Long grass... mow once or twice???

[Gary_in_Indiana]

With all of the rain we've had this spring mowing on any kind of a schedule has been tough at best. More than a couple times I've had my grass get way taller than I'd like before I was able to get a mower to it.

Here's my question for those situations and times. If I normally mow to, say, a 3" height and the grass has gotten to be 7"-8" tall, am I better off trying to mow it one time down to the 3" height, however slowly I'll have to go to do that or should I do it in two passes, cutting a couple inches or so each time?

What are the pros and cons of doing it either way and is there a preferred or obviously superior method and why? Thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

I would mow it twice. When cutting grass, it is recommended only to cut about 1/3 of the blade of grass at a time. Cut it at about 4.5" and then about 3 or 4 days later, cut it again at 3"

 

[Bird]

What Dave (Gatorboy) said is what the experts and professionals say to do. You'd probably get it mulched better that way. And of course there's no way I'd do that; I'm too lazy for that. I just mow it to the length I wanted it to be. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[theonlybull]

the only thing that i find with mowning twice in heavey grass is, your tires will flatten it down twice as bad, and you won't get it mowed very well.

 

[sweettractors]

<font color="blue">cut about 1/3 of the blade of grass at a time. </font>

This is the common practice for the best performance from mower and best appearance of the lawn.--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment LLC *New Hay Tedders, Hay Rakes and Disc Mowers for Your Hay Crop*

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

Twice. Mow once, then again perpendicularly. It will look like a checkerboard.

 

[arthurb]

Gary in Indiana,

I cut my grass at the height of 2.5" every 4-5 days. Your grass will grow thicker when you cut it more frequently at a higher height. Also, when you cut it higher it will not burn out and dry up as quick during a drought period. Cut your grass east to west one week, then north to south the next. This way your grass doesn't lay in the same direction all of the time. Fertilize your grass every 6-8 weeks. Follow a yearly schedule of crabgrass preventer/fertilizer, weed&feed/fertilizer, insect guard/fertilizer and a general fertilizer for the fall season. If possible, water your lawn once a week with about 1" of water.

arthurb

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> I cut my grass at the height of 2.5" every 4-5 days. Your grass will grow thicker when you cut it more frequently at a higher height </font>

Do you consider 2.5" high? I think that would be thought of as being short. What type of grass do you have?

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I was using those heights as an example. I'll check tomorrow to see how high I really do mow it. All I can tell you for sure right now is that I have a Woods finish mower with two large spacers below the support and one large and one small spacer above along with the spring. I'd guess from just looking today that I'd be taking at least half if not 2/3 or more of the total height off if I mow with that set up tomorrow.

I'm not even sure what I'm mowing is "grass" at this point. Three years ago it was a field that hadn't seen a mower in probably a decade or more. I started out brush hogginig it high then lowered that while looking for rocks, etc., and then went to a finish mower and was trying to do the same thing.

The weather this year hasn't been allowing me to do much on my schedule, however. It's been a situation of waiting for a dry day or two for the ground to dry enough to get my tractor out there and mowing it then. I started this season with the mower at the highest setting then lowered it. Maybe I'll raise it back up tomorrow and just leave it there. I've been mowing it shorter just because there's no telling when I'll be able to get to it again. Ii think I'll just mow it high once tomorrow and hope I can get back to it in a few days. This rain has to end sometime.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Gary, Gatorboy is right on. By cutting a little now and waiting, you will allow the grass to recover a little and also stand back up from tire compression before you cut it the second time. If you continue to cut the grass very high, eventually, the grass will choke out a lot of the weeds, it will develop deeper roots, making it more drought resistant, will shade the roots so they don't dry out so fast. High and often if you can is the way to a much better lawn. I only wish I had learned all of this last year as my yard became a weed bed from cutting too short. John

 

[Egon]

Lawn growing too fast Gary. If you wish I can let you in on the secret formula I used last year to turn ours brown. Terribly embarrassing.

I'd suggest you try several areas using different methods and see what seems to work best for you. If one cut is used you don't have to take a full pass with the mower. Takes longer but will keeps the clumpimg etc. down.

Egon

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue">( Takes longer but will keeps the clumping etc. down. ) </font>

Sometimes cutting it twice once higher, and then again shorter will take less time than going slow with deck at regular height and not cutting a full width.

