proper cutting height
 

What is the correct cutting height to set mower blades at to have a nice
thick lawn? Seems the idea would be to have it where you can look at the
yard and know it's been mowed.

"RB" wrote in message
. ..
What is the correct cutting height to set mower blades at to have a nice
thick lawn? Seems the idea would be to have it where you can look at the
yard and know it's been mowed.



Adjust the mower as high as it'll go, except for the last couple of cuts in
late fall, at which point you should mow very low.

"RB" wrote:
What is the correct cutting height to set mower blades at to have a nice
thick lawn? Seems the idea would be to have it where you can look at the
yard and know it's been mowed.

I cut at 2.5 inches twice a week.

Wow, Really? I am not being sarcastic, I am just amazed. Now I live in SE
N.C. and have centipede(sp?) grass and it does not get very high, so I guess
I am wondering if I should let it grow more or not. I just about scalp my
lawn in comparison as to how high you cut yours. I have a riding mower and
set it about 3 on the hight and mow about every 9 days or so. Should I
change?
TIA.

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
"RB" wrote:
What is the correct cutting height to set mower blades at to have a nice
thick lawn? Seems the idea would be to have it where you can look at the
yard and know it's been mowed.

I cut at 2.5 inches twice a week.

I've read/heard from many sources that you should only cut up to 1/3 of the
length at any one time. More can be damaging. So the longer you start
with, the longer it will end up. Longer/thicker lawns can also be more weed
resistant. Shorter in the fall for the last cut will also help protect from
winter molds/fungus and matting if you live where there's lots of snow.




"RB" wrote in message
. ..
What is the correct cutting height to set mower blades at to have a nice
thick lawn? Seems the idea would be to have it where you can look at the
yard and know it's been mowed.

Proper cutting height depends on the type of grass you are growing.
Turf grass wants to be cut higher than warm season grasses like bermuda
and centipede, however no grass likes to be scalped. If you will look
at a blade of grass you will typically see that the stalk that comes out
of the ground is yellow or white. As you move up the blade it becomes
more and more green. If you are cutting anywhere near the yellow/white
part of the grass blade you are way too low and likely to severely stunt
or kill your lawn. I see more lawns damaged by cutting too low than
just about anything else. I hear two reasons that people give for
cutting low:

1.) "If I cut it real low I don't have to mow as often." This is true,
but the reason you don't have to cut it often is that you are damaging
the plant and are stunting it's growth. In the extreme you won't have
to cut it at all since you will have killed it.

2.) "By cutting it low I am making the lawn spread out and become
thicker". I'm not a expert by any means but this just seems to be a
myth. I have never seen a lawn that was consistently cut low be
healthier, lusher, or fill in sparse areas versus a lawn that was cut at
a reasonable height. In fact just the opposite is true by my
observations. These lawns are stressed and when the first adverse
condition arises (high heat, mild drought, insect or fungal attack)
these lawns seem to be the first to go. I find this to be particularly
true when you get into the drier summer months. A very low cut yard has
essentially had much of the shade it would normally provide the ground
removed and turbulent ground level air is unimpeded. This results in
the ground drying out at a much faster rate than normal.

raizn4kids wrote:

Wow, Really? I am not being sarcastic, I am just amazed. Now I live in SE
N.C. and have centipede(sp?) grass and it does not get very high, so I guess
I am wondering if I should let it grow more or not. I just about scalp my
lawn in comparison as to how high you cut yours. I have a riding mower and
set it about 3 on the hight and mow about every 9 days or so. Should I
change?
TIA.

"Steveo" wrote in message
...

"RB" wrote:

What is the correct cutting height to set mower blades at to have a nice
thick lawn? Seems the idea would be to have it where you can look at the
yard and know it's been mowed.


I cut at 2.5 inches twice a week.

"John Crichton" wrote in message
news:4MAge.75075$c24.38883@attbi_s72...
Proper cutting height depends on the type of grass you are growing. Turf
grass wants to be cut higher than warm season grasses like bermuda and
centipede, however no grass likes to be scalped.

What about golf course grass on the greens? It looks pretty healthy for
being scalped.

"Oscar_Lives" wrote:
What about golf course grass on the greens? It looks pretty healthy for
being scalped.

That's bentgrass.

"raizn4kids" wrote:
Wow, Really? I am not being sarcastic, I am just amazed. Now I live in
SE N.C. and have centipede(sp?) grass and it does not get very high, so I
guess I am wondering if I should let it grow more or not. I just about
scalp my lawn in comparison as to how high you cut yours. I have a
riding mower and set it about 3 on the hight and mow about every 9 days
or so. Should I change?
TIA.

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
"RB" wrote:
What is the correct cutting height to set mower blades at to have a
nice thick lawn? Seems the idea would be to have it where you can
look at the yard and know it's been mowed.

I cut at 2.5 inches twice a week.

I'm in Ohio where the bluegrass grows. :)

Oscar_Lives wrote:
What about golf course grass on the greens? It looks pretty healthy for
being scalped.

Plant bent grass, hire a crew to mow it three times a week, and replace the
sod whenever it shows any imperfection, and you can replicate it. But if
your lawn isn't producing income like a golf course, you'd better have a
nice hunk of cash.

Different types of turf do well at different heights, but if you look
around, what you'll see is people mow too short, and perhaps it's because
their idea of a "perfect lawn" is a putting green. There are some
consumer-level mowers that have a deck that won't even go high enough for
the typical lawns in the areas they're sold.

As for it "looking freshly mowed", as another poster mentioned, that's an
aesthetic choice I don't really care for. I like a dark, rich, thick looking
lawn. And, like most people, I view lawns while driving by at 25 mph or more
on the street. Most people will never stop, and walk to the middle of your
lawn, and notice the imperfections. But those imperfections are more
noticeable driving by a lawn cut too short, too. So the too short lawn is
calling attention to it's imperfections while it's stressing-out on it's way
to dying-out.

Mow high (taking off no more than 1/3 the blade). Water deep and
infrequently. After that, there are some huge differences of opinion, but if
the only thing you did was mow high and water deep and infrequently, you're
going to be far ahead of the game.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Find Black and Decker Landscaping Equipment. Get a Hog:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blac...ker/index.html

3-4 inches tall is good for healthy grass is most areas. and dont cut
more than 2 -3 inches off to get it to 3-4 inches.