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"Mowing incorrectly is 70% of what’s wrong with most lawns and mowing the lawn too
short is the worst thing you can do for your lawn”-Quote from the 2007 book, Lawn
Geek by Trey Rogers, world-class grass expert and the guy the NFL calls when they
want perfect grass for a Super Bowl.
How high should I grow my St. Augustine grass and how do I mow it?
It is getting so hot and dry during the summer in Jacksonville, (April-October), that we
really need to keep our St. Augustine grass on the tall side, at least 31/2 to 4 inches.
Taller grass keeps the soil cool and moist. When a lawn has good moisture holding
capability it can support beneficial microbes that protect our lawns from insect pests.
Taller grass also helps shade out weed seeds and keeps them from sprouting.
Grass in full sun should be a full 4 inches. Grass in the shade can be a little lower, say
31/2 inches. (Picture from The Florida Lawn Handbook from University of Florida.)
When your grass reaches the right height, set your mower deck as high as it will go and
just cut off the tips of the grass each time you cut. Also, if the grass goes brown
quickly and the tips look shredded at the ends it’s being cut with a dull blade.
Try to always cut the grass with a sharp blade. Lawn pests will almost always attack
lawns traumatized by smashing the grass with a dull blade.
I sharpen the blades on my mower at least every fifth time I mow; about once every 2
months. There is a do-hickey for sale at Lowe’s called a Blade Buster. It goes for less
than $10 and holds the blade from turning with a simple thumbscrew against the deck,
(use a piece of cardboard to keep from scratching the paint).
DISCONNECT THE SPARK PLUG BEFORE YOU REMOVE THE MOWER BLADE.
Usually you’ll need a 15mm, ½ inch or 5/8 inch socket or openhanded wrench to remove
the nut holding the blade. It’s usually a good idea to spray some WD 40, etc. onto the
nut an hour or so before you get started, especially if you haven’t done it in a while.
Also, the old formula of Righty/Tighty, Lefty/Loosy, doesn’t always work with lawn
mowers. Since most blades whirl clockwise, they often reverse the threads on some
machines so you need to find that out. On my machine the formula works fine.
short is the worst thing you can do for your lawn”-Quote from the 2007 book, Lawn
Geek by Trey Rogers, world-class grass expert and the guy the NFL calls when they
want perfect grass for a Super Bowl.
How high should I grow my St. Augustine grass and how do I mow it?
It is getting so hot and dry during the summer in Jacksonville, (April-October), that we
really need to keep our St. Augustine grass on the tall side, at least 31/2 to 4 inches.
Taller grass keeps the soil cool and moist. When a lawn has good moisture holding
capability it can support beneficial microbes that protect our lawns from insect pests.
Taller grass also helps shade out weed seeds and keeps them from sprouting.
Grass in full sun should be a full 4 inches. Grass in the shade can be a little lower, say
31/2 inches. (Picture from The Florida Lawn Handbook from University of Florida.)
When your grass reaches the right height, set your mower deck as high as it will go and
just cut off the tips of the grass each time you cut. Also, if the grass goes brown
quickly and the tips look shredded at the ends it’s being cut with a dull blade.
Try to always cut the grass with a sharp blade. Lawn pests will almost always attack
lawns traumatized by smashing the grass with a dull blade.
I sharpen the blades on my mower at least every fifth time I mow; about once every 2
months. There is a do-hickey for sale at Lowe’s called a Blade Buster. It goes for less
than $10 and holds the blade from turning with a simple thumbscrew against the deck,
(use a piece of cardboard to keep from scratching the paint).
DISCONNECT THE SPARK PLUG BEFORE YOU REMOVE THE MOWER BLADE.
Usually you’ll need a 15mm, ½ inch or 5/8 inch socket or openhanded wrench to remove
the nut holding the blade. It’s usually a good idea to spray some WD 40, etc. onto the
nut an hour or so before you get started, especially if you haven’t done it in a while.
Also, the old formula of Righty/Tighty, Lefty/Loosy, doesn’t always work with lawn
mowers. Since most blades whirl clockwise, they often reverse the threads on some
machines so you need to find that out. On my machine the formula works fine.
| Mow Directional Chart |
What is the science to support why taller grass produces a healthier, stronger lawn?
The green leaves of the grass, via a combination of water, minerals, carbon dioxide and light energy from the sun,
produces carbohydrates. Carbo, meaning carbon, and Hydrate, meaning to add water to, (H2O, hydrogen + water).
So carbohydrates are carbon to which has been added hydrogen and oxygen. The word “organic” was originally a
term used by chemists to describe carbon combined with oxygen and hydrogen.
Sugars and starches are the most well known carbohydrates. However, carbohydrates can also be linked with the
elements of nitrogen, sulfur, calcium, magnesium or other minerals to form proteins, fats, bone and tissues found
only in plants, like cellulose or lignin.
This means that the green leaves make all the energy and structure for the plant. If you don’t have enough green
leaves the lawn will be constantly under stress. In nature, insects like chinch bugs and diseases like brown patch
function in the capacity of “garbage collectors” and are attracted to unhealthy, stressed lawns.
The more green leaves in your lawn the more energy in your lawn. A naturally energized lawn does not attract lawn
pests.
Urban Myth #1-The roots feed the plant.
Not true. What the roots do is suck up water from the soil and hopefully the water contains the minerals essential to
plant health.
