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I used to get someone else to cut my yard because I hated it. Didn't even own a mower. Now I own 3 because of the 91 year old woman across the street that mows and trims her lawn herself. I think the vitamin d and exercise she gets keeps her independent and functioning. During covid she didn't miss a beat. She still drives and shops on her own. Her and her 70 yr old daughter spend a good deal of time in the yard almost every day. I make sure I get out there at least 3 times a week no matter how busy I get. I now watch a ton of landscape vids and have learned a lot thanks to people like you. Thank goodness I have almost a half acre with trees. During the winter the leaves keep me busy.
When I first heard about mowing twice a week, I thought it was insane! But starting this season, I've been doing the lawn myself (after firing my landscaping co that mowed once a week) and it's the best thing I could've done. Lawn looks great! Thanks for your advice. Very helpful video.
That's awesome...between you and me I sometimes think if I took a few weeks off of filming and editing I could just mow in peace 4-5 times a week. lol - enjoy it Tim :D
The comment about hitting things in the lawn was spot on! I live next to a golf course and didnt do a yard walk once. No worse sound ever than hitting a golf ball with your mower!
I decided to mow over a large patch of Asian jasmine I want to dig out and didn’t realize there was a sprinkler head under it. It had to have been sticking up at least 4” when I clipped it. The mower shut down and I worried I’d damaged it. The sound it made was crazy loud. Destroyed the sprinkler but mower turned right back on!
Warm season lawn here. I get fine results by letting the lawn get a little shaggy on purpose to beat the heat and cut it every 6-7 days one notch from the top mower height. I bag clippings the first half of the year to minimize weed spread and mulch the second half and this has been ok for my bermuda grass. Almost everyone here in the south cuts their grass way too short and too often in my humble opinion. I have one of the best lawns on the block with less mowing, but I use better quality weed/feed products, and can water somewhat less because longer grass holds more water on its own which is common sense. By the way your lawn looks great!
I benefit from being at home all the time but if I wasn't here I'd try to mow parts of my lawn whenever I could even if I didn't have the time to do it all at once. I never talk about that in my videos but between you and me I rarely mow all my lawn in one stretch. I did for this video but doing that means I have to clean all of the yard up, move all of the playground stuff, trim everywhere and generally have the kids away from me for a while. I usually water one zone one day one and then mow that area the next day and then move on to zone 2, then zone 3 with each passing day. Parts of my yard grow faster than others so those I sometimes mow those faster growth areas every couple days since I have a mower out there most of the time.
It’s hard to cut once a week much less twice for me. Right now I am struggling to cut it once per week with family and kids and work. But so far have not missed a cut since the season starting. Twice is virtually impossible
I can't bring myself to cut after 3days, but every 4days last year and this year is working out great. Much thicker lawn with fewer weeds. This year was the first without preemergent and weed killer and we have the fewest weeds on the block. Much less room for weeds when the grass is thick, and weeds are much easier to find and pull when the grass is cut often.
Agreed about not using pre-emergence or broadleaf weed killer. Only problem is in early spring, but thick turf has no weeds in my experience and all weeds are usually gone by end of May.
Some weeks I find the time hard to find too; even if you wait a fifth of sixth day it's always better than waiting a full 7. We do out best and try to enjoy the journey in the end, that's the important part.
I agree with everything you said in this video Brian. Such a big difference this year so far with how thick/dense my lawn is turning out from mowing 2-3 times a week. I mulch my clippings and the recycling of the nutrients is such a great help with being able to cut out an entire application of fertilizer annually. Keep up the awesome work! Btw as you already know, your lawn is looking really beautiful bro!
Im planning on killing and starting over in early September and I am thrilled to get a nice lawn after 2 decades of the prior home owners neglecting it. Plus I have a striping kit for my tractor
We have the nicest yard in the neighborhood..we mow 2x a week..fertilize 3x a year....we have 9 flower beds and a garden plot we maintain..I'm in excellent health..do all my own house work and walk 15- 20 miles a week...5 years ago I did all this and worked a full time job.
Excellent advice. I mow 2 to 3 times a week on my Bermuda lawn. I bag most of the time but do mulch here and there. It truly makes a difference. Also organic fertilizer is used from time to time. I have very few weeds and they just plain give up with frequent cutting. Another benefit is it keeps me moving.
I have removed my mulch kit from my 72 inch this summer. Way less fuel used, fewer sharpenings, less dust, lower coolant temperatures, less wear/ rust on parts. Mow my 5 acres of Bermuda in 1/2 the time now. Doesn't look as good but the money savings is huge when mowing a big property. I have been an advocate for mulching for years, never agreed with the added nitrogen levels when mulching though. I will probably never mulch again unless I have a small lawn.
I've been mowing every other day this season. It seems like the more I mow, the more it wants to grow. I love it. Thanks for all the great info you put out there for us hobbyists.
Long ago I had an Uncle with the nicest St. Augustine lawn I ever saw. He was a Middle School Science Teacher and he only cut his lawn on a very high cut almost the maximum height with his cheap gasoline powered rotary (not reel/cylinder) mower and eventually he got to a point where even in the hot humid summers of Southeast Louisiana he could cut every 3 weeks! His lawn frequently was selected by a local Garden Club as the Yard of the Month. My father owned the vacant lot next door to my Uncle’s property and we cut our lot weekly with a riding mower but it never ever looked anything like his lawn turf. His was an “island” between poorer lawns. I suspect he may have done other things to get his lawn look so good but he never told my Dad or us. Whatever he did he took his techniques to the grave with him. He rests in Peace in a Mausoleum but had he been laid to rest in the ground I suspect he would have the nicest turf above his plot in eternal rest!
I may start doing this. It takes me over two hours to mow my lawn but I love doing it so much that sometimes I look at it after I mow and I wish I could mow it again. I’ll miss the dandelions though, I don’t care what anyone says, they look good in the yard.
