade tears the grass and leaves brown tips. Sharpen the blade once a season, or twice if the lawn is large. A torn tip is an open wound that invites disease.
Mow in a different direction. Change direction each time you mow: north-south one week, east-west the next. Mowing the same way every time wears ruts into the lawn and leans the grass one way.
Leave the clippings. Leave the clippings on the lawn — they are free fertilizer and they return nitrogen to the soil. Only bag them if the grass was too long and the clippings smother the lawn underneath.
Clean up. Blow the clippings off the driveway and the sidewalk, and clean the mower deck. Clippings on the driveway stain the concrete, and a clogged deck rusts. A thin lawn needs more than mowing — the overseeding guide covers filling it in, and the driveway weeds guide covers the weeds that grow where the lawn meets the concrete.
Weekly in spring, when the grass grows fast. Every 10–14 days in summer heat, when growth slows. Never let the grass grow so long that one mow cuts more than a third — if it does, cut it in two passes, a few days apart, instead of scalping it once.
Trim the edges after mowing, not before: the mower sets the height, and the trimmer follows it. A string trimmer along the driveway and the fence line finishes the job the mower cannot reach.
Weekly in spring, every 10–14 days in summer. The rule is the one-third rule: never cut more than a third of the blade at a time, so the frequency follows the growth.
3 inches for most lawns. Taller grass shades the soil, holds water, and crowds out weeds. Cutting shorter does not mean mowing less — it means a thinner lawn.
No, unless the grass was too long. Clippings left on the lawn return nitrogen to the soil and feed the grass. Bag them only when they smother the lawn underneath.
No. Wet grass clumps, clogs the mower, and spreads disease. Wait until the grass dries — morning dew is fine once it dries, after rain wait a day.