The First Cut for the First Spring Mow!

Like a baby after a long nap , I go to bed with a dormant winter lawn, and when I wake up, the grass seeds have grown three inches and are suddenly vibrantly green. There are tiny leaves on the trees that weren’t there yesterday and blossoms on the trees where I hardly even noticed buds. And it gets me itching for the smell of freshly mowed lawn!

But with the erratic weather in Sanford, NC it’s hard to know when it’s time to haul out the mower and get to work.

So when, exactly, is the right time to give your lawn its first Spring mow?

Here are some tips from your local lawn care experts! If you are noticing new green grass growing in your lawn, it means the ground has warmed up sufficiently, and mowing no longer poses a erratic weather and fragile root systems. Often, it’s hard to know whether your yard is too wet to mow, so go out and take a walk around. If you are sinking into the ground, it is too wet. If your shoes get wet, but you aren’t getting a few inches deep, the conditions aren’t ideal, but you can proceed with a few suggestions.

Below, you’ll find easy ways from your lawn care company, to minimize the risk of damaging your healthy lawn.

Mowing Tips

Keep your mower blades sharp – Having sharp blades will give you a cleaner cut and may catch wet grass that would otherwise “duck” under a dull blade. Your local garden center may provide sharpening services.

Push your mower slowly, so the mower blades have time to catch wet grass. 

Remember that each grass type has its own cutting height. You can search “lawn and garden” websites to find out how many inches you can cut depending on your grass type. 

Don’t try to bag it, and turn off the mulching setting, which will make the grass clump more. 

Cut on the highest blade setting – this will help prevent clumping, which can collect on areas of your lawn and kill it. 

Mow the perimeter of your lawn first, so that you blow grass clippings away from the center of your yard. 

Overlap your rows so that you are only cutting “half rows”. This will take longer, but produce less frustration as you’ll gunk up your mower less frequently. 

Occasionally turn your mower off, wait until the mower blades have completely stopped spinning, and wearing gloves, remove grass clippings that have accumulated under the mowing deck. 

If you have any questions about Spring lawn care services, or if you are ready to turn your lawn over to the professionals at Green Garden Landscaping, contact us at any time for a free quote.