Currently based in Minneapolis, Minn., Eric Blankenburg has been a freelance journalist since 2000. What Height Should New Grass be Cut? Whether you do it yourself or hire a lawn mowing service, the idea is to schedule your lawn mowing so that it occurs when the grass benefits most from it. Physical Fitness — Lawn care is a physical activity that requires a certain level of strength and stamina. They're not as quiet as reel mowers, but they're still less noisy than gas-powered mowers. “The 1/3 rule is critical,” said Campbell Vaughn, agriculture and natural resources agent for the University of Georgia-Augusta Richmond County Extension. In many cases, you will find that the highest mower setting is the preferred cutting height. This 18-inch eco-friendly reel mower from the house of … Dealing with slopes: Different rules for different mowers. A lawn mower (also known as mower, grass cutter or lawnmower) is a machine utilizing one or more revolving blades to cut a grass surface to an even height. “Get references and if people are qualified and reasonable I think it’s a fair tradeoff,” Vaughn said. Establish a schedule for motorized outdoor lawn and garden work with your neighbors (e.g., even number days only). Lawn mower blade sharpening kits cost as little as $10. That’s what the line trimmers are for. Pushing a motorized mower was less strenuous, the study found, burning off 167 calories in a half hour — the same as a good half-hour game of badminton. If you’ve been out of town or just got a little backed up with other chores, no matter how tempting it is to whack it all down to size at once, don’t do it. Mowing your lawn stimulates its growth. The pros say mid-morning is the best time to mow. If you wait till the end, you may rush these parts, potentially damaging your lawn mower.”. Troubleshooting mowing issues is the same for all lawn mower brands. It’s just common courtesy to avoid mowing too late or too early. Cutting width. “When you tear the leaf, it opens it up for diseases to attack it. Understanding The Anatomy Of Lawn Mowers. He and other experts advise that when riding a power mower, your ride up and down the slopes horizontally so that the mower is never tilted to one side. Once the grass reaches that uniform height, you will still be cutting off the same amount of grass with each mowing. Explore other popular Home Services near you from over 7 million businesses with over 142 million reviews and opinions from Yelpers. Avoid the evening, too, because lawn mowing is a stressful event for your lawn, and you want to give it time to recover. Over the years, he has developed his own mowing technique, which he still practices on the large lawn surrounding his historic house north of Austin, Texas. This can be offset to an extent with a riding lawn mower, but the individual would then incur a greater cost. Purchasing the correct mower for your needs really comes down to the size of your yard, your budget, and your personal preference. There are several different types of mowers that you can use in your lawn maintenance. High Wheel Front Wheel Drive Variable Speed Self-Propelled Gas Lawn Mower with a Briggs and Stratton Engine. A worn or broken drive belt won't spin the cutting blades so your mower won't cut the grass. If one of the tires is low, the deck will be unlevel and have an uneven cut. A riding lawn mower, for example, wouldn’t be a great fit for a yard with steep hills and tight spaces due to the lack of mobility that they provide compared to push mowers. Gradually lower the mowing height in the next cuttings until your lawn is within the ideal range. Find the best Lawn Cutting Services near you on Yelp - see all Lawn Cutting Services open now. “Once you finish mowing around any features and move on to mowing the open lawn, I suggest homeowners establish a mowing pattern, whether that’s straight rows or circles; again, whatever works best for you and your lawn,” says Leahy. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from the University of Montana. Cordless electric mowers run on rechargeable batteries. When you cut off the tips of the grass plants, they are stimulated to grow more. If you are using a lawn care professional, make sure you convey your wishes to your service provider. Pace yourself. If you can’t remember the last time you sharpened your lawn mower blade, it’s time to do so. But as anyone with parched brown spots, patches of weeds or scalped grass can attest, a lot can go wrong in the process. The Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization that fights noise pollution, has enacted a “Good Neighbor Policy.”