My neighbor called me out for mowing too short and it made a difference

I always kept my grass cut real low, like 1.5 inches, because I liked how neat it looked. My neighbor Joe stopped me last spring and said I was basically scalping the lawn and inviting weeds. He told me to bump it up to 3 inches and stop bagging the clippings. I thought he was crazy but tried it on a small patch first. After a month, that patch looked way greener and thicker than the rest of my yard. Now I mow at 3 inches every time and leave the clippings, and the lawn actually survives the summer heat without turning brown. Has anyone else found that going higher really helps with drought or does it depend on grass type?

2 comments

2 Comments

jasonc5015d ago

Yeah I had basically the same thing happen with my fescue lawn. I was cutting at like 2 inches and fighting brown spots every July. Bumped it up to 3.5 inches and started leaving clippings, now the soil stays way cooler and I barely water it during dry spells. The clippings break down and feed the grass too, so I don't even fertilize as much anymore. Your neighbor Joe was spot on, shorter grass just lets the sun cook the roots.

alex_taylor1015d ago

Exactly. 3.5 is the sweet spot for fescue hands down.