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I've been mowing my grass at my mower's highest setting (maybe 3" or 4"). I've been reading up on some articles that say that this helps conserve water. However, it seems like everytime I mow the grass, the wheels on my lawn mower presses the grass blades flat since they are so long and so they never get cut.
I can definitely notice the grass is a lot more wet when I mow now. A lot of times, my mulching lawnmower also leaves clumps on the side which presses the grass even more. And if I don't remove those clumps, the grass will die leaving lines of yellow dead grass where the wheels pressed it down.

So my question is....How do I cut my grass evenly without pressing the grass blades flat?

rac1201 said:

I've been mowing my grass at my mower's highest setting (maybe 3" or 4"). I've been reading up on some articles that say that this helps conserve water. However, it seems like everytime I mow the grass, the wheels on my lawn mower presses the grass blades flat since they are so long and so they never get cut.
I can definitely notice the grass is a lot more wet when I mow now. A lot of times, my mulching lawnmower also leaves clumps on the side which presses the grass even more. And if I don't remove those clumps, the grass will die leaving lines of yellow dead grass where the wheels pressed it down.

So my question is....How do I cut my grass evenly without pressing the grass blades flat?

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What kind of mower do you have, and what kind of grass are you working with? My recommendation would be to set your deck height based on the condition of the grass - lots of rain, cut it lower. Sunny and dry, cut it higher. Also, I'd overlap the runs by at least 4" in an attempt to eliminate the wheel valleys. Do you have a bagger with your mower? I also have a mulching mower, but sometimes after finishing I install the baggger and run back over the "clumps" to clean things up properly.

If you have to ask this question you probably need a lawn service company.

RTSB said:

If you have to ask this question you probably need a lawn service company.

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IMHO, it's a perfectly legit question.

RTSB said:

If you have to ask this question you probably need a lawn service company.

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We're all here to learn from each other, so I think it's a good question. If everybody already knew everything, we wouldn't need this forum. Or be here. :thumbsup:

Actually, more I think about it, it's an excellent question, asked very intelligently.

To my eye, nothing matches the cut of a push mower, but the lines they leave in the lawn can last for days, especially when the grass is drier and weak. Everyone around me tells me I mow my grass "too high". I'm usually 1 or 2 notches from the top. In the summer it gets hot and dry here. I tend to leave it longer, and it stays green through all but the longest dry spurts. I get the clumps raked up right away, or, like the OP said, it leaves a nasty spot in only a few days. I've found regular mowing with a side-discharge works better than a mulcher (I've used both). I have a bagger on my JD 14SB, but it's almost useless. It doesn't hold much at all. For my itty bitty yard, I have to empty it at least three or four times a mowing. :thumbdown:

Back to the lines issue, I wonder why no one has ever made a push mower with pneumatic 4" tires. It could easily be done, and most manufaturers have these things right on the parts shelf. I've never had any problem with a pneumatic tire leaving lines, no matter how itty bitty the tire - unlike hard vinyl tires. I may just try it someday.

I hope more people add to this thread. Everyone thinks they 'know how to mow'....yet we all do it a little different....maybe a new trick or two could help us all.

Much of this will depend on your type of grass. For fine fescues, it's going to be difficult to avoid the "tracks" left by push mowers. When possible I mow on the diagonal, and switch the angle at 90 degrees for each mowing. I also generally use a bagger with the push mower - emptying the bag into my dumper cart attached to the tractor. When mowing with the tractor, I use an inside-out attack, pushing the clippings toward the outside border of the area being mowed. If the clippings get too thick, I reverse for one pass to leave a "trough" of clippings that I come back and either rake up into the dumper cart, or pass over with the push mower/bagger to clean up.

Nice pic, mystreba, you do that on your Commadore 64? :laughing: Just kiddin with ya.

