A St Augustine Lawn Looks Great and Thrives at 5" Mowing Height
Your mower is killing your lawn because you mow too low. A St Augustine lawn, to be sustainable (to survive, to be hardy, to thrive), must have a minimum canopy height of 4” to 5”.
HOW MOWING TOO LOW HAPPENS
It’s all about the look. A freshly mowed lawn looks good because it is level. To make a lawn level, all the grass must be the same height which forces you to mow the lawn at or below the shortest grass in the lawn. At that setting the entire lawn will be short but level. The shortest grass is the weakest, thinnest part of the lawn – so mowing as low as the shortest grass dooms the rest of the lawn to the same fate. In the short term (after mowing), the lawn is level and looks great. In the long term, a short level St Augustine lawn will be a weak, thin lawn.
WHY IT HAPPENS
St Augustine lawns do not grow uniform. Some areas are wet, some dry, some shady, some sunny - causing the lawn to grow at different rates. This uneven growth makes for an uneven lawn. The cure is to level it with a mower – just mow the lawn as short as the shortest grass.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Although the lawn will grow at different rates, all the lawn will grow to a height of 4” to 5” – eventually. Once the shortest grass reaches 4” to 5”, mowing at that height – 4” to 5” - will create a smooth level lawn that looks great and is sustainable.
