This Is the Most Efficient Way to Mow the Grass

Updated: Jan. 15, 2024

You want your lawn to look good, but you don’t want to spend a lot of time mowing. When it comes to lawn care, there is a right and wrong way to mow the grass.

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You want your lawn to look good, but you don’t want to spend a lot of time mowing. When it comes to lawn care, there is a right and wrong way to mow the grass. If you’re thinking of buying a lawn mower, you can pick either a stand-on mower or a riding mower at an affordable price from the lawn mower sales!

While you’re at it, figure out if you should let your child mow the lawn.

Here our some of our expert tips for the most efficient way to mow your grass:

Conquer Edges First

First, take care of your yard’s edges. To do this, Cardinal Lawns, a full-service lawn and landscape company in Ohio, recommends taking two passes around the outside edges (three if your yard is surrounded by a fence). By doing this first, you’ll have room to turn the mower around, which will make the job go faster with less hassle.

Get a lush lawn with these 11 tips from the pros.

Pick a Pattern

One of the most common and easiest patterns to mow the grass is with stripes. You’ll do one pass, then make a 180-degree turn to make the next pass, slightly overlapping the first pass. Do this until the lawn is mowed. Plus, stop believing these 10 lawn care myths.

Cardinal Lawns recommends alternating directions each time you mow, so if you mow vertically one week, go in a horizontal pattern the next. Here are eight awesome lawn mowing designs you should try.

Lawn experts note circling is probably the easiest and most efficient pattern when mowing your lawn. After mowing the edges, just keep making passes in a circular pattern until you make your way to the middle of the yard. This is an efficient method for most lawns, as it cuts down on all the sharp turns you’d make if you mow in rows. Here are the 18 things you should never do to your lawn.

Mix it Up

No matter what pattern you chose, mix it up each week. This will prevent grass from growing in one direction, which not only makes your lawn less attractive but it makes mowing more difficult.

Plus, learn how to sharpen your lawn mower blades.

Helpful Reminders

When you’re ready to mow, Scotts, a lawn care service company, says you should only cut off the top 1/3 of the grass blades at any one time. Doing so will help grass blades develop a deeper root system to find water and nutrients in the soil.

The best time of day to mow is in the early evening when the lawn is usually dry and the sun isn’t as intense, which gives your lawn time to recover before the next day’s heat. Make safety a priority with these mowing safety tips.

Finally, keep your lawn mower’s blade sharp and leave grass clippings on your lawn. The clippings will add beneficial nutrients to the soil. This is why you should leave clippings on your lawn.

Here are a few bonus tips about storing lawn mowers for winter and lawn mower maintenance!