How to Mow a Lawn the Right Way

Learning to mow a lawn is easy and essential for your grass’s health. First, clear your lawn. Next, choose an appropriate mower and always mow your grass to its ideal height, cutting no more than a third at a time. 

Proper mowing promotes lush growth, so we went on a mission to gather the most expert input, personal experience, and in-depth research about the best lawn mowing techniques. We reveal them in our easy-to-follow guide. In addition to the basics, it includes the lowdown on lawn mowers and specialized advice for hilly yards. 

Why proper mowing matters

Proper lawn mowing, water management, and fertilization are critical for maintaining a lush lawn. While the sprinklers water on autopilot and fertilization is infrequent, lawns often need mowing every week. That’s a lot of opportunities to accidentally damage your lawn. 

Cutting grass correctly encourages healthy growth, makes grass more resistant to adverse weather, such as drought and extreme heat, eliminates habitat for pests that hide in tall grass, prevents excess thatch buildup, and helps keep weeds at bay.

Proper mowing also benefits your purse since the grass requires less watering and fewer treatments.

Clear debris

Remove obstructions and hazardous debris before you mow the lawn. For example, a lawn chair can get between you and the grass. However, trimming over a toy, rock, or stick can damage the mower’s blades. A belt may also break if the debris wedges and stops the blade. 

Additionally, debris may propel, turning into a dangerous projectile. As it flies through the air, it can injure people and pets or damage property. 

Mow to the proper height

If you want your lawn to look right, mow it to the perfect height. First, consider your grass type. The table below shows our suggested grass height for America’s most popular types of turf.

Grass type	Mow at this height (inches)	Cut to this height (inches)
COOL-SEASON GRASSES
Tall fescue	3 to 6	2 to 4
Kentucky bluegrass	3 to 4.5	2 to 3
Fine fescue	2.25 to 4.5	1.5 to 3
Perennial ryegrass	2.25 to 4.5	1.5 to 3
Bentgrass	.38 to 1.5	0.25 to 1
WARM-SEASON GRASSES
Bahiagrass	4.5 to 6	3 to 4
St. Augustine	3.75 to 6	2.5 to 4
Buffalograss	3 to 6	2 to 4
Centipedegrass	2.25 to 3	1.5 to 2
Zoysiagrass	1.5 to 3.75	1 to 2.5
Carpetgrass	1.5 to 3	1 to 2
Bermudagrass	1.5 to 3	1 to 2

Next, remember the one-third mowing rule—never cut more than one-third of your grass’s height. Following this lawn care tip helps lawns grow lively and lush.

“Removing more than ⅓ of the leaf tissue during a mowing operation may cause scalping injury and impact turf vigor, especially during stressful times of the season,” explains regional director Bob Vavrek from the United States Golf Association.

Use the one-third mowing rule to find the best mowing frequency for your turf. For example, say your lawn’s ideal height is 2 inches. Cut the grass by the time it’s 3 inches to avoid trimming more than ⅓ of its height. 

Choose the right mower

Lawn mowers come in two main design types—walk-behind and riding. Walk-behind mowers are either self-propelled or push, and riding lawn mowers include lawn tractors and zero-turns. However, there’s also a third design type — robotic mowers. 

Consider which suits your lawn, lifestyle, and budget because choosing the best lawn mower is essential. 

Zero-turn lawn mowers

Zero-turn mowers quickly cut large, level lawns. They’re also insanely easy to maneuver around twists and turns. As the name suggests, they have a 0-inch turn radius. 

Due to their low center of gravity, zero-turns sometimes overturn on hills. Some models may also overturn on rugged terrain, but many of the best zero-turn mowers are smooth and sturdy on rough ground.

Lawn tractors

Lawn tractors are the best riding mowers for mowing lawns with hills. They’re better balanced than zero-turns with front-mounted engines and an operator’s seat in the rear. They also have a heftier towing capacity—about half their weight. Thus, tractor owners tend to buy attachments, such as a fertilizer spreader, for additional lawn care tasks. 

Self-propelled mowers

When comparing self-propelled vs. push mowers, self-propelled models mow lawns faster. They’re also more potent, and require less effort. They’re better than push mowers at hilly and uneven lawn cutting. That’s because self-propelled lawn mowers have one of the following drive systems that moves them forward:

• AWD (All-wheel drive) is best for steep slopes
• FWD (Front-wheel drive) is best for flat lawns with many obstructions
• RWD (Rear-wheel drive) is best for uneven or slightly sloped lawns

Push mowers

Most push mowers have a rotary blade that’s powered by either a gas engine or electric motor. The blade quickly spins, creating suction and cutting the grass. This is the same type of cutting system that’s on most types of lawn mowers, including self-propelled. However, push mowers move forward manually, requiring the operator’s strength.

