Everyone wants a nice thick lawn, but achieving it can be an elusive goal. Cutting the grass is one technique that is often promoted as a way to make the grass spread. But does it work? Does cutting grass make it spread?
The answer is “yes”. Cutting the grass is one of the simplest ways to get it to spread laterally. There are a couple of caveats that we’ll get into in a moment, but the bottom line is that if someone suggested you should mow the lawn to make it thicker, they weren’t just pulling your weeds. They’re right. Now about those caveats…
Cutting Grass to Make it Spread: The Facts
As we said, cutting the grass is a proven way to make it spread, but there are some grasses that spread better than others. Generally speaking, grass species that send out runners will give you the best chance of being able to thicken your lawn by mowing it. Those include species that send out above ground runners, those that send out below ground runners, and those that send out both. If you want your grass to spread after you cut it try one of the following species.
Grasses That Send Out Above Ground Runners
Creeping bentgrass – The name says it all. This type of grass is popular on golf courses because it does a good job creeping laterally and filling in bare spots.
St Augustine grass – Besides spreading, this grass is hardy, tolerates direct sun and shade, doesn’t need tons of water and tolerates lots of traffic.
Centipede grass – Centipede grass grows slowly and is low maintenance. However, it’s also coarse and needs lots of water.
Grasses That Send Out Below Ground Runners
Red fescue grass – This is a fairly popular cool climate grass that spreads well and has a decent tolerance for foot traffic.
Kentucky bluegrass – This is another cool weather grass that spreads pretty well and is used widely in the northern half of the country.
Grasses That Send Out Both Above and Below Ground Runners
Bermuda grass – Bermuda grass is one of the most popular varieties. It not only spreads well, it’s very tough and drought resistant.
Zoysia grass – Zoysia is characterized by its dense growth pattern, its ability to spread and its ability to stand up to traffic. It also tolerates shade well and is resistant to drought.
Best Way of Cutting Grass to Make it Spread
Now you know what types of grass have the best chance of spreading. But there’s a right way and a wrong way of cutting the grass to make it spread. Here’s the right way.
Cut the grass to about 2 inches – If you cut it shorter than that the grass will bypass spreading and instead put its energy into restoring blade length. If you cut the grass too short its focus on blade growth may also undermine root growth, weakening your lawn and further undermining its ability to spread.
Water the grass after cutting – If you’re cutting grass to make it spread you should water your lawn after mowing. You should also consider fertilizing the lawn at the same time.
Mow in different directions – Mowing in the same direction all the time is like brushing your hair the same way all the time. You’ll train it to grow in that direction. By changing up the direction of your mowing you encourage the blades to stand up straight and leave space for new shoots to occupy.
Don’t mow the lawn too often – If you do it’s going to spend all its time and energy on blade growth and its ability to spread will be minimized.
Conclusion
So, does cutting grass make it spread? Yes. And now you know the best types of grass to use and the best mowing techniques to make that happen. Good luck!
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