I'm already at every 4 days. Just like my last former property, once I learned how to do a better job at promoting grass growth. My current new property had some neglect issues from the former owners which are already starting to look better, with a lot of work in the back yard and minimal work in the front yard. Amendments are starting going in this week. Again, it's nice having a smaller property plot.. it's manageable and not super expensive.
Bought a home with crappy grass. Lots of bare spots and tons of weeds. I’ve done pre emergent. Spraying for weeds and what not. This yr I started to cut it twice a week and it’s the best it ever looked. Definitely the most important thing one can do. Oh and I only mulch.
Great video Brian. Mowing is one of the easiest things you can do to promote the health of your lawn. I typically mow at least 3x per week and it really makes a difference.
Excelling advice, thanks! I did the mulch "recycler" thing for many years. Somehow for me it didn't quite live up to the hype so I'm exclusively bagging now. Mowing every three or four days, the bag will have hardly any clippings.
You can bag your clippings, but you will miss out on the free nitrogen from the clippings. You may therefore need to add extra fertilizer to make up for it. In addition, you'll miss out on the free organic matter that can be added to your soil.
As soon as this video started I thought to myself, yep, gotta mow again. This year it’s growing super fast and I haven’t watered it once, or even fertilized yet. It has been cooler than normal so far with only two days going up to 90º. Tomorrow it’ll be a high 0f 68º.
Totally agree. My grass (tall fescue/kbg) is growing so fast I’m needing to cut it twice a week. My last mow was Saturday and I should have cut it yesterday-seedheads galore! I’m on it Brian. Thanks!
I've considered making a video about seed heads because we all have them this time of year; don't worry about them, keep to your mowing plan, growth will slow as summer gets closer. Enjoy the mow as often as possible!
My tip for mulching is to use a mulch disc with Four high lift blades with no mulch plug. Remove the plastic spacer-guard from under the motor and refitted 15 mm spacer bushes on the motor securing bolts to increase airflow. Cut the bottom off the plastic catcher then fix it in the top of the catcher to block the air outlets. Run the motor on full speed this will blast out the clippings down into grass. Cut with the uncut grass on the Left this will recycle any clipping that have been blown out to the left..
I use gator g5 mulching blades on my Toro Zero-turn, try to bag every third time or if the grass got away from me a little, most of the time I just side discharge. Usually cut it every 3-4 days until hot summer, then go about every 3-5 days, depending on how much rain we got or will get, my yard is way to big to water, so I only water “trouble spots”. I also have a striping kit installed, I usually get killer stripes, even with mulching blades.
THIS!! Yes, those battery mowers make frequent mowing sessions soooo much easier and less disruptive to everyone in the home and nearby neighborhood! I do chunks of my lawn at a time some weeks, a little here a little there and no one even really notices I did anything at all! :D
Tip from a commercial mower: sharpen blade often, don't forget to rebalence! Your spindles will thank you. Also, never use mulch blades for mulching. Just overall poor design, doesn't grind very well and no vacuum effect. Always high lift! And I couldn't agree more with what he said in the video. Most people think you'll burn out instantly. Do research on what type of grass you have. That'll help alot when troubleshooting
Excellent comment! I very much agree. I think some mower decks are simply better at mulching than others too but it's hard to test enough decks to give good guidance of mower choice. Grass type also does make a big difference in mowing frequency as some types grow much slower than others and yeah, if you mow often enough then mulching vs high lift blades, vs economy blades almost make no difference at all. My worst mulching mowers mulch just fine on grass that's not overgrown. Sharp blades - way more important than most people realize for many different reasons!
@@TurfMechanicthe old snapper, lawn-boy and toro mowers had excellent suction. The ones I'm referring to had baggers that came up through the top of the deck instead of the back of the machine. These are hard to find now.
Thats alot of play equipment you have to move! If anyone has a reason not to mow, its this guy. There is no excuse not to mow that this man will accept.
I watched Lawn Care Nut and he says the same thing. Problem is my lawn is trashed lol. It’s about 60/40 grass to weeds. I have a little bit of zoysia I’m trying to get to spread but bagging my lawn is hard right now. Takes me 9-12 bags mowing every 4 days or so. Looking forward to when it’s mostly the slowing growing zoysia and I can do the whole yard with only a couple bags 😅
The more often you mow then the less important dry blades are to mowing. Mowing 2" off of long grass that's wet is very different than mowing 1/3" off of wet grass. Mow often and the weather plays a much smaller role into your mowing regimen.
One of the biggest advantages of a robot mower is the regular mowing, and by doing it so often it is snipping a small amount each time with a small blade, rather than hacking a large amount less often. Compare daily shaving to waiting til you have to remove a beard. (I have kikuyu in Australia)
A couple years ago, due to excess fertilization, I was forced to mow every other day. Literally. My KBG wiped out most of my weeds, I only spot sprayed one time the entire season. Almost every thin spot filled in. Now I try to mow twice a week, it really does make a difference. But I don't recommend applying 2.12 pounds of Nitrogen per thousand square feet because even cutting at 3.5 inches every other day you come very close to violating the 1/3 rule. And if it rains on consecutive days you are totally screwed. Tip: always check whether your preemergent also contains Nitrogen, mine turned out to have nearly a pound per thousand! Fortunately all my fertilizers were slow release so nothing burned. But I burned through a lot of ⛽ gasoline. Mow at least twice a week and any & every lawn will look better. Three times and it will look manicured.
I would love to have that luxury, but I have 7 hours of mowing to do each week, and a relatively fast mower; a 28hp, 61" Ferris zero turn. It's a big yard. If I can ever afford a 12' batwing finish mower to pull behind my tractor, I'll mow twice a week. 🙂
@@arneanka4633 Holy crap! I've seen the small, autonomous mowers for homeowners, but I've never looked into commercial ones. Neat tech, Arne! Thanks for pointing that out, but you're right, I'll never spend that much money on a robotic mower, even though it would be amazing.