. With a high-quality lawn mower in place, you will be in a position to accurately cut the grass in your yard within a few minutes. The grass needs cutting less frequently in early spring as it is grows … The proper height for your grass will depend on its species. It has since been discovered that mulching — leaving clippings in the lawn — is the better choice. All robotic mowers cut the grass into a fine, almost sawdust-like state that works its way into the soil as mulch that fertilizes your lawn. Mowing a large lawn frequently will cause more wear and tear than occasional use on a small patch of turf. If you've ruled out other potential issues, the problem just might be your carburetor. A study by Harvard Medical School measured the calories burned by people in different activities, including lawn mowing. mulching — leaving clippings in the lawn — is the better choice, Don’t Bag: Mulch Your Grass Clippings for a Healthy Lawn, Natural Lawn Pesticides That Work (Hint: They’re Not Homemade Recipes), How Earthworms Help Your Lawn, Grass and Soil. With a broader blade, you will only take a few passes to complete. Lawn Mowers Construction & Building Equipment Engines-Diesel-Fuel Injection Parts … They are also better for flat lawns, because they do not offer help mowing uphill. Standard reel, or cylinder mowers, are generally the cheapest and can be found for roughly $70 to $90. with the mower sitting on level surface there is 1.75 inches difference from front of the deck to the back,the deck is higher … Adhere to the 1/3 rule, and cut your grass down in increments. The crankshaft that the mower blade is attached to can only rotate in one direction, so the blade must be installed correctly so that the sharpened cutting edge of the blade is facing the right way. It’s fine to run your mulching blade over leaves to add them to the mulch mix. If your grass gets too high, adjust the mower height up so that you’re cutting no more than 1/3 of the blade. Fiskars 18 Inch Staysharp Max Reel Mower. Done wrong, and your green expanse could turn brown and unattractive. Now 71, he is a renowned “green designer” who chooses his grasses carefully. How soon that is will depend on your climate, but cool-season can take the cold and usually go dormant in the fall when the soil temperatures fall to 50 degrees F. Warm-season grasses such as generally go dormant around mid to late October. A 155-pound person pushing a manual push (reel) mower would burn 205 calories in a half hour — the same caloric output as someone doing a half hour of low-impact aerobics or square dancing. Only Mow 1/3 of the Grass Blade However, carburetor adjustments can be tricky, as even minor adjustments can have major impacts, so it's best to let a professional adjust the carburetor. They happily move around a garden, cutting grass to an equal length and navigating most tricky terrain while you kick back and relax. Letting your mower chop the grass blades returns nitrogen to the soil and does not contribute to thatching. If this low-quality gas gets fed into your mower, the fuel system will get compromised, as bad gas tends to leave behind sticky deposits that stop fuel flow. A large property will also restrict homeowners from using electric lawn mowers that require the machine to remain plugged into an outlet. A larger lawn or mowing lots of tall grass can strain the battery. Personal Preference — Personal preferences depending on the individual can consist of choosing an electric versus a gas push mower or choosing to go completely low-tech with a standard reel mower. A clean cut helps it regenerate a lot faster and be a healthier plant in the long run.”. Cut fortnightly in early spring. The standard rule for choosing a lawn mower based on yard size is that for yards no larger than 1/2 an acre, stick with a push mower. The roots of the grass are not very deep, so be gentle by minimizing turns with your mower. A lot of windows are broken by lawn mowers slinging stuff and a lot of people have gone to the hospital with shrapnel wounds.”. When this happens, the carburetor will suffocate and the engine will run poorly and often will shut off when it needs more fuel. Able to mow and … Be careful with a mower on newly sodded grass or new lawns grown from seed. If a carburetor needs adjusting too much though, it can mean that the inlet bores on it are too dirty to allow enough fuel in. As seen in Forbes, CNBC and USA Today, LawnStarter makes it easy to schedule service with a local lawn care professional. See the chart below for details. Get easy-to-understand, actionable yard tips that will give you the greenest grass on the block. This increase in fuel allows the piston to keep … The standard wisdom has changed in the past few decades about grass clippings. Mow cool season grasses to a height of 3+ inches, and cut warm season grasses as low as half an inch and up to 1.5 inches. The loss of air flow to the engine caused by too tall or too thick grass or a dirty air filter is often the reason a mower engine stalls. A few decades ago, lawn clippings were thought to contribute to thatching, so the common practice when mowing your lawn was to bag lawn clippings and discard them. How long has it been since you filled your mower gas tank? The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the design of the mower, but generally is adjustable by the operator, typically by a single master lever, or by a lever or nut and bolt on each of the machine's wheels. An uneven, tatty appearance and torn leaves are your cues that it’s time to sharpen the blade. Whenever possible, avoid the outdoor use of power tools on Sunday. That means you might be cutting twice a week when the grass is in its peak growing season, but the payoff will be a healthier, better-looking lawn. For lawns larger than 1/2 an acre, the homeowner should begin to consider a riding mower, which will save time and energy for the user. Often, that can mean regularly scheduled weekly mowing, but it can vary. But allow yourself to be a bit less compulsive when you run the risk of a heat stroke or heart attack.”, Leahy agrees. Take a look at the evenness of the cut and whether the individual blades of grass have been neatly sheared.