How to mow a wet Wichita-area lawn

With all the rain turning Wichita-area lawns into wet sponges, how do you keep up with mowing and not damage your lawn?

Here’s advice from two people who know grass – Matthew McKernan and Steve Borst.

Wait: It’s challenging when it rains nearly every day. But McKernan and Borst agree that the ideal solution is to wait for the lawn to dry out – if you can.

All wet: Cutting a lawn when it’s wet can damage the grass and cause a mess. Wet grass stains what it touches. It can leave clumps of clippings that smother healthy grass. It tends to tear the blades because it’s harder to cut cleanly when it’s wet. Where it tears, it dies. Brown tips show up, Borst said, so it’s especially important to use a sharp blade.

How low can you mow? Don’t cut off more than a third of the blade at a time. “Grass is meant to be tall,” Borst said. When you cut it too much, it suffers sunburn and stress, said Borst, nurseryman at Johnson’s Garden Centers.

“You’re reducing the vigor of the plant,” said McKernan, horticulture extension agent with the K-State Research and Extension Office in Sedgwick County.

Cut on high: When grass is already too tall, raise the mower as high as it will go, the two men say.

Options: Mow more more frequently at progressively lower heights, McKernan said. Or mow twice in one job, with the second cutting being at a lower height.

The idea is to trim a little at a time.

Misconception: There is a misconception that cutting grass shorter means you don’t have to mow as often, McKernan said. It actually stimulates the grass to grow faster.

“Because it wants to put those leaves back out and shade the roots,” Borst explained.

Grass heights: Tall fescue generally should be 2 to 3 inches high once mowed, McKernan said. Bermuda and zoysia lawns can be around 1 to 2 inches tall.

Leaving marks: When a lawn is wet, a push mower will leave fewer ruts and divots than a riding lawn mower, McKernan said.

Dirty job: And remember, McKernan said, when mowing wet grass, wear old clothes. It can be messy.

This story was originally published May 28, 2016 at 11:36 AM with the headline "How to mow a wet Wichita-area lawn."