Mowing height by season, and why scalping in July costs you

The single cheapest thing you can do for a Tennessee lawn is raise the mower. It costs nothing and it does more than fertilizer.

The rule of thirds

Never take more than a third of the blade in one cut. A lawn cut from six inches to three is a lawn in shock, and shock is when weeds move in.

Spring

Three inches. The soil is still cool and the grass is growing fast, so you are cutting weekly anyway.

High summer

Four inches, or as high as your mower goes. Longer blades shade the crown and the soil, which keeps the roots alive through August.

Fall

Back to three inches for the last few cuts, so matted grass does not sit wet under the leaves all winter.

Sharp blades

A dull blade tears instead of cutting and the torn tips brown within a day. If your lawn looks gray-brown two days after a cut, the blade is the reason.