This week I received multiple phone calls from concerned customers about lots of weeds near the borders of their lawn. After doing several inspections, I found that these lawns were edged and trimmed too short! I was both alarmed and relieved at what I found (relieved because it turned out we weren’t doing such a bad job after all), but alarmed at some of the mowing/trimming practices that no weed control program can overcome. Mowing or trimming your lawn too short has a few negative effects:
- A decrease in root growth and vigor.
- More sunlight is available to the soil surface increases the probability of weed seed germination, particularly crabgrass!
- Your lawn will be generally less healthy, and subsequently more susceptible to disease, bug problems, and drought.
Here are a few guidelines for cutting/trimming your lawn:
- Your lawn’s cutting height should be between 3 and 4 inches-the longer the better is our opinion
- When you mow/trim, take no more than one-third of the total length off your grass. Removing more can injure your lawn!
- Don’t trim the edges shorter than what you mow at!
Here is a picture of a lawn in Nampa, Idaho that has been edged/trimmed improperly, notice the crabgrass all along the curbing:
