Lawn mowing forces your lawn to become denser, which enables it to fight weeds, withstand disease, and resist drought. Follow these lawn mowing tips to coax your lawn into a lush green carpet.
How Should I Mow?
The most common problem I see is people seem to mow in the same pattern and direction each time. By doing so, they create streaks and striped lines that grow back irregularly and look rather unsightly. To keep your lawn as healthy as possible, it is important that your lawn is not trampled or continuously matted to the point were it is not allowed to grow properly. To help avoid this problem, it is best to change your mowing directions each time you mow. You should either cut cross-diagonally or in the opposite direction each time you mow.
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When Should I Mow?
Generally, it is best to mow when the lawn has grown to at least a third past its mowing height, in MN about 3" is the norm. Try not to stick to the old "cut every Saturday" routine for you may not be cutting at the right times. Every grass has a "peak" growing season and tend to grow the quickest during these times. For most grasses, it's a good rule of thumb to plan on mowing more frequently during the summer months and adjust your schedule accordingly.
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Should I Bag or Mulch the Clippings?
In general, mulching your lawn is a good idea because it helps provide the soil with increased ground cover to hold moisture, and acts as a fertilizer. Clippings can contain up to 80% water and 5% nitrogen that can continuously fertilize your lawn! Additionally, mulching can reduce the amount of fertilizer you need to apply to your lawn. Mulching also reduces the headache of bagging your lawn and disposing of cut clippings.
Conversely, it is recommended that you try to bag your clippings occasionally, especially when you witness either a build-up of clippings on the lawn surface or an excess development of thatch in the lawn.
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