It’s easy to ignore new features on the latest appliance, power equipment or piece of technology you buy. After all, you know what it’s mainly used for; why worry about fancy features? Well, these features were designed for a reason, and that reason is to make your life easier.
Take lawn mower cutting heights, for example.
You may have noticed your lawn mower has multiple height settings, but have you actually used them? Here are five mower cutting heights and their applications.
Note: lawn mowers vary wildly in design, features and functionality, so for the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on typical heights for mid-range, hand-operated mowers.
1. Shortest – (~25mm)
Your average mid-range mower will have five or six height positions, starting with this one. This is the shortest cutting height and will usually give you results similar to a golf course (~25mm). But we don’t recommend this setting for most home applications, as it cuts the grass too short for it to thrive. It depends on your grass type and other factors, but you can typically save this setting for areas that the other heights don’t reach.
2. Short – (one-to-two inches)
Depending on the type of grass you have, the next cutting height might be appropriate, especially if it’s the last cut before winter. This lawn mower setting can be roughly one or two inches and is ideal for warm-season grasses like Bermuda and zoysia. But if you have taller grass, you might want to consider the other heights on this list.
3. Normal – (two and a half inches)
At around two and a half inches on average, this medium-level cutting height is perfect for most lawns. As a rule of thumb, you should cut off the top third of your grass whenever you mow, so this setting accomplishes that for many grasses and mowing frequencies.
4. Tall – (three inches)
If your grass is overgrown or you have tall grass like fescue or bluegrass, the tall setting might be ideal for you. Usually three inches or so, it maintains shady areas ideal for killing weeds and crabgrass, but still gives you that professional appearance you want. You’ll just have to mow more frequently if you use this setting.
5. Tallest – (three and a half inches)
Usually three and a half inches or so, the tallest lawn mower cutting height should be reserved for lawns that are the most out of control. Go over the lawn with this setting to remove weeds and higher parts of the grass, then go over again with a lower setting. If you attempt to just use a lower setting on overgrown grass, it could disrupt your mower’s performance and even require lawn mower repair services.
If you’d like to learn more about lawnmowers and their accessories or features, contact us today or stop by our Arlington or Mansfield location today.
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