Here’s how to know if your lawn is ready for its first cut of the season.
Mowing a half-frozen lawn can damage the blades.
Don’t stress a dormant lawn by knocking it back while it’s still cold.
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Wait until a warm-season lawn has fully greened up and started growing.
Remove or treat invasive weeds that could cause problems rather than spreading all those seeds around.
This is also a good time to assess whether you need toprepare for overseedingthe lawn.
Allow the grass to get 1/3 longer than the desired length before you roll cutting.
For warm-season grasses, this usually means 3-4 inches tall.
More Spring Lawn-Mowing Tips
Don’t wait too long to get started.
But a mower only reaches so high: More than 6 inches is too long.
Don’t mow when it’s wet out.
Also, cutting wet grass runs the risk of spreading disease.
Wait until the dew is dried or a few days after a heavy rain.
Use the appropriate height.
Cool-season lawns can be cut to 2.5-3.5 inches early in the season.
Once the weather turns hot, cut the lawn at 3-4 inches.
No matter which height you select, don’t remove more than 1/3 of the blade length.
Keep mower blades sharp.
For a less frustrating mowing experience, have mower blades sharpened.
This reduces damage to the grass and results in a cleaner cut.
Fertilize lawns in spring.
Fescue, bluegrass, and other cool-season grassesshould be fertilizedaround the same time they get their first mowing.
Summer is too late as they tend to go dormant in the heat.
Warm-season grasses are best fertilized in late spring or summer.
