For many people, mowing the grass seems like a repetitive task aimed at keeping the lawn in order. The end goal under this perspective is merely “knocking down” the grass to keep it from growing too tall. This mindset, however, leaves your lawn in a less-than-healthy state and detracts from the overall appeal of your property’s landscape.
It’s important to note that mowing frequency varies throughout the year; in many climates across the United States, mowing is not necessary during the winter months as the grass has entered its dormancy and does not produce growth. However, just like the grass stops growing in conjunction with cold weather, it grows quickly with warm, wet weather. This is when your lawn is counting on you most for attention, and your course of action during this time is what will help or hinder your lawn all season.
Mowing at a frequency of once a week during the spring growing season is beneficial for a variety of reasons – including overall aesthetics – but what it also does is keep the lawn’s height regulated. This is key as it trains the turf’s root structure to grow thicker at the dirt instead of taller towards the sun. This fortifies the lawn's overall health and provides you with healthier, greener and stronger grass. As grasses grow taller and taller, they thin out at dirt level and begin to seed, much like wild grasses on a prairie. At the time of cutting, excess grass must be repeatedly mulched or removed, and the exposed roots are prone to weed invasion, erosion, and overexposure to the sun, drastically hurting the lawn.
Keep the mowing at a regular, once-a-week interval in order to ensure that your turf has what it needs in terms of mowing maintenance, and pair your work with proper watering and fertilization so that you can keep your lawn the envy of your neighborhood.