I've alwayys wanted to do that....but, edges L and R in your pic...You run over the same edges over and over - GUARANTEEING you'll mat down the edge pass....I don't get it.......Physics for a nice lawn? LOL

Like I said.....it's too much BS for me to empty the clippings over and over....although I like the cut better (and it vacs up little twigs and leaves), I still maintain that with regular mowing, spraying the clippings onto where you mowed, is the best approach....always have. Outward-in circle........(with discharge going toward where you've mown).

Muhammad said:

We're all here to learn from each other, so I think it's a good question. If everybody already knew everything, we wouldn't need this forum. Or be here. :thumbsup:

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This question, like many asked here, is area specific.
I have never had this problem where I live, regardless of the mower I use. I'm having a hard time picturing it in my head, but my grass is quite thick and I have several different varieties, and I cut it much shorter than 3-4 inches(most of the time, I've got bermuda going to seed right now:wink.
I'm quite sure it's a valid question as evidenced by the fact that rac1201 asked it. I would suggest overlapping the row you just cut by a tad and see it this helps(especially if your going in the opposite direction).
Additionally, I never ever cut wet grass. As much as i would like to get the mowing done early when it cool, we almost always reach the dew point here at night, so I wait until it dries before I cut. So: I get to sweat my eggs off every time, but my deck lasts and my grass looks good.

twall said:

Nice pic, mystreba, you do that on your Commadore 64? :laughing: Just kiddin with ya.

I've alwayys wanted to do that....but, edges L and R in your pic...You run over the same edges over and over - GUARANTEEING you'll mat down the edge pass....I don't get it.......Physics for a nice lawn? LOL

Like I said.....it's too much BS for me to empty the clippings over and over....although I like the cut better (and it vacs up little twigs and leaves), I still maintain that with regular mowing, spraying the clippings onto where you mowed, is the best approach....always have. Outward-in circle........(with discharge going toward where you've mown).

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If you want, I'll save a copy to floppy disc and send you one. :wink:

Never had and issue with matting on the end of the runs. I should clarify that I use this technique only on my large field. For the turf around the house, I use the technique you mention - outside in, moving the clippings to the center (which I then rake or vacuum with the bagger).

rac1201 said:

I've been mowing my grass at my mower's highest setting (maybe 3" or 4"). I've been reading up on some articles that say that this helps conserve water. However, it seems like everytime I mow the grass, the wheels on my lawn mower presses the grass blades flat since they are so long and so they never get cut.
I can definitely notice the grass is a lot more wet when I mow now. A lot of times, my mulching lawnmower also leaves clumps on the side which presses the grass even more. And if I don't remove those clumps, the grass will die leaving lines of yellow dead grass where the wheels pressed it down.

So my question is....How do I cut my grass evenly without pressing the grass blades flat?

Click to expand...

You refer to your mower as a mulching mower. so i'll asume you have a dedicated mulcher mower which means no bagging and no side discharge.correct? there is a 1/3 rule when cutting grass,you can google it and read all about it in your free time. i dont think many people use it(1/3 rule) though.one thing you can do is - SAFELY- MOWER OFF is wipe the under deck off a lot so the cut grass has room to circulate in the deck.wet growing season is tough to cut. i also get wet tire tracks and clumps, what i do is ----today for example, the front yard was long and damp so i cut east to west using the SIDE DISCHARGE and being careful not to spray clippings on the sidewalk and driveway and against the house.then MULCH the clippings going west to east. then i bag in a diagonal direction with the bagger on to final dress the lawn. so what i did was cut in 3 directions,got rid of matted tire tracks and clumps. but with a dedicated mulcher you just have to cut often.good luck

LandN said:

You refer to your mower as a mulching mower. so i'll asume you have a dedicated mulcher mower which means no bagging and no side discharge.correct? there is a 1/3 rule when cutting grass,you can google it and read all about it in your free time. i dont think many people use it(1/3 rule) though.one thing you can do is - SAFELY- MOWER OFF is wipe the under deck off a lot so the cut grass has room to circulate in the deck.wet growing season is tough to cut. i also get wet tire tracks and clumps, what i do is ----today for example, the front yard was long and damp so i cut east to west using the SIDE DISCHARGE and being careful not to spray clippings on the sidewalk and driveway and against the house.then MULCH the clippings going west to east. then i bag in a diagonal direction with the bagger on to final dress the lawn. so what i did was cut in 3 directions,got rid of matted tire tracks and clumps. but with a dedicated mulcher you just have to cut often.good luck