Great video; however, extended days of May or June rain will dictate the days I mow. I had to go 7 days between mowing, and my lawn was super duper bushy and think. Then, either I’ll double cut, or just bag. Not really a fan of bagging 😡
It's drought here and I cut my grass only when it's high and I cut it at a high setting so my lawn is green while everyone who cuts it low or not high has a brown lawn.
Well done! That's what I advise for most people in summer heat and drough stress. I don't even mow twice a week this time a year either, usually every 5 days or so at this point. Cool season grass slows a lot this time of year even if it stays green.
yes! great idea and it's one I'm actually doing myself this season. My hill yard is getting an upgrade to a mixture of buffalograss and clover to give me green turf that won't require irrigation or supplemental fertilization. The clover will transport nitrogen from the air into the soil over time to feed the grass! More people should incorporate clover into their lawns...and a buffalo clover turf stand will require very little mowing as both types are capable of being a no-mow lawn. Thanks for watching the video and entertaining the concept. :D
@@TurfMechanic Good luck with your clover and grass mixture! If I had my way, I'd have an all clover lawn 'cuz it doesn't need fertilizer, hardly any watering and very little cutting...but I have almost an acre of lawn...and I can't afford to dig it all up and replace it with clover. I have a gravel driveway in full sun all day and the clover is the only plant that can exist in that packed ground without water and still be green and in bloom. But I've noticed that mixing the clover amongst the grass makes the whole lawn look greener in hot, dry weather. Since it also spreads with runners, I'm hoping that it will replace the grass eventually, since I don't water my lawn at all in summer...hoping that the grass will die off. I've also noticed that there are more bees attracted to my property. They come for the clover and stay all summer for the pollinator-friendly perennials in my borders. 😊
Don't worry too much about the seed heads; they will fade away in time on their own. This is the time of year for seed heads no matter how often or short you mow.
I’m starting my 7th decade and have a new tractor/ brush hog and a big hilly field. Every three days? I was thinking every 2 weeks. Although I have a bustling crop of bur cucumber and mowing may be the trick with the. They germinate all spring and summer so if I can stop them from making seeds they say that’s how to control it, aside from chemicals. There’s a groundhog hole in the middle and some ditches. I’m being careful and taking breaks.
for me, my lawn being perfect, is something way down on my list of things to worry about and do. i might go 10 to 14 days not mowing. hell, now that i think about it, i went on vacation for a month. so yeah, 30 some odd days without mowing. lol
Some good tips here. BUT! Where are you located? Some pretty impressive rockery & mountains beyond your fence line. Also, how many times you cut does depend on your grass type & location. Soon here on the East coast our hot hot Summer will begin coupled with fewer rain storms. Once we have sustained high temps - and no rain - once/week at highest level is enough. Any more than this the sun & temps burn the roots. Grass goes dormant.
I can barely tolerate mowing once a week and you say I should do twice? Sounds like hell on earth to me. I hate mowing the lawn. However, I do use the clippings in the compost bin
There's no right answer, if it was me and I didn't see any seed heads from weeds I'd just mulch. I only bag if I have to for some reason. Awesome though that your new fescue is doing so well though! Well done! Also nice to see it's this nice in the first half of October! It can still mature quite a bit before winter. 😃
Well, you will get your steps in. However, is this guy in California or some great growing location? In New York my grass does not look like that. I appreciate the tips though, you have a great lawn.
with new sod you probably don't have any weeds so I'd say any time from roughly April through October (when soil temps are above 55) mulch away. In the fringe months bagging is typically better as the clippings (and leaves) will break down so slowly. It's just a rule of thumb thats easy to remember so as is always the case, use your own judgement.
Takes me 20 min to mow my lawn start to finish without filming. Its all about values in life. I usually mow while the kids are outside playing, I get the job done while I'd be out spending time with them anyway. I also only manage a small area of my property to keep time invested low. Nobody needs to be rich to mow regularly.
I mow my front and side KBG every other day and my backyard every 3 or 4 days. Neighbors think I'm nuts. Neighbor's wife's ask their husbands why their lawns don't look like mine. I'm recently retired, so that makes it easier for me.
lol, aint nobody got time for that! So long as you are using your time doing other cooler things :D If the lawn looks great then don't change a thing. :)
I have a few humps in my yard near old tree stumps, etc... that gets easily scalped if you don't watch it. Then you have to sprinkle the area to get it back. Holes, I fill in with topsoil from Lowe's. Back to the humps. What's the best way to mash those areas down? Tamper, sledgehammer, or tiller?
I reel mow every other day. Since I’m retired I have the time but I wait til the neighbors go to work. They already think I’m crazy. Everyone else in the neighborhood mow every Saturday, once a week. To them it’s just another chore, not me, I love mowing
If I had a yard that small I could manage to mow twice a week. Living in the mountains with 1.5 acres to up keep with a push mower and string trimmer just isn't an option unless you have 2 full 8 hour days a week to dedicate. With work and family that's just not really possible. Still, decent advice for someone with less on their plate.
Is it better to bag clippings that contain weeds? I'm in the process of giving my newly purchased property some needed TLC as it was totally neglected. Thanks for all your helpful videos and advice.
I usually recommend bagging clippings from a weedy yard until weeds are under control. See my bag vs mulch video from a couple weeks ago for more of my thoughts on that topic.
You can for sure but it's a process of patience. Each fescue plant will tiller out more and more but you can only make so much progress. If there's enough space between each bunch only new seed will fill in the gaps.
Lol, you've got your system dialed in! 😃 Not what I recommend to others but I won't knock what works for you! I agree, wasting water isn't worth it either, summer dormancy isn't a bad thing if you expect it and are fine with it. ✌️
Paver stones actually- paver borders under the chain link and I sunk 4x8 pavers into the ground upright under the garden fence to edge and to limit the growth of grasses or weeds going in either direction.
