How Often Should You Cut Grass?

Last Updated on July 18, 2024

Regular mowing is the most important part of lawn maintenance. It keeps your lawn neat and healthy. The frequency depends upon the seasons and the type of lawn grasses. Make sure you don’t cut the grasses too short. But, the question is how often should you cut grass? Let’s find out the answer.

How Often Should I Cut My Grass?

Coming back to the original question, how often should you cut grass? Well, most of the lawn deserves a trim after every 7 days. We are talking about an average lawn in the UK. Following the 7-day practice will keep the weeds at bay because the lawn grasses will occupy all the available space.

GRASS TYPE

RECOMMENDED

MOWING HEIGHT

(INCHES)

MOW WHEN GRASS REACHES THIS HEIGHT

(INCHES)

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS 2 – 2 3 – 3
TALL FESCUE 2 -3 3 – 4
FINE FESCUE 2 – 2 3 – 3
PERENNIAL RYEGRASS 1  – 2 2 – 3
BERMUDAGRASS 1 – 1 1 – 2
ZOYSIA 1 – 1 1 – 2
ST. AUGUSTINE 2 – 3 3  – 4
CENTIPEDE 1 – 2 2 – 3
BAHIAGRASS 2 – 3 3 – 4

The type of lawnmower might change your maintenance schedule. For instance, an electric lawn mower is widely preferred for small to medium-sized lawns. If you own such an outdoor tool, then take it for a ride every 7 or a maximum of 10 days.

Things change a bit if you have a manual push mower. These machines work great if you own an ornamental lawn because they are expert in producing super fine cutting results. Use one of them after 3 to 5 days, depending upon the factors we will discuss now.

Why Regular Mowing is Important for Your Lawn?

Even and smooth grasses looks stunning. Plus, regular cutting keeps them healthier. Well, it’s called pruning, cut off the grass blades regularly to bring out their best. Lawn grasses are similar to other plants. This means regular pruning can make them greener. So that your lawn can work as an enthusiasm booster and a happening place where you can relax as well as enjoy.

Weather is a Huge Player

Nature control everything, which also includes the lawn grasses. Their growth rate changes according to the season. Hence, you need to adjust your grass cutting schedule as well.

You need to follow the 7-day schedule practice in autumn and springs because these are the growing seasons. On the other hands, you can reduce the frequency in the summers. Lack of moisture never allows the grasses to grow taller.

So, you can now after every 14 days, especially if you are using a rotary mower. A cylinder mower needs to run after every 7 days. When should you stop cutting grass UK? When the grasses are wet or frosty.

Long Grasses are not Good

Allow the lawn grasses to grow for a long time and then you might lose all of them at once. Yes, all the grasses will burn due to sunrays. It’s similar to the situation when you take off your shirt for the first time in the summers. When the grasses are taller, their lower parts are in shade. When you suddenly cut them, the lower part will be exposed to direct sunlight, which will lead to burns. Bas, isn’t it?

Mowing long grasses also make terrible impacts on their roots. The root growth depends upon its blade’s length. When you cut off a large part at once, the food supply reduces which is not pleasing for their roots.

Apart from that, cutting long grasses results in a big mess. You cannot leave them on the lawn. Otherwise, the surface will be slippery and unsafe to walk on. Cleaning and disposing of them off might take a lot of time and energy. So, what is the best way to cut grass? Do not remove more than one-third of the entire grass length. For instance, if the maximum cutting height in your lawnmower is 75 mm, then mow the lawn before its grasses cross 100 mm. 

What Height Should I Cut My Grass UK?

Mowing the lawn week or twice is not possible for everyone. If you want to reduce the frequency, then there is a simple trick. Increase the cutting height of the lawnmower you are using. Almost all modern mowing machines comes with this feature.

Final talk

We hope now you know how often should you cut grass. Schedule the mowing session right after the sunrise when all the dew is dried. You can leave the grass clipping on the lawn and let them work as a natural fertilizer. Also, make sure that there are no toys, pipes or hoses in the garden before starting the mowing sessions.

Mustafizur Rahman
 

Hi there! I'm Mustafizur Rahman, a real dirt-under-the-nails gardener with over 09 years spent in nurseries. After flexing my green thumb for years, I decided to share my knowledge and love for gardening with everyone. That's how Gardengrower.co.uk was born! Here, I put my City & Guilds Horticultural qualifications to good use, writing reliable guides and giving honest reviews of the best gardening tools and products. So, you can skip the research rabbit hole - I've done the digging for you!