Cutting the Grass
Answered by Tom Mugridge

Q: Is it a good idea to change the direction that we cut our grass?

My neighbor cuts on a diagonal and says it helps the grass. Is this true?

A: It actually is a good idea to change directions, weekly if you like. This will keep the grass from bending and growing in the same direction all the time.

I normally mow east to west one week and north to south the next, with an occasional diagonal mowing once in a while just for variety.

Q: My husband says that if you cut the grass often it will grow more. He says if you leave it alone a little longer it won't grow as fast. Is this true? Thank you

A: Grass doesn't really grow slower if you mow it less often, or faster if you mow frequently.

Most of this is a matter of perception; the more you mow the faster the grass seems to grow because you're mowing all the time.

If you mow infrequently (like I do), the grass seems to grow slower because you aren't mowing that often!

So, it's all in the eye of the beholder.