Potential Causes of Your Lawn Turning Brown After Mowing

When mowing your lawn, it's vital to ensure the process is done properly to avoid stress that can cause it to turn brown. If your lawn turns brown after mowing, one of the possible reasons is that the mower blades are dull and they tore through the grass blades instead of cutting cleanly. Cutting your grass too short, or scalping it, can also lead to browning. Mowing your lawn in Oregon during the hottest part of the day is another reason why the grass blades might be turning brown.

Dull mower blades can cause your lawn to turn brown after mowing.

One of the most common reasons why lawns turn brown after mowing is that the mower blades are dull. When the blades are dull, they tear through the grass blades and shred them instead of making clean cuts. This leaves the grass blades with jagged and uneven tips that are more likely to dry out and lose moisture quickly, taking on a brown color that makes your lawn look unhealthy.

To prevent this from happening, it's essential to keep your mower blades sharp. The general rule of thumb is to sharpen mower blades about two times each mowing season. However, this can vary if you frequently mow and if you're cutting thick grass; then you'll need to sharpen the blades more often. Doing so will not only ensure clean cuts on the grass blades but also put less strain on the mower!

Mowing your grass too short can cause it to turn brown.

Another possible reason why your lawn turns brown after mowing is that it was cut too short, which is also referred to as scalping. When you scalp your lawn, you remove too much length from the grass blades and cause significant stress on it. It also removes a large part of the leaf surface, which is essential for photosynthesis. What's more, cutting your grass too short exposes more of the soil to direct sunlight, causing it to dry out faster.

You can prevent this from happening by ensuring your mower deck is set at the right height. The ideal cutting height depends on your grass type. For cool-season lawns, the ideal mowing height is typically around 2.5 to 4 inches to keep your turf looking neat without removing too much from the grass blades.

Mowing your lawn during hot conditions can stress it out and cause it to turn brown.

Heat stress can be another reason why your lawn turns brown after mowing. Mowing during the hottest part of the day causes additional stress on your lawn, which is already struggling from the high temperatures and moisture loss. Dry conditions make it harder for your grass to recover because it has less water available to recover after being cut!

To reduce heat stress on your lawn, mow in the early morning when temperatures are cooler. Late afternoon is also another good time for a mowing session once the hottest part of the day has passed. Make sure to avoid mowing your lawn during extremely hot or dry conditions whenever possible to prevent it from experiencing too much stress, which can cause it to become brown and dull.

Call our team today to sign up for our lawn mowing service!

Mowing your lawn keeps it neat and manicured, but doing it wrong can cause more harm than good. Here at J&C Lawn Care, we make sure lawns are properly maintained and cut with our professional lawn mowing service! This service includes weekly mowing sessions from spring to fall to keep your grass at the ideal height for a pristine appearance and healthy growth. We make sure to mow your grass at the right height according to its specific type. This service also includes string-trimming, edging, and blowing!

Our lawn mowing service is available to properties in Gresham, Happy Valley, Troutdale, OR, and neighboring areas. Call us today at (971) 284-2035 to sign up for this service!