When comparing electric vs. gas, I think the best push mowers are electric. Gas models pack more power than what’s needed to spin one blade, and electric models are low-maintenance, quiet, and emissions-free. Corded electric mowers are the most affordable, but the best battery mowers are the most convenient.

Reel push mowers

Reel lawn mowers are the most affordable and eco-friendly mower type. They cut lower and cleaner than rotary push mowers. Thus, the best reel mowers work well on turf like bentgrass that thrives at short cutting heights. Perfectionists also appreciate their flawlessly crisp cuts.

However, they 100% rely on human energy to mow the lawn, so it takes a lot of elbow grease. Unlike rotary mowers, reels cut manually. The reel has spiraling, horizontally-aligned blades that spin with the mower’s wheels. 

Robotic lawn mowers

Robot lawn mowers are expensive but nifty. They’re the hands-off approach to lawn care, so the best robot mowers make mowing a breeze.

Controlled via a smartphone, robot mowers cut grass automatically. The robot leaves its charging station at programmed intervals to trim the turf and mulch the clippings. Once finished, it returns to its charging station. Models that define the lawn’s boundaries with guide wire are cumbersome to set up. However, some fancy robots have virtual boundaries instead.

They are expensive but robot mower have many benefits, including:

• They’re compact, quiet, and low-maintenance.
• They mow in a random pattern that promotes upward growth.
• They turn grass clippings into fine, nitrogen-rich mulch.

Best time to mow

Proper timing is one of the most important steps to learning how to mow a lawn. It encourages dense growth, vibrant color, and good grass health. Here are some guidelines:

Best time of day: Mid-morning is the best time to mow. Typically, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., after the due dries, but when the air is still cool. The second best mowing time is late afternoon, between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Best season: When grass grows. Warm-season grasses grow the most in spring and summer. Most warm-season lawns need mowing from April through October. Cool-season grasses grow fastest in spring and fall and need mowing from April through November, but their growth pauses during extremely hot summers.

Best frequency: Every 1 to 2 weeks

Avoid mowing during: Rain. Trimming turf during rain reduces cut quality and makes it more vulnerable to pests and diseases. The wet clippings clump together and harbor moisture. Fungus, mosquitoes, and many other lawn pests thrive in standing water. Also resist mowing in excessive heat or drought. It stresses out grass, making it more susceptible to damage. Let grass grow a little longer during a heat wave

For more, check out our article on the Best Time to Mow Your Lawn. 

Use these mowing techniques

Now, we cover professional lawn mowing tips and techniques. This includes the best mowing patterns and specialized advice for mowing over hills and around landscaping. 

• Best path overlap: 4 inches
• Best mow speed: No more than 3 to 6 miles per hour
• Best mow patterns: Stripes, checkerboard, zig-zags, smooth waves, circular, diamond

Choose a mowing pattern

Mowing patterns dictate the look of your lawn by controlling the direction in which grass blades bend. Blade direction affects the lawn’s color and the way it reflects sunlight. 

“Like every plant, turfgrass leaves possess two different sides,” explains turfgrass researcher Florence Sessoms at the University of Minnesota. “These sides each have different tissue morphology in terms of trichomes (leaf hairs), the presence of waxes, and the number of stomata.”

You can change your lawn’s appearance by changing the mowing pattern – from strips to checkerboard, to zig-zag, to circular and more. To optimize grass’s vitality, alternate your mowing pattern. Otherwise, mower blades may tilt, and soil may compact beneath spots routinely run over by the lawn mower’s wheels. 

Our guide to mowing patterns explains how.

Overlap mow paths

I suggest overlapping each mow path by about four inches. Doing so eliminates tall grass blades along each row’s borders. 

Optimize speed

It’s best to avoid mowing faster than 3 to 6 miles per hour because the operator has better control of the mower at slower speeds. As a result, cuts are more crisp, improving the lawn’s health and appearance. 

How to cut grass around obstacles

When possible, turn the mower on walkways or driveways because turning on the grass can compact soil or create tire marks on the turf. If you have a lawn with a lot of landscaping, twists, and turns, I suggest using a push mower, zero-turn mower or self-propelled mower.

When lawn striping, mow around obstacles creating a slight hump in the row. Then, mow over the hump on the next row to return to a straight row pattern. 

