How to learn the lawn: grass type, mowing height, watering
Lawn care basics start with your grass type, because it sets your mowing height. Mow often enough that you never cut more than a third of the blade. Water only when the lawn shows stress, using about 1/2 to 1 inch in the early morning, and test the soil before you buy fertilizer.
Lawn mowing height and how often to mow
Your mowing schedule follows from your target height. Mow when the grass is about one and a half times that height, so a lawn kept at 2 inches gets cut at about 3 inches. That can mean frequent mowing in peak growth and very little in a dry spell.
| Grass | Type | Cutting height (inches) |
|---|---|---|
| Tall fescue | Cool-season | 3 to 3.5 in summer, 2 to 3 in winter |
| Fine fescue | Cool-season | 2.5 to 3 in summer, 1.5 to 2.5 in winter |
| Common bermudagrass | Warm-season | 1 to 2 |
| Hybrid bermudagrass | Warm-season | 0.5 to 1.5 |
| Centipedegrass | Warm-season | 1.5 to 2 |
| St. Augustinegrass | Warm-season | 2.5 to 4 |
| Zoysiagrass | Warm-season | 1 to 2 |
These heights come from Clemson Extension and are written for South Carolina. Kentucky bluegrass and other northern grasses aren't on its list, so check with your own state's extension service.
Clemson's advice on watering has no calendar: wait for signs of stress, then soak. This Old House offers a simpler yardstick of 1 to 1.5 inches a week for cool-season grass, with warm-season grass needing less. Rain counts. Clemson also suggests a soil test every year.
What you need for lawn care basics
- A mower with a sharp blade
- A ruler or tape measure
- 5 to 10 straight-sided containers, such as empty tuna cans
- A long screwdriver
- A clean trowel, a clean bucket and a jar or zip-lock bag for about 2 cups of soil
Lawn care basics in seven steps
- Name your grass
Work out whether it's a cool-season or warm-season grass, then the species. Your county extension office can help if you bring a sample.
- Set the deck height
With the engine off, park on a flat driveway and measure from the ground to the blade. Match the height to the table for the current season.
- Mow by the one-third rule
Cutting more than a third at once can stop root growth. If the grass got ahead of you, raise the deck, cut, then step it down over the next few mowings.
- Leave the clippings
They hold roughly 4% nitrogen and feed the lawn as they break down. A mulching mower chops them finer, so they disappear faster.
- Measure your sprinkler
Spread 5 to 10 containers across the area and run the water for 15 minutes. Pour everything into one container, measure the depth, divide by the number of containers and multiply by 4. That's your rate in inches per hour.
- Water deeply in the early morning
Apply about 1/2 inch on sandy soil or 1 inch on heavy soil, which wets the top 4 to 6 inches. For run time, multiply the inches you want by 60 and divide by your rate: 0.75 inch at 2 inches per hour takes about 23 minutes.
- Test the soil before you fertilize
Pull 8 to 10 cores, 2 to 4 inches deep, mix them in a clean bucket and send at least 2 cups to your extension lab. Sample a couple of months before you plan to feed the lawn. Clemson's lab reports back in 7 to 14 days.
Warning signs to learn in lawn care for beginners
- A bluish-gray cast, footprints that stay visible late in the day, or blades that wilt, roll or fold. All of these point to drought stress.
- A long screwdriver that won't push about 6 inches into the soil. The ground is too dry, or the water isn't getting deep enough.
- A brown cast right after mowing. A dull blade tears the leaves, which also weakens the grass against weeds and disease.
- Water running off before the lawn has had enough. Apply about 1/2 inch, let it soak in, then repeat.
- A dormant lawn you've started watering. Keep going once you start, because stopping after a brief revival can injure the grass.
Lawn care for new homeowners: DIY or hire a service?
All of this is DIY. Your county extension office is the best free help for identifying grass and reading a soil report. If you hire a lawn service, give it your target height and your soil results, and ask it to fertilize from that report rather than from a standard program.
What homeowners say about lawn care basics
Don't overhaul the yard in year one. Watch it through all four seasons first, to see what comes up, where water sits and where the sun falls. One owner spent heavily on the garden early and most of it died within a year. (Reddit)
Get a month-by-month gardening book for your region. One owner calls it the most useful housewarming gift they got. Another advises buying a mower in the fall, when they go on sale. (Reddit)
Young trees often die in the first hot summer when nobody waters them. One owner lost one. Run a hose at a slow trickle at the base for about ten minutes so the water soaks in. They do it weekly through late summer. (Reddit)
How high to cut grass, and other lawn questions
How short should I cut my grass?
It depends on the species. Hybrid bermudagrass can sit at 0.5 to 1.5 inches, while St. Augustinegrass should be kept at 2.5 to 4 inches. Whatever the target, don't remove more than a third of the blade in one mowing.
Should I bag my grass clippings?
Usually no. Clemson Extension advises returning them to the lawn, where they act as a light fertilizer. A mulching mower helps them break down faster.
Is it better to water my lawn every day?
No, except for newly seeded or sodded lawns. Daily light watering leads to shallow roots. Water deeply when the lawn shows stress, and skip it when rain is forecast.
Sources: hgic.clemson.edu, This Old House, agsci.psu.edu
General guidance for U.S. homes, not professional advice. For gas, electrical and structural work, call a licensed pro.