The height of your grass can be one of the most frustrating problems in the world. In fact, once you start to notice it, there’s nothing you can do but stare at it and wonder when you’ll be able to use the mower again. But if you don’t want your grass to get any taller, you have to know exactly how tall it is right now so that you can cut it just right! Check out these tips on how to tell if the grass is too tall for the mower and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again next time.
The grass is taller than 4 inches
If you cut grass that’s taller than four inches, you risk damaging your lawnmower. The blades and engine can get caught in or tangled up with long grass. When that happens, you might have to replace them sooner than expected, which is costly on a number of levels—not just from a financial standpoint but also from an environmental perspective (the resources needed to produce those parts weren’t free). So when deciding whether or not it’s time to start mowing again, consider how tall your grass really is. If it’s over four inches, ask yourself if it’s worth risking $100 or more just so you can save 20 minutes of work later on.
The lawn mower gets stuck
If you have a hard time pushing your lawn mower through long grass, it might be time to let it rest and start again. This can happen with any mowing equipment but is more noticeable with a push mower. When grass gets too tall, it often catches on a spinning blade and gets wrapped around it or caught in between two blades. The result of such an entanglement is usually damage to either or both pieces of equipment. If your grass is too high, you can’t use your lawnmower until you get rid of it all first! Instead, use a rake or weed-whacker to take care of unwanted growth before bringing out your trusty mower.
If you don’t want to cut the grass: It’s better not to risk damaging your valuable lawn tools by attempting something that could potentially break them. Before cutting down tall grass, decide whether or not you want it short enough that you won’t need tools at all; otherwise, it’s best to let some other sort of professional do it for you. And if your idea is just to try out these handy machines without actually using them for their intended purpose, perhaps now’s a good time for some constructive criticism—you’re looking at expensive yard art instead of helpful gardening implements!
It takes more than 30 minutes to mow your lawn
If you are struggling to finish your lawn mowing in less than 30 minutes, chances are that your grass is too tall. The rule of thumb is that you should be able to push the mower with one hand while it’s on its lowest setting. If you have a rider mower, try raising it up one level and see how long it takes. You can also try switching out your blade or get a new blade (if you haven’t done so in a few years). If these tricks don’t work, then it’s time to start bagging your clippings or find an easier way to maintain your lawn. There are many tools available for those who need help with their yard. Some easy-to-use options include string trimmers, edgers, weed eaters and leaf blowers.
You can’t finish mowing on time
You know your grass is too tall when you can’t finish mowing it all on time. If you try, you will end up with a lot of uneven spots that are either too short or too long. The best way to tell if your grass is too tall for the mower is by looking at how much there is left and checking how long it takes to finish. Your grass might be too tall if it takes more than an hour, or even less than an hour, depending on how fast you walk and the size of your lawn.
If you have a large yard, then your grass could still be too tall even if it only takes 20 minutes. For example, say that in normal conditions, mowing your front yard would take 40 minutes but today it’s taken 50 minutes because of extra-tall grass. That means you need to cut back some of those extra blades before finishing so they don’t get chopped off anyway. While cutting them shorter makes them easier to cut again later on, they also look nicer when they’re evenly cut and not choppy-looking.
It’s better to spend another 10 minutes cutting down some taller blades now rather than spending another 10 minutes later trying to fix uneven patches in between where you did finish early.
Conclusion
If you’re worried about mowing over an object that might damage your lawnmower or ruin your mowing experience, we’ve got good news and bad news. The good news: There’s an easy way to figure out how tall grass is. If you can hold a ruler up in front of you and see it without having to tilt your head down too much, then you have at least 3-4 inches of grass height; a simple way that should work well enough if all else fails. The bad news? The average person’s arm span is only 36 inches. So if you want to know what it feels like to be really tall, go out with a ruler in hand and start measuring!