You’ve probably been mowing your own lawn for years – what’s the big deal, right? Put some gas in the mower, fire that baby up and then get your mowing done! It turns out mowing your Minneapolis lawn requires a little more finesse. Here are a few things you need to know before the next time you set out to mow your lawn!
How High?
It may not seem like such a big deal, but the height of the cut you make to your grass can have a big impact on not only how your lawn looks, but how healthy it is. You also need to know how high to cut your lawn in order to understand the type of maintenance your lawn really requires. Don’t forget, your lawn is one huge, living organism and it needs just as much care and attention as any otheer living thing you care for.
In general, the higher the height you cut your lawn, the less maintenance it will require. That may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true! This is because when you cut your lawn at a higher height you are helping to promote healthy, deep root growth. And healthy and happy roots mean a happy and healthy lawn.
When you cut your lawn to shorter heights you’re promoting a shallower root system. A shallow root system means you will need to supplement your soil more in order to keep the grass healthy and minimize the negative impact of environmental stress. On the other hand, deep roots from a high cut will give your grass access to nutrient reserves deep in the soil and that gives it a greater ability to handle the stress of the environment.
Another advantage to doing a higher cut is it will limit the amount of light that can reach the surface of the soil. Can you guess what this will keep away? If you guessed weeds, then you’re right. The seeds of weeds that want to invade your lawn need light, and a higher cut on your grass keeps the light from reaching weeds and keep them from germinating. That’s a big advantage! For most grasses, the ideal height is between 2.5 and 3 inches.
And here’s a Lawn Love pro tip: Change the direction you mow your grass in. Not only does mixing it up make it more fun for you, it also helps to promote shoot growth, resulting in a lush and healthy lawn.
How Often?
How often you have to mow your lawn really depends on how fast it grows. In general, you will see the most growth in the spring and fall, and you’ll need to mow more frequently during those times of the year.
Another factor is how high your grass is. If you keep your lawn height at about an inch, you’ll obviously need to mow it more frequently to keep it there. Just remember, you never want to cut off more than a third of the blade when you’re adjusting the height of your lawn during a mow, otherwise, your grass will end up looking limp and unhealthy. Remember, your lawn is not entering lawn boot camp, so it doesn’t need a super close shave!
A Few Bonus Tips
In order to keep your lawn healthy and growing, there are a few additional tips you need to be aware of. First, in the middle of summer, you should consider letting your grass grow out about an inch and maintain that height. This will help bolster your lawn and protect it from the heat of the summer sun.
Second, when fall arrives your lawn growth starts to slow down you should keep mowing until you notice growth has stopped. This is because fall is normally pretty warm, and the grass in and around the Minneapolis area can easily grow until the end of October.
Lastly, if you let your grass get too long before winter arrives, the tall grasses will mat down over the winter. This makes your grass more vulnerable to diseases that can strike it in wintertime such as snow mold (yes, it’s really a thing) and meadow vole invasion. If you don’t know what a meadow vole is, just take our word for it that you never want to find out – and you certainly don’t want them making a home in your lawn.
There you have it! You are now ready to conquer your Minneapolis lawn’s mowing needs. As always, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your lawn, Lawn Love is here to help!
