Why We Mow at 3 Inches (And Your Lawn Will Thank You)
If we could only change one thing about how most Guelph homeowners care for their lawn, it wouldn’t be fertilizer, irrigation or weed control. It would be moving the mower deck up one notch. We cut at roughly 3 inches on every residential lawn we maintain, and it’s the single biggest reason our clients’ lawns stay green through July while short-cut lawns next door go brown.
Taller grass grows deeper roots
Root depth roughly mirrors blade height. A lawn shaved to 1.5 inches is living off the top few centimetres of soil — the first part to dry out in a Guelph summer. At 3 inches, roots reach deeper moisture and the lawn shrugs off dry stretches that flatten shorter turf.
Shade is free weed control
Crabgrass and most broadleaf weeds need sunlight hitting bare soil to germinate. A dense 3-inch canopy shades the soil surface, keeps it cooler, and chokes out weed seedlings before you ever see them. Since Ontario’s cosmetic pesticide rules took the strong herbicides off the table, mowing height genuinely is one of the most powerful weed controls left.
It looks better, longer
A short-cut lawn looks "done" for a day, then exposes every bump, seam and dry patch. A 3-inch cut has a thick, carpeted look that holds its colour and stripes cleanly. Combined with the one-third rule, it also means the lawn never has that just-scalped, yellowed look after a visit.
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