The Benefits of Delaying Your First Spring Mow

Spring showers have begun, warm weather is regularly in the forecast, and lawns are waking from winter. The rebirth of greenery in our grass is a welcome sign of Spring. Many of us are opening up the garage and readying our tools for the season ahead. Whether you’re planning a weekend of pruning dead limbs or rolling out your lawnmower, we have the perfect set of tips and tricks to help get your yard ready for maximum warm weather enjoyment. 

Since the start of April our crews have been out surveying client yards, monitoring for the perfect conditions to fire up the mowers. While some clients have received their first spring trim, other yards aren’t quite ready. Knowing when to mow and when to hold off can be the most important decision you make this year in regards to your lawn. While it’s understandable to want to rush outside on the first nice spring day to get out your lawnmower, it's more important to plan ahead and think through how to give your grass the care it needs to survive the coming dry hot summer. 

A few things to keep in mind as you plan: 

Does your Lawn have Irrigation to rely on when temperatures rise?

We like to wait until grass is at least 4 inches high before mowing. Our in house turf expert, Dennis Cauley explains: 

“Giving your grass a chance to fill back in after winter, both in length and density, gives your yard the best chance of survival through summer. If you don’t have irrigation to turn on when the going gets tough in July and August you’ll wish you had allowed your grass to develop healthy and hearty roots in early spring. The denser you can get your lawn before mowing the better! In some instances we’ll wait until the grass has grown over 4 inches before mowing, which means you might have to do a double mow the first time you get out into the yard. The extra wait and work is always worth it in the long run because those roots are going to put in the hard work when the summer really starts heating up.” 

If you’d like to take the guesswork out of whether or not your lawn will make it through to fall, think about installing irrigation in your backyard.

Beat the Heat!

Find information on our irrigation services here 💧

How much time are you planning to allot to weed control?

You’re not just planning for drought hardy grass by allowing your yard to reach the best health before getting the mower out, you’re also exponentially cutting back on the amount of weeds you’ll see creeping into your turf. By letting the grass grow at least 4 inches tall before you schedule your first mow you’ll be snuffing the sunlight from weeds waiting to take root in your lawn. Weeds need sunlight too, and most of them will be deprived if you let your yard fill in before the season's first trim. Additionally, your grass will have the time to develop necessary food reserves in their roots to win the fight against competing weeds. 

Not all grass grows the same:

When you’re checking on the length of your grass and planning your first mow, keep in mind grass on northern slopes, or in heavy clay soil (Virginia soil is very high in red clay) will start growing several days later than normal. So don’t check one spot and not the rest of the yard. Another consideration is whether or not you fertilized in the fall or early spring. Without fertilization your grass will grow slower so don’t go out to mow just because your neighbors have fired up their lawnmower.

Ready to hand over the reins? 

Maybe you’re not looking forward to the maintenance of your yard this year. No judgment- we offer three different property management plans, a turf maintenance program, and guarantee a job well done.

~ Roanoke Landscapes 🍃