Avoid These 9 Common Mistakes When Mowing Your Lawn

As far as lawn maintenance goes, mowing your lawn may seem like the easiest task—mow it when it's taller than the desired height. While this is partially true, mistakes can happen if you're not careful, significantly affecting your lawn's health and appearance. Ensuring your lawn is mowed correctly keeps it lush and green.

1. Mowing New Grass Plugs

Mowing too soon after planting grass plugs can be detrimental to their establishment. Although grass plugs are mature with established roots, they need time to root in the new soil and can be easily dislodged by mower blades. Allow the plugs to firmly root before mowing, typically waiting at least 2-3 weeks after installation to ensure they are securely anchored in the soil.

2. Using the Wrong Type of Mower

Mowers are available in various types and are mainly designed for different lawn sizes. Using a too small or underpowered mower can result in an uneven cut due to missed spots and increased wear on the equipment. Meanwhile, a too large or powerful mower can scalp the lawn, damaging the grass. When shopping for a mower, consider the size of your lawn, the terrain, and the obstacles, like trees or shrubs, to maneuver around.

3. Mowing Too Fast or Too Slow

While riding mowers are designed to operate at full speed to ensure a more even cut, it's important not to rush the process. Mowing too quickly can lead to uneven cutting, missed spots, and clumping of grass clippings, which can wear your equipment. Meanwhile, mowing too slowly can cause the mower to struggle, particularly in thick or tall grass, potentially overworking the engine. The key is to strike a balance—maintain a steady, moderate pace that allows the mower blades to cut the grass cleanly and evenly without causing unnecessary stress on the machine or the lawn.

4. Mowing with Dull Blades

Dull blades tear and shred the grass instead of cutting it cleanly, resulting in ragged and frayed grass. This makes your lawn look uneven and unsightly, and worse, it weakens the grass, making it more susceptible to pests and diseases. The torn grass blades are more prone to infection and can lead to browning and wilting. Maintain a strong, healthy lawn by keeping your mower blades sharp, ensuring each cut is clean and precise, contributing to faster healing and stronger grass growth.

5. Mowing Wet Grass

Wet grass tends to clump together and mat down, resulting in an uneven cut on your lawn. The wet grass clippings can also clog the mower, potentially damaging the machine and making cleaning more challenging. Additionally, mowing a wet lawn increases the risk of spreading fungal diseases, as the excessive moisture creates a conducive environment for fungal growth. Wet grass also makes the lawn slippery, posing a safety hazard, particularly on slopes. All these reasons explain why it's generally not recommended to mow wet grass. To ensure a clean, healthy cut and consequently avoid these risks, it's best to wait until the grass is dry before mowing.

6. Mowing Too Often or Not Often Enough

There's no set schedule for when you should mow your grass, as the optimal frequency depends on how fast it grows. Mowing too often can stress the grass, leading to weaker roots and making it more susceptible to stress. Conversely, not mowing enough can cause the grass to grow too tall, leading to shading and thinning of the lower blades, creating an uneven and unhealthy lawn. Overgrown grass is also more prone to pests and diseases.

Maintain a healthy lawn by aiming to keep it at its optimal height depending on the grass type and growth rate based on the season. For example, warm-season grasses like Bermuda, Zoysia, and St. Augustine thrive when maintained at 2-2.5 inches. These grasses grow most vigorously from late spring through early fall, often requiring weekly mowing. However, less frequent mowing may be necessary during colder months when the grass may be dormant or growing slowly.

7. Cutting the Grass Too Short

Also called scalping, cutting your grass too short leaves your lawn more susceptible to weeds and less resilient to heat and drought. When the grass is cut too short, it focuses on regrowing its blades instead of deepening its roots, resulting in weaker grass. Avoid this by adhering to the one-third rule—never remove more than one-third of the grass blade length at a time. If your grass has grown too long, reduce its height over multiple sessions, allowing it to recover for 3-4 days between mowings.

8. Mowing in the Same Direction Every Time

Mowing only in the same direction causes the blades to lean and grow in that direction, causing the grass to grow bent and look uneven. Regularly varying your mowing pattern helps prevent this issue. By alternating the direction each time you mow, you encourage the grass to grow upright, resulting in a more uniform and healthy appearance. Additionally, changing your mowing pattern keeps ruts from forming, which can compact the soil and damage the grass.

9. Not Leaving Grass Clippings

Contrary to the common belief that grass clippings contribute to thatch buildup, they actually decompose quickly and recycle valuable nutrients into the soil, acting as a natural fertilizer. Additionally, grass clippings help retain moisture and provide shade, protecting the soil and grass crowns from excessive heat while also suppressing weed growth. By mulching grass clippings on your lawn, you not only gain these benefits but also improve soil structure over time as the clippings break down.

The Importance of Proper Mowing

Mowing your lawn too short, too often, or not often enough, when the grass is wet, or with dull mower blades can significantly affect lawn health. These common mistakes can lead to grass that isn't as green or thick as it should be, making your lawn more susceptible to pests, weeds, and diseases. These issues can escalate quickly, turning a minor error into a major one.

Healthy grass grows densely and maintains a green color, providing a natural barrier against weeds and pests. However, incorrect mowing practices can weaken the grass, resulting in sparse growth and dull color. This creates openings for weeds and pests to take over, leading to a cascade of issues that can be more challenging to manage than mowing your lawn correctly in the first place.

Repair Lawn Damage with SodPods® Grass Plugs

Whether your lawn is damaged from improper care practices or plagued by issues like pests, weed growth, or diseases, SodPods® offers an effective solution to repair and restore it. With a wide range of warm-season grass plugs for sale, SodPods® can help you achieve a healthy, dense lawn. These high-quality grass plugs are designed to establish quickly, filling in bare spots and improving the overall resilience and appearance of your lawn. For best results, we recommend supplementing your grass plugs with NutriPod® lawn fertilizer during planting.

Trust SodPods® to provide the right grass variety for your needs, ensuring your lawn looks its best year-round. Visit our website today.