I sure have but I use battery mowers so gas prices dont affect my mowing...also I think it's a great idea to tend to a smaller space. One of my most recent videos is about mowing less space instead of more. I mow only approximately 4% of my property regularly, 2500 sqft out of 66k. Nothing wrong with keeping a small yard within a larger property imo.
Both from Amazon, bought both in Spring 2019. This is the slide www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FWLNJDQ/ it's starting to show wear from lots of kids on it over the years. The jungle gym is the same but holding up a bit better, it's all metal: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004K0Q8LG/ Looking to maybe add a trampoline sometime soon but may wait one more year. Anything to keep the kids playing outside more often is worth it in my book.
It only costs millions every time I hit the pump 😂 you should check out my counter to this video from last week titled "stop mowing the grass: its not that important" there's multiple sides to everything and I always try to see both sides. Thanks for watching Jim!
I live up north. I mow three or four times a year. Maybe five if we have a lot of rain. No way I am mowing twice a week!! Obviously, if you live in Seattle you are going to mow a lot more often than if you live in Blythe (Ca.) Folks in Texas might still be mowing in November, while in Wyoming the grass has been dormant for two months. 7 reasons not to mow twice a week: 1) It's work. 2) It's still work. 3) I've got better things to do with my time. 4,5,6) See 1,2 and 3. 7) Why waste so much time, effort and money on something that's only going to be green three months a year no matter what I do anyway?
If you have bermudagrass, and take care of it (fertilize, water, aerate, ect,) and like a nice lawn, you need to cut every other day (if not every day) during the growing season. Bermudagrass should be kept anywhere from a 1/4 - 5/8" long. You can only achieve this with a reel mower. A rotary mower will not mow this low.
This is going to tough. Weekdays I can only mow before 9:30 am. And this time of year there’s almost always dew at these times. So is it ok to mow with wet dewy grass or better to mow once a week?
If you mow twice per week then those dewey mornings shouldn't clog up a mower. If you can then do the dewey morning mows on the third day and the dry mows on the fourth day. Should be fine plus through hotter times of year the morning mows are healthier for the grass anyway.
You must have a lot of kids and are a great dad! Look at all those toys, jungle gym and swing-set! I just do the 1/3 rule. Send these people that mow their lawn every three days, are ridiculous, IMO.
Seriously , it all depends on where you live . Where I used to live twice a week or you had a hay paddock . Where I live now , 6 or 7 months without getting the lawn mower out .
I will pass on this idea. With gas prices through the roof now , I will cut my grass when I feel it needs it. Could be once a week, once every other week - and when it gets to a decent height. So that is my thought on grass cutting.
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I used to get someone else to cut my yard because I hated it. Didn't even own a mower. Now I own 3 because of the 91 year old woman across the street that mows and trims her lawn herself. I think the vitamin d and exercise she gets keeps her independent and functioning. During covid she didn't miss a beat. She still drives and shops on her own. Her and her 70 yr old daughter spend a good deal of time in the yard almost every day. I make sure I get out there at least 3 times a week no matter how busy I get. I now watch a ton of landscape vids and have learned a lot thanks to people like you. Thank goodness I have almost a half acre with trees. During the winter the leaves keep me busy.
Yea i have a full time job so once a week is pretty good for me
literally the answer i’ve been looking for for years about why grass grows better when it’s cut, thank you!!!’nn
No prob, glad to help!
When I first heard about mowing twice a week, I thought it was insane! But starting this season, I've been doing the lawn myself (after firing my landscaping co that mowed once a week) and it's the best thing I could've done. Lawn looks great! Thanks for your advice. Very helpful video.
I reel mow 3-4 times a week, it's my exercise and relaxation time.
That's awesome...between you and me I sometimes think if I took a few weeks off of filming and editing I could just mow in peace 4-5 times a week. lol - enjoy it Tim :D
The comment about hitting things in the lawn was spot on! I live next to a golf course and didnt do a yard walk once. No worse sound ever than hitting a golf ball with your mower!
😱😱🤯
I decided to mow over a large patch of Asian jasmine I want to dig out and didn’t realize there was a sprinkler head under it. It had to have been sticking up at least 4” when I clipped it. The mower shut down and I worried I’d damaged it. The sound it made was crazy loud. Destroyed the sprinkler but mower turned right back on!
Time to put this to the test!
Warm season lawn here. I get fine results by letting the lawn get a little shaggy on purpose to beat the heat and cut it every 6-7 days one notch from the top mower height. I bag clippings the first half of the year to minimize weed spread and mulch the second half and this has been ok for my bermuda grass. Almost everyone here in the south cuts their grass way too short and too often in my humble opinion. I have one of the best lawns on the block with less mowing, but I use better quality weed/feed products, and can water somewhat less because longer grass holds more water on its own which is common sense. By the way your lawn looks great!
I agree. Mowing often makes a big difference. It’s tough sometimes with kids and work, but if you can squeeze in a mow then do it.
I benefit from being at home all the time but if I wasn't here I'd try to mow parts of my lawn whenever I could even if I didn't have the time to do it all at once. I never talk about that in my videos but between you and me I rarely mow all my lawn in one stretch. I did for this video but doing that means I have to clean all of the yard up, move all of the playground stuff, trim everywhere and generally have the kids away from me for a while. I usually water one zone one day one and then mow that area the next day and then move on to zone 2, then zone 3 with each passing day. Parts of my yard grow faster than others so those I sometimes mow those faster growth areas every couple days since I have a mower out there most of the time.
@@TurfMechanic Nice. Your approach Is like a well oiled machine.
@@jwilliamsloggedin thanks John! Some weeks feel squeaky but it all works out over the season. 😀
It’s hard to cut once a week much less twice for me. Right now I am struggling to cut it once per week with family and kids and work. But so far have not missed a cut since the season starting. Twice is virtually impossible
I can't bring myself to cut after 3days, but every 4days last year and this year is working out great. Much thicker lawn with fewer weeds. This year was the first without preemergent and weed killer and we have the fewest weeds on the block. Much less room for weeds when the grass is thick, and weeds are much easier to find and pull when the grass is cut often.
