It is a common misconception that grass is grass and lawns take care of themselves. While this is true in some parts of the world, most people have to work long and hard to establish and maintain an attractive lawn. Grasses do not always take well to certain climates, and on top of watering and fertilizing regimes, proper mowing can greatly help keep your lawn in perfect shape.

Some Mowing Advice

The first important thing to know about mowing is how to time your first mowing. When you have just installed a landscape, you are going to be eager to maintain it. Many people rush their first mowing, and their lawn shows it for a long time. After new seed or sod has been put down, you want to let it grow about an inch longer than you will be keeping it before mowing. This allows the grass to establish stronger roots in new ground.

The next thing to know is how often to mow. Few types of grasses can handle being mowed more than once a week, and you should ask about your grass when you buy it. Find out what height to mow to, and how often you should be trimming your grass. An overmowed lawn may start to show brown spots, and it is generally wiser to mow too infrequently than to mow too often.

Finally, when mowing, make sure you get your grass to uniform heights. The easiest way to accomplish this is to mow in a criss-cross pattern, but mowing in diagonal bands across your lawn. This way, every patch of grass gets mowed twice, but from different directions. By doing this, you keep variations in the slope of your property from affecting the overall look of the lawn.