How high should I cut my grass in the Syracuse, NY area? Cool season grasses are best mowed between 2.5” and 4” above the soil line. Usually the taller heights are better for tall fescue grass types.

At Green Earth Lawn & Landscape we recommend to mow on the higher side of the range.  Taller grass will produce turf that is more tolerant of traffic, pests, heat and extended drought. Mowing at this height will also make your lawn healthier and look great.

Sometimes homeowners like to cut the lawn short (and sometimes they just prefer to hire out their lawn mowing!). There are several reasons why we don’t recommend this. Short grass allows the summer sun to dry out the soil which makes your turf more susceptible to drought and that can result in dying grass blades. When the grass dies off your lawn will get thinner and that will leave room for weeds to invade. Cutting the lawn short also sometimes results in dead grass laying on top of the turf.

Always use a sharp mowing blade to get a clean cut. Depending on how large your yard is this may be needed once per year for very small yards to several times for larger yards. Sharp blades also put less stress on the turf and will prevent fungus from doing any damage to your lawn.