I can’t get myself to do it more than 7 days, but I need to get on board and see if for myself
I try to do every three or four. I split it up, do it in sections at night when it’s not so hot.
Now cut one inch higher
Agreed about not using pre-emergence or broadleaf weed killer. Only problem is in early spring, but thick turf has no weeds in my experience and all weeds are usually gone by end of May.
Excellent points here👍The hardest thing for me is finding the time to get in that second cut.
Some weeks I find the time hard to find too; even if you wait a fifth of sixth day it's always better than waiting a full 7. We do out best and try to enjoy the journey in the end, that's the important part.
I agree with everything you said in this video Brian. Such a big difference this year so far with how thick/dense my lawn is turning out from mowing 2-3 times a week. I mulch my clippings and the recycling of the nutrients is such a great help with being able to cut out an entire application of fertilizer annually. Keep up the awesome work! Btw as you already know, your lawn is looking really beautiful bro!
Im planning on killing and starting over in early September and I am thrilled to get a nice lawn after 2 decades of the prior home owners neglecting it. Plus I have a striping kit for my tractor
@@TheAlphapuck5280 Nice! What grass type are you going with for the renovation?
@@Megatron_83 same blend as Ryan. I'm in NE Ohio so it will work well
I mowed my lawn every 3-4 days this summer and it looked fantastic. I will be doing this every year from now on.
We have the nicest yard in the neighborhood..we mow 2x a week..fertilize 3x a year....we have 9 flower beds and a garden plot we maintain..I'm in excellent health..do all my own house work and walk 15- 20 miles a week...5 years ago I did all this and worked a full time job.
Please teach me your ways
Excellent advice. I mow 2 to 3 times a week on my Bermuda lawn. I bag most of the time but do mulch here and there. It truly makes a difference. Also organic fertilizer is used from time to time. I have very few weeds and they just plain give up with frequent cutting. Another benefit is it keeps me moving.
I have removed my mulch kit from my 72 inch this summer. Way less fuel used, fewer sharpenings, less dust, lower coolant temperatures, less wear/ rust on parts. Mow my 5 acres of Bermuda in 1/2 the time now. Doesn't look as good but the money savings is huge when mowing a big property. I have been an advocate for mulching for years, never agreed with the added nitrogen levels when mulching though. I will probably never mulch again unless I have a small lawn.
I've been mowing every other day this season. It seems like the more I mow, the more it wants to grow. I love it. Thanks for all the great info you put out there for us hobbyists.
Yeap I hear ya brother. Same recipe and finally I'm on my way...
Where do you live that you even have noticable growth in two days?
@@alansach8437 Costa Rica. Here in the tropic is serious business. Right now we are in the middle of raining season, 1 inch every three days average.
@@alansach8437 Zone 6b
Long ago I had an Uncle with the nicest St. Augustine lawn I ever saw. He was a Middle School Science Teacher and he only cut his lawn on a very high cut almost the maximum height with his cheap gasoline powered rotary (not reel/cylinder) mower and eventually he got to a point where even in the hot humid summers of Southeast Louisiana he could cut every 3 weeks! His lawn frequently was selected by a local Garden Club as the Yard of the Month. My father owned the vacant lot next door to my Uncle’s property and we cut our lot weekly with a riding mower but it never ever looked anything like his lawn turf. His was an “island” between poorer lawns. I suspect he may have done other things to get his lawn look so good but he never told my Dad or us. Whatever he did he took his techniques to the grave with him. He rests in Peace in a Mausoleum but had he been laid to rest in the ground I suspect he would have the nicest turf above his plot in eternal rest!
You make a very compelling argument for 2x a week mowing Brian. Excellent vid as usual.
I may start doing this. It takes me over two hours to mow my lawn but I love doing it so much that sometimes I look at it after I mow and I wish I could mow it again. I’ll miss the dandelions though, I don’t care what anyone says, they look good in the yard.
theyre also really good for bees. you should let them grow for the firsts few weeks in may!
I'm already at every 4 days. Just like my last former property, once I learned how to do a better job at promoting grass growth. My current new property had some neglect issues from the former owners which are already starting to look better, with a lot of work in the back yard and minimal work in the front yard. Amendments are starting going in this week. Again, it's nice having a smaller property plot.. it's manageable and not super expensive.
Bought a home with crappy grass. Lots of bare spots and tons of weeds. I’ve done pre emergent. Spraying for weeds and what not. This yr I started to cut it twice a week and it’s the best it ever looked. Definitely the most important thing one can do. Oh and I only mulch.
Great video Brian. Mowing is one of the easiest things you can do to promote the health of your lawn. I typically mow at least 3x per week and it really makes a difference.
That's some serious dedication! 3x per week is hard to maintain for even the minority. Well done :)
@@TurfMechanic Only doable because it takes me 30 mins to mow with the Timemaster haha
Excelling advice, thanks!
I did the mulch "recycler" thing for many years. Somehow for me it didn't quite live up to the hype so I'm exclusively bagging now. Mowing every three or four days, the bag will have hardly any clippings.
You can bag your clippings, but you will miss out on the free nitrogen from the clippings. You may therefore need to add extra fertilizer to make up for it. In addition, you'll miss out on the free organic matter that can be added to your soil.
@@phidip2328
That's what I meant. Those fallen clippings did little to nothing.
As soon as this video started I thought to myself, yep, gotta mow again. This year it’s growing super fast and I haven’t watered it once, or even fertilized yet. It has been cooler than normal so far with only two days going up to 90º. Tomorrow it’ll be a high 0f 68º.
Agreed! I cut twice a week.
I mow Monday and Friday, have too, grass grows so fast!
9 acres here.
That's just not gonna happen.
Not just from a time involved perspective but with $4.50 a gallon we're at $40+ a pop.
Some sheep or goats?
Same. People in the burbs with matching houses and lawns can primp up their bullshit all they want
@@edcarson3113 That would require approx. $30,000 worth of infrastructure. Mostly fencing.
