How Often Do You Need to Cut Your Grass?
It sounds like a bad test question or joke gone wrong: Q. How often should I cut my lawn? A. As often as it needs it. Actually, it turns out that’s the correct answer.
During the growing season it typically means every week, but there are a lot of factors that go in to determining the rate at which the blades grow.
Climate, Temperature, Rainfall & Sunlight
The rate at which your grass grows is affected by different climate factors, including the temperature, rainfall amounts and even sunlight. It would be nice to say that, generally speaking, growth will be slower in areas where there’s less sunlight, where temperatures are too hot or cold and where rainfall is limited. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. It depends on the type of grass you have. While all grass may look more or less the same, some types strongly prefer cool weather (and will therefore grow most rapidly when it’s cool) while others respond to higher temperatures. Likewise, some plants love to bathe in sunlight for most or all of the day and will respond with thick, lush, relatively fast growth, while other species prefer a more shaded location and will not grow as rapidly in areas with lots of direct sun. Rainfall is the one factor that tends to affect all grass types equally: While some types are more drought-tolerant, overall, grass growth will slow when water is limited.
Feeding
How often you feed your lawn can also affect the rate of growth. The general rule of thumb: More frequent applications of nitrogen-based fertilizers will spur growth. Of course, like every other factor, there is an exception: Feed your lawn too much and you can burn it, slowing growth and even killing plants.
Mowing height
As noted, every species of grass has an ideal height for growth. Cut it too short in an effort to lengthen the time between mowings and grass may respond by actually growing more quickly in an effort to overcome the stress-induced damage caused by being mowed below its ideal height.
For this reason, we always recommend weekly mowings of small amounts vs. biweekly mowings of larger amounts. It’s healthier for the grass, it’s quicker to clean up after, and this way, your lawn maintenance service provider can keep up with the growth of the weeds in your flower beds efficiently.
Like any other plant, grass has specific requirements that can help it develop to its fullest potential. Understanding those requirements is the key to a healthy, beautiful lawn, but it does take a lot of work. Hiring an experienced lawn care company skilled in caring for a wide variety of lawns in a wide variety of climates is the best way to make sure your lawn looks its best without having to hassle with specific – and often finicky – care requirements.
Considering Grass Cutting Services for Next Year?
Contact our team to find out how much your property would cost, and never waste a spare minute on mowing the lawn
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