By cutting it twice, you will feel much better about your cut job(s) -- mowing slow and cutting many inches off at one time at a slow speed not only can get aggravating, but when you are done, it looks terrible -- IMO

 

[Egon]

Remember I come from a different location and climate Gatorboy. What may work for me may not in other locations.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[arthurb]

Gatorboy,

I have Kentucky 31 tall fescue grass throughout most of my 3 acres that I maintain. I'm measuring up 2.5" from my concrete garage floor to the bottom edge of my mower blades. Probably somewhere between 2.5"-3". I know it's not over 3". I've never had any problems in the last 6 years with the height that I cut my grass.

arthurb

 

[EastTexFrank]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> I would mow it twice </font> )</font>

I know, I know, I know. Gatorboy and the others are right but I'm with Bird and for the same reason. Besides I have a yard, not a lawn, and it needs cutting every 5-7 days when it's not raining and it has been raining a lot this year. I just want it cut and looking reasonable. In fact, that's what my wife is doing as I'm typing this. Seems fair to me.

 

[tough451]

I mow some lawns on the side using a commerical walkbehind. Some of them I cut 1 time every two weeks I cut at about 3.5 " if you cut it twice it should look fine. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[OkieG]

<font color="blue"> I'm not even sure what I'm mowing is "grass" at this point. </font>

Gary,
Are you cutting lawn, or "aspiring to be lawn someday, maybe"? Is it a 1/4 acre or 40 acres? Front yard/ back yard? Will you be using it for something, ie vollyball, soccer, frisbee? Are you grooming or just maintaining? No matter what your final height is, or how many passes you take to get there, I would mow twice at final height for best appearance. As IHCrules said, perpendicular final passes make the most even, best looking cuts.

What do I do?...I usually cut once, at final height (as short as I can get it), then go shower. I use my yard for the occassional golf swing. Although swinging out of 3" grass is probably close to my reality on the golf course, my dream is to hit more fairways, so 3" is too high for practicing my fantasy golf. Also, kids play there and it's harder for their toys to hide in shorter grass. Short may not be best for the grass (?), but it's most functional for our family use of that space.

OkieG

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue">With all of the rain we've had this spring mowing on any kind of a schedule has been tough at best. More than a couple times I've had my grass get way taller than I'd like before I was able to get a mower to it. </font>

I hear you, Gary. I mowed last Monday evening at 3.5"(what I always mow to). This afternoon on Sunday it was an average of 8" tall with some 6" spots and some 10" spots. It is growing a little over 2" every three days. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Everything I've read confirms the "never cut more than a third of the plant at a time" wisdom. However, while I would like to only mow a third of the grass height at a time, the reality for many of us is we do not have the time. At this growth rate, I'd have to go on a 3 day, 2 day, 3 day schedule. While it only takes me 20 to 35 minutes to do it, I don't want to be a slave to my lawn.

So I just mow it down to 3.5" as often as I get the chance, which is usually about every five or six days. On days like today, I just mow a little slower so that I do not bog the mower down. I really notice no difference in the quality of the cut as long as the blades are spinning fast. With the rear discharge mower on our Power Trac there are rarely any noticable clippings left. Sometimes if the grass is damp there will be a small windrow on the right side. With the mower out front, I can easily detect any windrowing and adjust my speed to eliminate all but a trace of it. I figure as long as I can't see any clippings when I'm done, it is mulched fairly well. While it is not a show quality lawn, it is still very nice, mostly weed free and fun to run around on barefoot. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

<font color="blue"> "Are you cutting lawn, or "aspiring to be lawn someday, maybe"?" </font>

I'm not sure what it's aspirations are. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Seriously, it's the front field that is the closest thing to "lawn" out there right now. It's taken me two years to get it to the point where it looks like grass from the road if you're driving by. Until I cut it three years ago it hadn't seen any mower in at least a decade. I brush hogged the first year a bit lower each time until I got it down to a decent level then, after removing hazards, started using a finish mower.

This is the second year for the finish mower. I'm now to the point of trying to fill some particularly low spots and level some bone jarring ruts.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Well, after reading all of the benefits of leaving the growth a bit longer I set my finish mower for the highest cut and, in the interest of time, mowed it once and called it a day. I got done in under four hours so I was happy. It actually looked pretty nice when I was all done. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks for all of the advice, everyone. I'd been doing it wrong for what I was trying to accomplish. I'm going to keep mowing it long and as often as I can within reason, of course.