Most people only want to do this for a select area. For me it's an area my kid plays in and right in front of the house.
Totally agree. My grass (tall fescue/kbg) is growing so fast I’m needing to cut it twice a week. My last mow was Saturday and I should have cut it yesterday-seedheads galore!
I’m on it Brian.
Thanks!
I've considered making a video about seed heads because we all have them this time of year; don't worry about them, keep to your mowing plan, growth will slow as summer gets closer. Enjoy the mow as often as possible!
My tip for mulching is to use a mulch disc with Four high lift blades with no mulch plug. Remove the plastic spacer-guard from under the motor and refitted 15 mm spacer bushes on the motor securing bolts to increase airflow. Cut the bottom off the plastic catcher then fix it in the top of the catcher to block the air outlets. Run the motor on full speed this will blast out the clippings down into grass. Cut with the uncut grass on the Left this will recycle any clipping that have been blown out to the left..
Excellent advice and recommendations. You're the first person I've seen relating engine speed to quality of cut.
I use gator g5 mulching blades on my Toro Zero-turn, try to bag every third time or if the grass got away from me a little, most of the time I just side discharge. Usually cut it every 3-4 days until hot summer, then go about every 3-5 days, depending on how much rain we got or will get, my yard is way to big to water, so I only water “trouble spots”. I also have a striping kit installed, I usually get killer stripes, even with mulching blades.
I don't mind frequent mowing now that I have a battery powered mower that is light, and doesn't disturb the entire neighbourhood with the loud noise.
Just purchased a battery mower. Should have done it years ago…
THIS!! Yes, those battery mowers make frequent mowing sessions soooo much easier and less disruptive to everyone in the home and nearby neighborhood! I do chunks of my lawn at a time some weeks, a little here a little there and no one even really notices I did anything at all! :D
Depends on type of grass, where sunshine is hitting, turf traffic, insects, and water runoff. You should mention these.
Tip from a commercial mower: sharpen blade often, don't forget to rebalence! Your spindles will thank you.
Also, never use mulch blades for mulching. Just overall poor design, doesn't grind very well and no vacuum effect. Always high lift! And I couldn't agree more with what he said in the video. Most people think you'll burn out instantly. Do research on what type of grass you have. That'll help alot when troubleshooting
Excellent comment! I very much agree. I think some mower decks are simply better at mulching than others too but it's hard to test enough decks to give good guidance of mower choice. Grass type also does make a big difference in mowing frequency as some types grow much slower than others and yeah, if you mow often enough then mulching vs high lift blades, vs economy blades almost make no difference at all. My worst mulching mowers mulch just fine on grass that's not overgrown. Sharp blades - way more important than most people realize for many different reasons!
@@TurfMechanicthe old snapper, lawn-boy and toro mowers had excellent suction. The ones I'm referring to had baggers that came up through the top of the deck instead of the back of the machine. These are hard to find now.
Thats alot of play equipment you have to move! If anyone has a reason not to mow, its this guy. There is no excuse not to mow that this man will accept.
lol, love this comment! 😀
I installed robot lawn mowers. They can cut everyday if you want them to. All lawns improved.
I cut my front lawn everyday…ya I love grass and I love mowing 😍
More compaction more aerating. Thanks for the video what part of the world are you in?😊👍🏻
Yeah I'm not mowing my grass more than once a week. I burn 2 gallons of gas every time. And it would also double the wear and tear on my mower.
I used to always say if you cut your yard every 3 to 5 days itll look like better homes and gardens.
I watched Lawn Care Nut and he says the same thing. Problem is my lawn is trashed lol. It’s about 60/40 grass to weeds. I have a little bit of zoysia I’m trying to get to spread but bagging my lawn is hard right now. Takes me 9-12 bags mowing every 4 days or so. Looking forward to when it’s mostly the slowing growing zoysia and I can do the whole yard with only a couple bags 😅
Where I live you mow the grass on a day that is not raining!
The more often you mow then the less important dry blades are to mowing. Mowing 2" off of long grass that's wet is very different than mowing 1/3" off of wet grass. Mow often and the weather plays a much smaller role into your mowing regimen.
I agree with your premise, but at over 5 bucks a gallon for non ethanol gas, some folks may have to decide if the cost if worth it.
Totally makes sense!
One of the biggest advantages of a robot mower is the regular mowing, and by doing it so often it is snipping a small amount each time with a small blade, rather than hacking a large amount less often. Compare daily shaving to waiting til you have to remove a beard. (I have kikuyu in Australia)
Shaving a beard is easier than stubble
A couple years ago, due to excess fertilization, I was forced to mow every other day. Literally. My KBG wiped out most of my weeds, I only spot sprayed one time the entire season. Almost every thin spot filled in.
Now I try to mow twice a week, it really does make a difference.
But I don't recommend applying 2.12 pounds of Nitrogen per thousand square feet because even cutting at 3.5 inches every other day you come very close to violating the 1/3 rule. And if it rains on consecutive days you are totally screwed.
Tip: always check whether your preemergent also contains Nitrogen, mine turned out to have nearly a pound per thousand!
Fortunately all my fertilizers were slow release so nothing burned. But I burned through a lot of ⛽ gasoline.
Mow at least twice a week and any & every lawn will look better. Three times and it will look manicured.
KBG loves the nitrogen.
Good point. One reason for not mowing your lawn 2-3 times a week. Because F that!
Lol! This is probably the best counter argument I've read yet! Thanks for giving me a chuckle this morning! 😅
For all of you that love mowing the lawn so much, won't you be my neighbor?
I would love to have that luxury, but I have 7 hours of mowing to do each week, and a relatively fast mower; a 28hp, 61" Ferris zero turn. It's a big yard. If I can ever afford a 12' batwing finish mower to pull behind my tractor, I'll mow twice a week. 🙂
You probably can't afford it without a second mortgage but Husqvarna Ceora is the right thing for you.
