HOUSTON — Why should you mow your lawn in different directions each time?
The direction you cut your lawn may seem like a nit-picky detail only for those people who obsess over lawn care.
But according to the experts, which direction your roll that mower can make or break your turf.
That’s because if you mow your lawn in the same direction each time, grass blades will start to grow in that direction. If you alternate the pattern it will allow the blades to grow straighter and healthier.
There are other advantages to this mowing method.
Alternating the direction also avoids rutting. That’s because if you run your mower the same way each week, ruts will start to form, especially if the ground is soggy.
Also if you do it right, alternating will create that cool checkerboard pattern you see on well-maintained golf courses.
It’s not just direction that matters, but length too.
If you cut your grass too short, you can end up with dead or dying patches scattered across your lawn.
The type of grass you grow determines the proper height, but experts say two and a half to three inches is a good rule of thumb.
The goal here is to give it a light trim not a major cut.
Any way you cut it, if we don’t get more rain soon, we could all be dealing with brown lawns soon.