Having a beautiful healthy and weed free yard take a combined effort. At Problem Solved Pest, we do our part in keeping your yard green and pest free. It’s up to you as the homeowner to mow the grass properly to maintain yard health. Often we get calls with people wondering where they should set the mower deck to proper height. Let’s look at a few factors to help you make the right decision for your yard.
Don’t Copy The Neighbors
Mowing your grass at the same height as your neighbors isn’t the best form of advice. They may have a different type of grass. Then again they may be cutting their grass at an improper height. Learn what type of grass you have. Not sure? Give us a call. If you are already a client, we can tell you what type of grass you have. We know this as we tailor our weed and feed specifically for each yard we treat. Not a client? Give us a call we can come out and give you an estimate and plan to make your yard look amazing.
Why Doesn’t Everyone Have The Same Grass?
The main reason, not all yards are the same. Here in Southwest Florida we treat yards that back up to saltwater canals or the harbor. In these cases the grass needs to be salt tolerant. In other cases the soil is basically sandy and drains fast and drying out quick. A special type of grass is used to stand up to these conditions. Finally some yards have a good rich soil and the homeowner has an automatic irrigation system. In this case there are several types of grass depending on the look desired by the homeowner.
So How High Should I Mow My Grass?
Turfgrass Species | Optimal Mowing Height (inches) |
Preferred Mower Type |
Bahiagrass | 3.0–4.0 | Rotary |
Bermudagrass | 0.5–1.5 | Reel/Rotary |
Centipedegrass | 1.5–2.0 | Rotary |
St. Augustinegrass | 2.5–4.0* | Rotary |
Zoysiagrass (Coarse types) |
2.0–2.5 | Rotary |
*Dwarf and semi-dwarf cultivars of St. Augustinegrass (Captiva, Delmar, Seville) are the only cultivars of this species that should be mowed at 2.5” Other cultivars should be mowed at 3.5–4”. – Chart courtesy of University of Florida.