@@arneanka4633 Holy crap! I've seen the small, autonomous mowers for homeowners, but I've never looked into commercial ones. Neat tech, Arne! Thanks for pointing that out, but you're right, I'll never spend that much money on a robotic mower, even though it would be amazing.
@@throngcleaver The intended audience is airports, parks and castles. Not average Joe in a big garden.
@@arneanka4633 That's for sure!
@@throngcleaver would you consider changing some of the areas to meadow rather than lawn?
Great video; however, extended days of May or June rain will dictate the days I mow. I had to go 7 days between mowing, and my lawn was super duper bushy and think. Then, either I’ll double cut, or just bag. Not really a fan of bagging 😡
It's drought here and I cut my grass only when it's high and I cut it at a high setting so my lawn is green while everyone who cuts it low or not high has a brown lawn.
Well done! That's what I advise for most people in summer heat and drough stress. I don't even mow twice a week this time a year either, usually every 5 days or so at this point. Cool season grass slows a lot this time of year even if it stays green.
I get it bro, but I got a fkng great life I like to be a part of. No freaking way I’m mowing that often. Great content though.👍👍
My robot lawn mower mow everyday
My mower has a can do attitude. It looks at the grass and says "Thats a alot of grass, but yea, I can do that"!
Yeah right...like I have nothing better to do.
Plant clover...very little care needed...and cut twice a MONTH.
yes! great idea and it's one I'm actually doing myself this season. My hill yard is getting an upgrade to a mixture of buffalograss and clover to give me green turf that won't require irrigation or supplemental fertilization. The clover will transport nitrogen from the air into the soil over time to feed the grass! More people should incorporate clover into their lawns...and a buffalo clover turf stand will require very little mowing as both types are capable of being a no-mow lawn. Thanks for watching the video and entertaining the concept. :D
@@TurfMechanic Good luck with your clover and grass mixture!
If I had my way, I'd have an all clover lawn 'cuz it doesn't need fertilizer, hardly any watering and very little cutting...but I have almost an acre of lawn...and I can't afford to dig it all up and replace it with clover.
I have a gravel driveway in full sun all day and the clover is the only plant that can exist in that packed ground without water and still be green and in bloom.
But I've noticed that mixing the clover amongst the grass makes the whole lawn look greener in hot, dry weather. Since it also spreads with runners, I'm hoping that it will replace the grass eventually, since I don't water my lawn at all in summer...hoping that the grass will die off.
I've also noticed that there are more bees attracted to my property. They come for the clover and stay all summer for the pollinator-friendly perennials in my borders. 😊
I mowed 3 times last week because my kbg was/is seeding like crazy. I plan to hit the lawn twice every week this year.
Don't worry too much about the seed heads; they will fade away in time on their own. This is the time of year for seed heads no matter how often or short you mow.
Nice video sr thanks for sharing you time
Thanks Wilvert! Glad you enjoyed the vid. :)
@@TurfMechanic yes I did it I been watching all you videos. You lawn looks amazing.
I’m starting my 7th decade and have a new tractor/ brush hog and a big hilly field. Every three days? I was thinking every 2 weeks. Although I have a bustling crop of bur cucumber and mowing may be the trick with the. They germinate all spring and summer so if I can stop them from making seeds they say that’s how to control it, aside from chemicals. There’s a groundhog hole in the middle and some ditches. I’m being careful and taking breaks.
Maybe plant some native trees to help the land. Less maintenance and many benefits
for me, my lawn being perfect, is something way down on my list of things to worry about and do. i might go 10 to 14 days not mowing. hell, now that i think about it, i went on vacation for a month. so yeah, 30 some odd days without mowing. lol
Some good tips here. BUT! Where are you located? Some pretty impressive rockery & mountains beyond your fence line. Also, how many times you cut does depend on your grass type & location. Soon here on the East coast our hot hot Summer will begin coupled with fewer rain storms. Once we have sustained high temps - and no rain - once/week at highest level is enough. Any more than this the sun & temps burn the roots. Grass goes dormant.
I can barely tolerate mowing once a week and you say I should do twice? Sounds like hell on earth to me. I hate mowing the lawn. However, I do use the clippings in the compost bin
For me during the heavy growing season I mow every other day
New here, great videos! I did a renovation, tall fescue at 4”, getting ready to mow for the first time, should I mulch or bag? Thanks
There's no right answer, if it was me and I didn't see any seed heads from weeds I'd just mulch. I only bag if I have to for some reason. Awesome though that your new fescue is doing so well though! Well done! Also nice to see it's this nice in the first half of October! It can still mature quite a bit before winter. 😃
Good Video
Mow twice a week?!
I'm trying to not mow anything more than twice a year! 😂
I mow once a week. When I can push it to 8 days I feel so happy.
How about a push reel mower then ?
Well, you will get your steps in. However, is this guy in California or some great growing location? In New York my grass does not look like that. I appreciate the tips though, you have a great lawn.
I have new sod. When can I start mulching the grass and not bag them? Thanks
with new sod you probably don't have any weeds so I'd say any time from roughly April through October (when soil temps are above 55) mulch away. In the fringe months bagging is typically better as the clippings (and leaves) will break down so slowly. It's just a rule of thumb thats easy to remember so as is always the case, use your own judgement.
It must be nice to be rich enough to hire somebody to do your lawn that often or to have the time to do so.
Takes me 20 min to mow my lawn start to finish without filming. Its all about values in life. I usually mow while the kids are outside playing, I get the job done while I'd be out spending time with them anyway. I also only manage a small area of my property to keep time invested low. Nobody needs to be rich to mow regularly.
02:34 Where can I get one of the talking mulching lawnmowers with eyes and a willingness to try you mentioned? 😁
I mow my front and side KBG every other day and my backyard every 3 or 4 days.
Neighbors think I'm nuts. Neighbor's wife's ask their husbands why their lawns don't look like mine.
I'm recently retired, so that makes it easier for me.
