Avoid These Common Mowing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Commercial Property’s Lawn

If you look out at your property’s lawn right after it’s mowed and think, “Good — it’s shorter,” you’re right. 

But there’s so much more to proper commercial grass mowing than that. 

Mowing mistakes can make your commercial property lawn look bad, and can actually affect the health of your turf.

What kind of mistakes? Mowing too short. Cutting the grass when the ground is wet. Mowing in the same pattern every week. Using a mower with a dull blade. And the list goes on. 

Is your commercial property landscaping company following all the mowing rules? 

Keep reading to learn more about how mowing mistakes can damage your commercial property landscaping, including: 

Mowing Too Short

Mowing the Same Frequency All Year Long

Mowing When Grass and Ground Are Wet

Not Changing Mowing Height

Not Changing the Mowing Pattern

Bagging Grass Clippings 

Mowing Too Soon After Sod or Seeding 

Neglecting Mower Maintenance

Using the Wrong Mower for the Job

Mowing Too Short

This is a big one. It’s tempting to
mow a lawn short, so it doesn’t have to be mowed again too soon. 

Big mistake. 

Level Green Landscaping crews mow at a height between 3.5 and 4 inches. That height is tailored to the type of grass in this area — tall fescue.

Why not mow shorter than that? A few good reasons: 

Don’t Starve Your Lawn

If commercial grass mowing crews mow grass too short, they’re actually starving your hungry lawn, taking away important nutrients stored in the grass. 

Mowing removes the top growth of your turf, and that’s where photosynthesis — your lawn’s food production — takes place. Cut too much off, and the rest of your grass will be hungry. 

Mowing Too Short Invites Weeds

Taller grass helps prevent invasive weeds, shading the ground so weed seeds don’t get the sunlight they need to sprout. If commercial grass mowing is too short, more weeds will take hold. 

Mow Tall to Strengthen Roots

Mow too short, and your grass puts all its energy into growing more grass instead of encouraging deeper roots. The stronger the roots, the healthier the grass, making it more able to resist pests and diseases. A stronger root system also means your lawn needs less water — a bonus for your commercial property landscaping. 

This root development is especially important in the spring, as newly awakened grass needs to deepen its roots in preparation for summer.

When It’s OK To Mow Shorter

Level Green crews do mow at a shorter height for the last mowing of the season in autumn, to keep properties looking nice and tidy for the winter months.

Mowing the Same Frequency All Year Long

Mowing once a week sounds like a good plan for commercial lawn management, but the frequency should actually change throughout the growing season. 

Level Green typically offers 24 lawn mowing visits, starting in mid-April and continuing through the first week of November. 

During the spring, grass grows so fast you could probably watch it grow. Cool spring weather, rain and spring fertilizing encourage lots of growth. So Level Green crews mow weekly to keep up with the steady growth. 

But once summer temperatures creep up over 90 degrees, grass goes dormant and growth slows way down. 

In July and August, when grass growth slows, crews mow three times a month.
 
As the weather cools off again in the fall, weekly commercial grass mowing kicks back in again. 

Mowing When Grass and Ground Are Wet

When grass is wet, it tends to clump, so you don’t get a nice clean cut. 

But an even bigger issue is when the ground is wet and soft. Commercial lawn mowers are heavy, weighing several hundred pounds with a crew member aboard.

That causes tire marks and unsightly rutting if the ground is soft. The risk is especially high with zero-turn mowers that pivot often as they mow, tearing up the ground if it isn’t solid and firm. 

Your commercial grass mowing crew might be scheduled for a Wednesday, but if it just rained and the ground is too soft, a responsible company will let you know they need to delay until things dry up, to protect your lawn. 

Not Changing Mowing Height

We’ve already talked about the importance of mowing tall, but the exact height should change slightly throughout the mowing season.

During spring, Level Green crews mow at 3.5 inches, because growth is so fast. 

During summer months, when the weather is hot and dry and growth slows down, they mow at a higher 4 inches.

Once fall rolls around, mowing height moves back to 3.5 inches.

Not Changing the Mowing Pattern

Everybody loves the impressive look of a checkerboard pattern lawn on their commercial property landscaping. 

But even more important than looks is avoiding a compacted lawn, so changing the direction of mowing is key to healthy turf.

When industrial lawn care crews mow in the same direction every week, the mower runs over the same area again and again. That causes compaction, making it tough for your lawn to get the air, water and nutrients it needs to thrive. 

Changing direction also helps prevent unsightly ruts in the lawn. 

Bagging Grass Clippings 

Don’t haul away those grass clippings. They’re rich in nutrients like nitrogen, which are released as they decompose, acting as a natural fertilizer for your lawn.

All Level Green mowers are mulching mowers, which means the grass clippings get chopped into tiny bits then dropped back into the lawn where they decompose, adding helpful nutrients to the lawn and improving your commercial property landscaping. 

Leaving clippings on the lawn also prevents them from ending up in landfills, so you’re helping the environment. 

Mowing Too Soon After Sod or Seeding 

Commercial grass mowing crews shouldn’t mow right after aeration and seeding or new sod installation.

It’s best to wait a week or so to allow seeds to settle in and germinate, and wait 2-3 weeks after new sod, to allow roots to take hold and settle in. 

Neglecting Mower Maintenance

Well-maintained mowers is a crucial part of commercial lawn management, to help ensure a properly mowed lawn. 

That includes:

Sharp Mower Blades

Sharp blades produce a clean, even cut, which means a uniform, nice-looking lawn.

Dull blades tear the grass, which not only looks bad, but creates jagged edges that are more susceptible to disease and pests. 

Level Green mowers get sharp new blades twice a week, for a crisp, clean, tidy mowing. 

Calibrated Blade Height 

Remember the importance of mower blade height?
It needs to be accurate. That means checking things like proper tire inflation before mowers head out on the job. If tires aren’t all inflated evenly, blade height will be off. 

Level Green has skilled, experienced mechanics at every branch, making sure mowers are in tip top condition before they head out to work on your commercial property landscaping. 

And our crews use high quality mowers that are never more than three years old 

Using the Wrong Mower for the Job

Not every type of mower works for every property. 

Smaller lawns need smaller mowers, so the mower doesn’t have to turn more than necessary. Turning is what potentially causes the most lawn damage in commercial property landscaping. 

Level Green crews use push mowers on small front yards. 

But large properties need large mowers for the best efficiency. That’s when crews break out the impressive “batwing” mowers, known for their wide cutting widths, ranging from 12 to 15 feet. The wide span allows mowing crews to quickly cover large areas of turf. 

Ready for Expert Commercial Lawn Mowing? Trust Level Green

Your lawn is among the first things people notice when they arrive at your property. Make sure yours is ready to impress. 

We’ve got you covered. Our crews are mowing pros, and we schedule your property’s mowing for the healthiest, happiest lawns.

Level Green goes beyond commercial lawn care services to offer construction and landscape design, landscape enhancements, snow and ice management and irrigation management.

If you’re not already a Level Green Landscaping client, we’d love to add you to our growing list of happy customers.

Our focus is on commercial properties like offices, mixed-use sites, HOAs, municipalities and institutions in Maryland, Washington DC, and parts of Virginia.

Contact us at 202-544-0968. You can also request a free consultation online to meet with us one-on-one.

We’d love to hear from you.