As the weather warms and we move into spring, it’s time to start thinking ahead for summer lawn care. Spring is an active growing season for cool-season grasses, and it’s the time when warm-season grasses wake up from their dormancy. As spring turns to summer, the growth of cool-season grasses slows down and warm-season grasses reach their peak growth.
Whether you’re growing cool-season Texas bluegrass or warm-season grasses like zoysia and Bermuda grass, following mowing recommendations during the spring and summer is key to maintaining a healthy lawn and keeping the grass looking nice throughout the year.
How Often Should You Cut the Lawn?
How often you need to mow the lawn depends on how quickly the grass is growing. The general rule is to mow often enough that you’re only cutting off 1/3 of the total height of the grass each time you mow. The exact mowing height you should maintain for a healthy lawn depends on the type of grass in your lawn.
Well-watered grass that is actively growing requires more frequent mowing than grass that is drought-stressed or dormant. Lawns typically need 1 to 1-1/2 inches of water per week to stay green and growing. In springs and summers when you get rain or can irrigate the lawn, it will need to be mowed more frequently. Regular fertilizer applications will also increase how often the lawn needs to be mowed. Make sure not to overwater or overfertilize to help keep the grass growth manageable.
How High Should You Cut Your Grass?
Each type of grass has an ideal cutting range. Keeping the grass close to this height will help it stay healthy, which in turn helps keep weeds from taking over the lawn. If you don’t know what type of grass you have, you can look up guides for identifying grass species online.
- Bahia grass: 2 to 3 inches
- Bermuda grass: ½ to 1½ inches
- Bluegrass: 1½ to 2½ inches
- Centipede grass: 1½ to 2½ inches
- Fescues: 1½ to 3 inches
- Ryegrass: 1½ to 2½ inches
- Augustine grass: 2 to 4 inches
- Zoysia: ½ to 1½ inches
For well-watered grass in full sun, you can cut the lawn at the lower end of the recommended cutting range. Make sure you don’t cut the lawn shorter than recommended, though, or you’ll stress the grass.
To help lawn grass survive drought and shaded conditions, cut the lawn at the higher end of the cutting range. You can even let the grass grow an inch or so higher than recommended if water is scarce. Cutting higher makes the roots grow deeper, which helps the grass survive with less water.
What About Grasscycling?
Most modern mowers—including the brands and models offered by Richardson Saw & Lawnmower—have a mulching option. The blades in a mulching mower’s cutting deck chop grass clippings up very fine so they are nearly invisible on your lawn. The finer grass clippings also decompose quickly, and they won’t contribute to thatch on your lawn. In fact, leaving the clippings on the lawn can improve the health of grass plants by returning nutrients and moisture to the soil.
Recycling grass clippings in this way, or “grasscycling,” also eliminates the need to bag clippings and cuts down on the amount of yard waste that ends up in landfills. The only times when you need to bag clippings instead of mulching them are if you are mowing a very overgrown lawn or if the grass is diseased and you’re trying to avoid spreading the infection.
What if There are Water Restrictions?
Water conservation is always important to keep in mind when you’re living in Texas. In addition to everyday precautions against wasting water, there are often times in the summer when we have to comply with water restrictions.
When water is scarce, watering lawns and landscape plants isn’t a high priority; we need that water for more important things like drinking. You can help your lawn get by on very little water by increasing the cutting height, leaving grass clippings on the lawn, and cutting back on fertilizer. If you can water the lawn, water deeply and infrequently. Also, make sure you water early in the morning before the sun is up to minimize water lost to evaporation.
Spring and Summer Equipment Essentials
If you’re in the market for a new lawn mower to take on spring and summer grass cutting, Richardson Saw & Lawnmower has you covered. We carry quality homeowner and professional mowers from reliable brands including Honda, Toro, eXmark, Scag, and the battery-powered Ego.
We also carry spreaders for applying fertilizers and sprayers for summer herbicide application. You’ll also find a wide selection of trimmers and edgers here for keeping the edges of the lawn neat and trim all summer. You can browse our selection online or stop by and visit to see what we have and ask any questions you might have.
