The general rule of thumb for mowing grass is to never remove more than one-third of the total length of the grass blade in a single cut. The easiest way to achieve this is to figure out what the ideal height of your lawn should be and let it grow a third more before mowing the lawn. Mow cool season grass to 3 or 3.5 inches in summer, or up to 4 inches for tall fescue and perennial balico. Warm-season grasses should be rounded to about 2 to 2.5 inches.
Augustine, you'll get the best results when you adjust your lawn mower between 2.5 and 4 inches. If you have a shady lawn, you'll want to set the mowing height to 3 or 4 inches. Usually, the lower you cut it, the more often you will have to do it. But, the tradeoff is that you'll develop a higher quality lawn.
Often, the highest setting on most types of lawnmowers is 3 Mowing grass to 3 inches or more will prevent disease, promote deep root digging, help the lawn conserve water, improve turf density and improve grass color. This small cut change at the highest setting will significantly improve the overall health and beauty of your lawn. Most homeowners don't know the height of the mower setting and think that the highest setting should be too high and the lowest setting should be too low, so the best setting is the average lawn mower position. Overzealous mowing can cost you time and money, especially if you have to replant your lawn.