How to mow slopes

Slopes present a challenge while mowing, both from a safety standpoint and the potential to scalp your lawn. Follow these guidelines:

• Use a lawn tractor or self-propelled mower with high-traction tires.
• Use an all-wheel drive mower for steep hills.
• A rear-wheel drive mower will work on lawns with slight slopes.
• Mow at a slower speed to increase control.
• Set the mower blades at a higher setting on hills to avoid scalping the grass.
• With walk-behinds, walk horizontally or diagonally across slopes. It gives you better control and reduces the risk of injury. 
• With riding mowers, drive straight up and down hills; the mower is less likely to tip. 
• If the mower stops while going uphill, disengage the blade.

And avoid doing the following:

• Don’t start, turn, or stop the mower on a slope.
• Don’t use zero-turn mowers that can overturn on hills or push mowers that are difficult to move.
• Never mow wet, slippery grass. 

Decide whether to bag or mulch grass clippings

I generally recommend using a mulching mower and leaving the grass clippings on the lawn. Being nitrogen-rich, mulched clippings are a healthy lawn fertilizer, and mulched clippings keep the soil moist by providing shade, especially important during heat waves.

However, it’s better to bag grass clippings if the grass has a disease that you don’t want to spread throughout the lawn, if it’s overgrown, creating excessive clippings that can smother the grass, or if there’s an insect infestation. 

See our article on bagging vs. mulching for more on this topic.

Trim lawn edges with a string trimmer

Use a string trimmer to create crisp lawn edges. With small heads and long shafts, they trim grass in places a lawn mower can’t, including along lawn edges, fence lines, around landscaping, and under decks

The best string trimmer depends on your lawn, but my favorite is the ENHULK 58V 16″ String Trimmer. Before buying a trimmer, consider features like its cutting diameter.

Other things to consider:

• Round string is the best trimmer line for general-purpose edging, but it is prone to breaking along wire fences.

• Square-shaped string cuts deeper and crisper than round lines, and is best for heavy-duty edging with gas string trimmers. 
• Star, plus, and X-shaped string has the heftist cutting power and works well with gas and electric string trimmers. 

Blow clippings from decks, walkways, and driveways

After mowing, use a leaf blower to clear clippings off the pavement. The best leaf blowers have enough blow force to push away the debris. CFM and MPH determine the force.

How much MPH does a leaf blower need?

MPH (miles per hour) measures airspeed, and faster air pushes heavier debris. The table below shows the ideal MPH by debris type. 

Debris	MPH
Dry leaves, grass clippings	≥ 110
Wet debris, small piles of pine	≥ 150
Muddy debris, pine needle buildup	≥ 200

Maintain your lawn equipment for best results

Now, let’s talk about mower maintenance. At the start of each spring, get a lawn mower tuneup. That includes changing the oil, spark plugs, and filters. It also involves thoroughly cleaning and lubricating the mower. Additionally, tune-up your leaf blower, string trimmer, and any other power equipment. 

Then, stay on top of your tools throughout the grass’s growing season. Before each cut, check the mower’s tire pressure, oil level, belts, and blades. After each mow, clean the mower’s deck and blades. Once a month, clean and inspect air filters, check riding mower batteries, and refuel mowers with a fuel additive.

Furthermore, mowing with sharp blades produces less engine drag, improves the ease of mowing, and ensures the highest quality cuts. As a result, the mower consumes less fuel, and the grass invigorates. In contrast, dull blades make clumsy cuts and clumped clippings, leading to patchy turf and stunted roots. 

Finally, in late fall, winterize all your lawn equipment, including lawn mowers, string trimmers, and leaf blowers. 

Use equipment safely

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, about one-quarter of a million people are injured using lawn and garden tools yearly. 

Remember that lawn care tools use blades and force to cut, and they’ll cut through skin as easily as through grass. So wear protective clothing, keep children and pets away from running equipment, and read the owner’s manuals to be sure you’re using the equipment safely.

For a deeper look at how to keep yourself and loved ones safe, check out Lawn Mower Safety Tips.

FAQ about mowing the right way

When to call a lawn care pro

The best way to mow a lawn is to leave it to the pros. Lawn Love connects you to a network of affordable lawn care pros with liability insurance and stellar customer reviews. Ordering services only takes a couple of minutes using our website, phone app, or friendly phone support. You’ll have quality lawn care delivered to your door. 

In addition to mowing, we help with fertilization, aeration, and several other outdoor services. Best of all, you can manage all your services through a single user-friendly app. And there’s no risk because we have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. 

Main Image Credit: Beton Studio | Adobe Stock