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You ever get a trophy for 'best lawn', or have Tiger Woods wanna drive from your yard? Jeez, that's a LOT of messin around. :biggrin:

HI TWALL, the yard i refered to is a customers yard and not my own,so it has to look nice. i'm trying to cut back on the number of lawns i do a year, its fun but a lot of work,specially with a 10 hr. a day job.:confused2::thumbsup: my smallish yard i just hit it once and its done.:smile:

LandN said:

HI TWALL, the yard i refered to is a customers yard and not my own,so it has to look nice. i'm trying to cut back on the number of lawns i do a year, its fun but a lot of work,specially with a 10 hr. a day job.:confused2::thumbsup: my smallish yard i just hit it once and its done.:smile:

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AHHHHH...that makes sense now. I'd never do all that for my own yard! :laughing: But, when doing someone else's.....the customer is king.

Wanna make my yard look nice for me? I'd like to be "king for a day". :thumbsup:

WELCOME to LawnMowerForum, rac1201!!

I hope you found the info on this thread valuable. I, for one, know little to nothing about mowing, so I found it very informative Let us know how it comes along!

Thought I'd add my 2 cents. I think speed is a big factor I have a mulching deck on my Sears GT and it a gear type I usually cut in high range first gear. This helps get all of the grass. The type of deck I have is the main complaint I have had about this tractor. I tried to get regular blades, but they don't make them for my deck. The deck is a 46 incher and I have to cut every 3 days through out the summer. I wear the risers off the blades and need to relace them each season. That is $50.00 before I do anything. I think I mentioned that I am buying a new machine it will be hydrostatic with a 52 inch deck. I'm hoping I can get the speed up just a little. We'll see. Even cutting as often as I do I am still required to use my vacuum from time to time. My property is very moist and shady.

I think tha this is an excellent thread. I think many of us would like to know what other people are doing or how they are doing it. I think the meter just clicked my two cents is done.

Regards

twall said:

Like I said.....it's too much BS for me to empty the clippings over and over....although I like the cut better (and it vacs up little twigs and leaves), I still maintain that with regular mowing, spraying the clippings onto where you mowed, is the best approach....always have. Outward-in circle........(with discharge going toward where you've mown).

Click to expand...

I do the opposite...I blow the clippings where I haven't mowed yet...I never have clumps, nor do I ever need to bag. The grass clippings just disappear into the lawn...future fertilizer. Our new Grasshopper is better at this than the previous rider, mainly because the blades are more like mulchers than a regular blade...the clippings come out about a half inch long.

I've always kept my yard mowed around 2.5"s...this year, mainly because I have more options on the deck height; we are going to mow it about 3.5 inches. Our cut grass is higher than the neighbor's un-mowed portions, but our lawn looks so much better than everyone else's and it doesn't look as "shaggy" when left gone for a few days past a regular mowing.

steved said:

I do the opposite...I blow the clippings where I haven't mowed yet....

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Outside-In, or Inside-Out? When I mow the back field I start on the inside and throw the clippings to the outside - eventually I move all the clippings from the entire field to the outer edges. But when I mow the front lawn, I don't want all those clippings on the edges, 'cuz that's where my beds are. So I start on the outside and mow in, eventually moving all the clippings to the inside. In this manner, depending on the length of the cut, I may have to vacuum or rake some of the clippings when I'm done.

rac1201 said:

I've been mowing my grass at my mower's highest setting (maybe 3" or 4"). I've been reading up on some articles that say that this helps conserve water. However, it seems like everytime I mow the grass, the wheels on my lawn mower presses the grass blades flat since they are so long and so they never get cut.
I can definitely notice the grass is a lot more wet when I mow now. A lot of times, my mulching lawnmower also leaves clumps on the side which presses the grass even more. And if I don't remove those clumps, the grass will die leaving lines of yellow dead grass where the wheels pressed it down.

