How high should you let your grass grow before you cut it? If you live in New Jersey, as a general rule of thumb you should cut your grass in the spring when it’s getting close to 4 inches tall, then have your lawn mowed regularly to keep it at around 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches high throughout the grass growing season. So when the weather is warming and you suddenly find your grass is getting taller and you haven’t cut your lawn yet, follow these simple lawn mowing tips to keep your yard looking its best all year.
How high and how often should you cut your grass?
In general, most lawns in New Jersey should be mowed to 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches high. Different types of grass have different recommended lengths to mow your grass down to, so check with the brand of your grass to decide how tall to maintain your lawn: Tall Fescue grasses should be cut to between 3 1/2 to 4 inches tall, Annual Ryegrass should be maintained at 2 1/2 to 3 inches, and Kentucky Bluegrass lawns should be mowed to 2 1/2 to 3 inches in spring and fall, and 3 to 3 1/2 inches in the summer.
There is also the “one third” rule: you shouldn’t cut more than one third of your grass at any one lawn cutting, as it can shock the grass. If your grass is high then you should make multiple cuts with your lawn mower, adjusting the height of the mower blades accordingly until you get the cut down to the desired height.
Follow the one-third rule: Never cut more than one third of your lawn grass at any one cutting
One common problem many of us have with our lawns here in the Little Egg Harbor area is with crabgrass and other weeds invading our yards, so leaving a little extra height to your grass length in the spring (3 inches minimum) can shade out the crabgrass and help to prohibit it’s growth.
If you fertilize your lawn in the spring you should at least mow the grass every week or even sooner, possibly every 4-5 days, to maintain the proper lawn height. You can adjust your grass cutting schedule later in the lawn mowing season to account for periods of wet or dry weather: cut your grass less and let it grow higher during periods of drought or dry spells, and keep your lawn shorter by cutting the grass more often in wet and rainy weather.
Should you bag your grass clippings?
If you don’t already, consider leaving your grass clippings on the lawn when mowing the grass. Mulching your grass clippings into the lawn puts the essential nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium back into your soil and will keep your lawn healthy throughout the summer and fall months.
By The Yard Landscaping and lawn mowing service in Little Egg Harbor can bag and remove your lawn’s grass clippings if you prefer, and we can also cut your grass with our professional mulching blades, leaving only finely chopped grass clippings that will quickly decompose and nourish your lawn and keep your yard looking healthy and green throughout the year.
Why you should keep your lawn mower blades sharp
To give your lawn a clean and even cut across the entire yard it’s important to keep your lawn mower blades sharp. Dull lawn mower blades will tear the grass blades along the cut edge, bruise the grass, and leave them ragged and discolored. Using dull mower blades will not only give an uneven and unattractive appearance to your lawn, they will also damage your grass and can lead to lawn disease, insect and parasite infestations.
At ByTheYard Landscaping and Lawn Care in Little Egg Harbor we always maintain the blades on our fleet of professional lawn mowing equipment to ensure your yard is always at its healthiest and always looks it best throughout the entire grass mowing season.
Don’t sweat it! Hire an affordable lawn mowing service near you in New Jersey – By The Yard Landscaping
If you don’t have the time or just don’t want to deal with all the hassles that come with cutting your own grass, like maintaining a lawn mower, keeping your mower blades sharp and cleaning up all those messy grass clumps in your yard, walkways and driveway, let the affordable and professional grass cutters at ByTheYard lawn mowing service in Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ, right here in your neighborhood help you out this year. We’ll mow and maintain your grass regularly throughout the entire growing season and give you a well kept lawn that your family will love and neighbors will envy.
Give us a call at (609) 335-4834 for a free grass cutting quote on our lawn mowing service anywhere in or around the Little Egg Harbor Township, Tuckerton and Mystic Island area in South/Central New Jersey.