The roots eat the carbohydrates pumped down to them in the form of sugary sap supplied by the green leaves. The
roots in turn give some of this sap to microbes that trade them minerals for the sugar. Roots only grow when the
green leaves are feeding them and the roots depend on microbes to supply them with minerals.
Urban Myth #2-Cutting the lawn short will kill the weeds.
Wrong...The weeds will grow back. The average lawn has thousands of tiny little weeds seeds in it, because a typical
weed produces thousands of seeds that are scattered by the wind. Here’s what gets rid of weeds...Thick grass that
out-eats them, out-drinks them and shades them out so the tiny little seeds can’t germinate. Lots of minerals in
the soil gets rid of weeds. Weeds are specialists and will grow where they can, but most of them don’t like a rich
diet and certain minerals make them sick. Grass on the other hand likes a rich diet, the more minerals the better.
In fact, grass plants are the most nutritious, carbohydrate-rich plants on earth. We get wheat, corn, barley, rice and
even sugar cane from different types of grass plants.
Urban Myth #3-Cutting the lawn short will thicken the grass.
Definitely No. Cutting a tall lawn frequently, (just the tip remember), will make it grow thicker to crowd out weeds.
People tend to confuse St. Augustine grass with the Bermuda grass they use on the Golf Course. Bermuda grass gets
cranky if it is not cut every few days, watered every day and fed every week. Also, when Bermuda grass thins out
you can throw down some Bermuda grass seed. However, there is no such thing as St. Augustine grass seed. Our
natural nutrition program feeds your lawn so that it can grow thick and crowd out weeds.
“WHICH WAY DO I MOW?"
Paul Tukey, author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual, writes, “Vary your mowing direction each time you mow.
Mow the perimeter of the lawn prior to picking your line and then mow either parallel to your house, next time
perpendicular to and the next time diagonally. This will maintain an upright cut and prevent compacting the lawn”.
Paul also says to try to avoid a circular pattern when you cut as being inefficient and unattractive. The Lawn Geek
has a good diagram based on the hands of a clock to help you alternate the direction of your cut. See Below
The green leaves of the grass, via a combination of water, minerals, carbon dioxide and light energy from the sun,
produces carbohydrates. Carbo, meaning carbon, and Hydrate, meaning to add water to, (H2O, hydrogen + water).
So carbohydrates are carbon to which has been added hydrogen and oxygen. The word “organic” was originally a
term used by chemists to describe carbon combined with oxygen and hydrogen.
Sugars and starches are the most well known carbohydrates. However, carbohydrates can also be linked with the
elements of nitrogen, sulfur, calcium, magnesium or other minerals to form proteins, fats, bone and tissues found
only in plants, like cellulose or lignin.
This means that the green leaves make all the energy and structure for the plant. If you don’t have enough green
leaves the lawn will be constantly under stress. In nature, insects like chinch bugs and diseases like brown patch
function in the capacity of “garbage collectors” and are attracted to unhealthy, stressed lawns.
The more green leaves in your lawn the more energy in your lawn. A naturally energized lawn does not attract lawn
pests.
Urban Myth #1-The roots feed the plant.
Not true. What the roots do is suck up water from the soil and hopefully the water contains the minerals essential to
plant health.
The roots eat the carbohydrates pumped down to them in the form of sugary sap supplied by the green leaves. The
roots in turn give some of this sap to microbes that trade them minerals for the sugar. Roots only grow when the
green leaves are feeding them and the roots depend on microbes to supply them with minerals.
Urban Myth #2-Cutting the lawn short will kill the weeds.
Wrong...The weeds will grow back. The average lawn has thousands of tiny little weeds seeds in it, because a typical
weed produces thousands of seeds that are scattered by the wind. Here’s what gets rid of weeds...Thick grass that
out-eats them, out-drinks them and shades them out so the tiny little seeds can’t germinate. Lots of minerals in
the soil gets rid of weeds. Weeds are specialists and will grow where they can, but most of them don’t like a rich
diet and certain minerals make them sick. Grass on the other hand likes a rich diet, the more minerals the better.
In fact, grass plants are the most nutritious, carbohydrate-rich plants on earth. We get wheat, corn, barley, rice and
even sugar cane from different types of grass plants.
Urban Myth #3-Cutting the lawn short will thicken the grass.
Definitely No. Cutting a tall lawn frequently, (just the tip remember), will make it grow thicker to crowd out weeds.
People tend to confuse St. Augustine grass with the Bermuda grass they use on the Golf Course. Bermuda grass gets
cranky if it is not cut every few days, watered every day and fed every week. Also, when Bermuda grass thins out
you can throw down some Bermuda grass seed. However, there is no such thing as St. Augustine grass seed. Our
natural nutrition program feeds your lawn so that it can grow thick and crowd out weeds.
“WHICH WAY DO I MOW?"
Paul Tukey, author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual, writes, “Vary your mowing direction each time you mow.
Mow the perimeter of the lawn prior to picking your line and then mow either parallel to your house, next time
perpendicular to and the next time diagonally. This will maintain an upright cut and prevent compacting the lawn”.
Paul also says to try to avoid a circular pattern when you cut as being inefficient and unattractive. The Lawn Geek
has a good diagram based on the hands of a clock to help you alternate the direction of your cut. See Below
| Mowing the Lawn Correctly is the #1 Most Important Thing in Lawn Care. |
| Example of Grass Cut when it is Wet |
| Example of Grass Cut Too Short |
| Change Directions Each |
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