Once every two weeks! Looks great. Ain't no one got time for 2x a week! lol
lol, aint nobody got time for that! So long as you are using your time doing other cooler things :D If the lawn looks great then don't change a thing. :)
I have a few humps in my yard near old tree stumps, etc... that gets easily scalped if you don't watch it. Then you have to sprinkle the area to get it back. Holes, I fill in with topsoil from Lowe's. Back to the humps. What's the best way to mash those areas down? Tamper, sledgehammer, or tiller?
Ahh I feel your pain it feels like the only cure is to either dig the roots up or build the lawn higher
I reel mow every other day. Since I’m retired I have the time but I wait til the neighbors go to work. They already think I’m crazy. Everyone else in the neighborhood mow every Saturday, once a week. To them it’s just another chore, not me, I love mowing
One day I'll be retired and I'd mow with you and then share a beverage while everyone else is working 😃
Lol that’s a deal……
Oh ya with gas prices being so high
Get yourself a cheap battery mower and you'll never go back to the dark ages!
If I had a yard that small I could manage to mow twice a week. Living in the mountains with 1.5 acres to up keep with a push mower and string trimmer just isn't an option unless you have 2 full 8 hour days a week to dedicate. With work and family that's just not really possible. Still, decent advice for someone with less on their plate.
Is it better to bag clippings that contain weeds? I'm in the process of giving my newly purchased property some needed TLC as it was totally neglected.
Thanks for all your helpful videos and advice.
I usually recommend bagging clippings from a weedy yard until weeds are under control. See my bag vs mulch video from a couple weeks ago for more of my thoughts on that topic.
Thank you so very much
Can you thicken a "fescue" lawn by mowing more often, since fescue don't have stolens????
You can for sure but it's a process of patience. Each fescue plant will tiller out more and more but you can only make so much progress. If there's enough space between each bunch only new seed will fill in the gaps.
Once a month for me, as low as possible. Im certainly not going to waste water on it either. That's ridiculous.
Lol, you've got your system dialed in! 😃 Not what I recommend to others but I won't knock what works for you! I agree, wasting water isn't worth it either, summer dormancy isn't a bad thing if you expect it and are fine with it. ✌️
Is that cement under the fence to make a neat border?
Paver stones actually- paver borders under the chain link and I sunk 4x8 pavers into the ground upright under the garden fence to edge and to limit the growth of grasses or weeds going in either direction.
Most lawns in Sweden are cut every day. We use robot lawn movers.
lol have you seen gs prices? ive been considering only cutting the stuff near my house
I sure have but I use battery mowers so gas prices dont affect my mowing...also I think it's a great idea to tend to a smaller space. One of my most recent videos is about mowing less space instead of more. I mow only approximately 4% of my property regularly, 2500 sqft out of 66k. Nothing wrong with keeping a small yard within a larger property imo.
Where did you get that slide and dome jungle gym?
Both from Amazon, bought both in Spring 2019. This is the slide www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FWLNJDQ/ it's starting to show wear from lots of kids on it over the years. The jungle gym is the same but holding up a bit better, it's all metal: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004K0Q8LG/ Looking to maybe add a trampoline sometime soon but may wait one more year. Anything to keep the kids playing outside more often is worth it in my book.
Anybody that mows that often is a nutcase , I know I live by one .
With the price of gas , every week is too much, im doing it every 2 weeks now!!!
It only costs millions every time I hit the pump 😂 you should check out my counter to this video from last week titled "stop mowing the grass: its not that important" there's multiple sides to everything and I always try to see both sides. Thanks for watching Jim!
I live up north. I mow three or four times a year. Maybe five if we have a lot of rain. No way I am mowing twice a week!! Obviously, if you live in Seattle you are going to mow a lot more often than if you live in Blythe (Ca.) Folks in Texas might still be mowing in November, while in Wyoming the grass has been dormant for two months.
7 reasons not to mow twice a week:
1) It's work.
2) It's still work.
3) I've got better things to do with my time.
4,5,6) See 1,2 and 3.
7) Why waste so much time, effort and money on something that's only going to be green three months a year no matter what I do anyway?
If you have bermudagrass, and take care of it (fertilize, water, aerate, ect,) and like a nice lawn, you need to cut every other day (if not every day) during the growing season. Bermudagrass should be kept anywhere from a 1/4 - 5/8" long. You can only achieve this with a reel mower. A rotary mower will not mow this low.
This is going to tough. Weekdays I can only mow before 9:30 am. And this time of year there’s almost always dew at these times. So is it ok to mow with wet dewy grass or better to mow once a week?
If you mow twice per week then those dewey mornings shouldn't clog up a mower. If you can then do the dewey morning mows on the third day and the dry mows on the fourth day. Should be fine plus through hotter times of year the morning mows are healthier for the grass anyway.
My yard is to big for that, I now twice a week half at a time
You must have a lot of kids and are a great dad! Look at all those toys, jungle gym and swing-set!
I just do the 1/3 rule. Send these people that mow their lawn every three days, are ridiculous, IMO.
Seriously , it all depends on where you live . Where I used to live twice a week or you had a hay paddock . Where I live now , 6 or 7 months without getting the lawn mower out .
I’ll pass on this. Once a week is fine. I have other things to do. Lol
Two times per week is GREAT!!!!! ..... if you own a gas station ... at $5 a gallon ... whew!!!
given the price of gas once a month is a plenty
The most expensive crop in America is grass.
Wouldn't you want to keep your grass lawn longer and thicker as Summer approaches to reduce weeds growing from your lawn?
Yep. Higher & less often in hot Summer, at least here in Md
I will pass on this idea. With gas prices through the roof now , I will cut my grass when I feel it needs it. Could be once a week, once every other week - and when it gets to a decent height. So that is my thought on grass cutting.
Algorithm comment. Great video!
Love it, thanks and thanks! 😃
annoy the neighbors more over a lawn
Gas prices are too high to mow more than once a week.