So my question is....How do I cut my grass evenly without pressing the grass blades flat?

Click to expand...

Black and decker lawn mower, you really have a black and decker lawn mower

mystreba said:

Outside-In, or Inside-Out? When I mow the back field I start on the inside and throw the clippings to the outside - eventually I move all the clippings from the entire field to the outer edges. But when I mow the front lawn, I don't want all those clippings on the edges, 'cuz that's where my beds are. So I start on the outside and mow in, eventually moving all the clippings to the inside. In this manner, depending on the length of the cut, I may have to vacuum or rake some of the clippings when I'm done.

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I mow outside to inside, because I don't have a border on either neighbor...I always run the chute away from any landscaping.

Again, I have zero clippings at the end...but I think that also depends on the mower and blades. Their not all the same...and I've noticed my Grasshopper seems to spin the blades faster than the neighbor's JD, and they end up with a lot of clumping in the same grasss.

If you dont want to deal with the clippings, cut more often....Its hardly rocket science.

Some of us don't have the luxury of mowing two or three times a week...so you do what works.

Blade Height. Set the blade height on your push or pull lawn mower to the middle setting. Cutting the grass too low results in scorched soil in the sun. Cutting it too long encourages difficult cutting the next time.
Cut in Rows. The safest pattern for you to cut your lawn as a rookie is straight lines along one of the sides. This will keep your rows even and ensure that you cut all of the blades without missing spots.
Circle the Beds. When you reach a bed in the middle of your lawn, cut a row or two around the circumference of the bed. This will make sure that you get all of the blades around a difficult section of the grass.
Check the Bag Often. One thing that can ruin your lawn is to let the catching bag get too full. Then clumps of grass begin falling into freshly cut rows which can cause the grass that the clumps fall on to die.
Cut Often. Cutting your lawn often is the best way to encourage it to grow lush and full. Cutting too often is simply a waste of effort and materials. Once every week or so should be plenty for most climates.

Hey guys/gals, new here, thought I'd chip in my 2 cents.

Rac1201, you say you cut at 3 or 4 inches. Which is it? 4 inches is tall for lawn grass unless its in a shady area (higher grass has more exposed leaf to catch the available sun) or unless you're in the middle of a drought or the dead of Summer with temps in the 90's (higher grass will shade the ground better and help it hold moisture). In normal conditions with 6 or more hours of sun and with normal rainfall or watering, cutting at 2 1/2 to 3 inches may be better. It has been my experience that the matting down of the grass in the wheel tracks is partly because of the height and partly because the grass is too moist. Also, grass that is too moist is more susceptible to some diseases, so cutting it a little lower may help it dry out some and should help eliminate the wheel tracks. As someone else suggested, overlapping your rows by a couple inches will help eliminate the wheel tracks also. That's my 2 cents. I'm no expert, just a guy that's been from one end of the spectrum to the other (from not caring about the yard at all and letting it get way too tall and out of control to being obssessed with having a great looking yard and all points in between).

rac1201 said:

I've been mowing my grass at my mower's highest setting (maybe 3" or 4"). I've been reading up on some articles that say that this helps conserve water. However, it seems like everytime I mow the grass, the wheels on my lawn mower presses the grass blades flat since they are so long and so they never get cut.
I can definitely notice the grass is a lot more wet when I mow now. A lot of times, my mulching lawnmower also leaves clumps on the side which presses the grass even more. And if I don't remove those clumps, the grass will die leaving lines of yellow dead grass where the wheels pressed it down.

So my question is....How do I cut my grass evenly without pressing the grass blades flat?

Click to expand...

I would recommend mowing more often in the growing season. Cross up your mowing pattern. Mow later in the evening on a day your sprinklers did not come on that mourning. Cutting your lawn when it is dry will reduce the clumps big time! I have a few yards like this. Cutting the grass when it is dry is key.