How to Mow Tall Thick Grass

Thick lawn grass is a blessing for gardeners. It means the hard work of fertilizing and caring for the lawn has paid off. Weeds, pests and fungal disease problems rarely become severe when grass is dense. However, lawns that have been allowed to grow tall can be difficult to mow. Not only can it be physically hard to mow tall thick grass, but it also puts a lot of strain on your lawn mower without proper preparation.

Lawn mower blades
Rake

Instructions

- 1
  Sharpen your lawn mower's blades or change them out for new blades. Mowing thick tall grass quickly dulls a lawn mower's blades and causes wounds in the grass where harmful pathogens can enter and cause diseases.
- 2
  Fill your lawn mower with gasoline on a hard surface that is not your lawn. Spilled gas causes brown spots in the yard. Set your lawn mower's blades to a level that removes 1/3 of the grass blade. Even if that is less grass than needs to be removed, never mow more than that your you can cause weak root systems.
- 3
  Mow the lawn in small strips rather than wide swathes. Avoid making every pass as wide as your lawn mower.
- 4
  Rake the grass clippings off the lawn. Distribute the grass clippings so that they are evenly disbursed over the lawn to contribute extra nitrogen to the soil. Leaving grass clippings clumped up after mowing reduces the amount of sunlight and air getting to the grass.
- 5
  Mow your lawn again in two days. Take off 1/3 of the grass blade or mow down to the right height for your particular grass. For example, Kentucky bluegrass should be maintained at 2 to 2 1/2 inches in height.

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