We, at Degree Lawn, fully understand that lawn mowing is the cornerstone of proper lawn maintenance. That’s why we take extra special care to maintain our equipment at professional standards at all time. It is also the reason for which we recommend that our clients enlist professional expertise when dealing with this task. A proper lawn mowing schedule can make a world of difference insofar as how healthy and beautiful your lawn (and entire property) looks. Now, if you want to know what you can do when the experts are not around to care for your lawn, we’ve lined up a few frequently asked questions that we get from our clients, regarding the proper way to mow a lawn. We believe that a good lawn maintenance company is responsible for educating their customers and promoting a sustainable approach to lawn care.

Q: What type of lawn mower should I use?

A: The type of lawn mower you use is not as important as the condition of the machine’s blades. Some prefer rotary push mowers, others think push reel lawn mowers are more efficient, while others, still, opt for zero-turn mowers. No matter your choice, simply remember to always check the sharpness of your blades, since dull ones risk to damage your grass blades. To check for damage, make sure the tips of the blades are not discoloured or shredded. If they are, it’s time for that routine yearly sharpening. If you’ve planted specific species of grass on your lawn, which grow thick and tough, then you might need to sharpen the blades more often than once a year.

Q: How often should I mow my lawn?

A: Your turf will tell you this. If it seems to be overgrown, then it’s time to mow. There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule of thumb. Don’t mow the grass when the weather is hot or when the grass is moist. Mowing wet grass might lead it to develop brown spots, from grass clippings clumping up.

Q: How short should I trim the grass?

A: You might be tempted to think that by cutting it short and close to the ground you’re doing yourself a favor. Less work for you next weekend, right? Not really, actually. If you shear the blades down to more than one third of their current length you risk stressing out the grass blades and thus impeding it for properly completing the process of photosynthesis. Milder, but more frequent mowing will benefit your lawn more in the long run. And if your grass was previously damaged or exposed to dry, hot weather, allow it to grow a bit taller than usual.

Q: What do I do with the clippings?

A: Many homeowners choose to leave them behind, because they’re great for fertilization. They enable the turf to retain more moisture, cool off the soil, and enrich it with nutritious substances.