When my grass grows too long and i Mow it will it turn yellow and hurt the grass?

Question

I have let my grass grow too long. It is a very healthy green color though but i am afraid that when i cut it the grass will loose its dark greeness and become yellow. Is this true? Will the grass be so damaged from the mowing because i let it grow so high? I have read that it is best to cut the grass high and often because it makes the grass stronger. I still dont get the logic behind that. But please help me out and let me know what i can expect when i do cut my grass down to normal size. Right now its about 5 inches long -- and i will be cutting it down to 2-3 inches.

Answer 1

I was dismayed by several of the answers given to you. Most of the folks on yahoo have never gone to college and studied soil and turf management. While they mean well for ANY question you have about your lawn, ornamentals, trees, etc AND if you live in the United States the answer to any question is literally a phone call away. Every state has a Department Of Agriculture, within this Department in every county is a County Extension Office. If you cant find the number in the white pages of your phone book then call or email your states Deopartment Of Agriculture and they willgive you the local number to the office in your county. These folks are SCIENTISTS and their answers are FREE. Now to agree and dispute some answers posted here. UNLESS your lawn is diseased -DO NOT pick up lawn clippings. Lawn Clippings help your yard SO MUCH. Professionals use a soil analysis test to see what nutrients your soil has and needs to make your grass healthy and green. The test is done at any extension office from 4 to 8 dollars (call them up and they will tell you how to collect the samples. When you get the results back it will test you HOW MUCH MORE and OF WHAT you have to apply to yourlawn IF YOU PICK UP YOUR LAWN CLIPPINGS. This is a old school belief that went out in the 70's when turf management became more of a science. True every kind of grass out there should be mowed at a certain height. Your extension office can tell you at what height to grow your grass to. If you dont know what kind of grass you have (there is over 10,000 species all over the world) if you bring a sample to their office they will tell you what it is. If your grass is really 5 inches in height then you can only cut 1/3 of the blade off to prevent stressing the plant and removing to much of the plant at one time can limits it ability to create chlorophyl and you will get the yellowing effect possibly. One third would be around 1 1/2 inches roughly. So you want to ensure you set your mower to a cutting height of 3.5 inches. Then mow it again in a week taking another third off until you get to the height the extension office tells you to grow your grass. Golf courses all you special grasses and most of the time hybrids, they use special equipment to cut the grass low, the grass is DESIGNED to be that low so it has heat tolerance and they wanter the grass frequently because it is cut so very short and have to spray A LOT of chemicals like fungicides to keep the grass from getting diseased because they have to water at night and because it is so short. SHORT IS NOT BETTER. You want your grass gown to the optimonal height. Why? Tall grass = deep root structure. Short grass=shallow root structure. What happens when it gets hot likeit is in July? The grass root if too shallow in the soil will not be able to obtain the mositure it needs and the nutrients and you will get the yellowing effect you are so concerned over. Have a soil test performed as well. You need to take at least 12 small samples of your soil in your yard - MIX them all together in a CLEAN bucket and then fill a ziplock bag and take it to your extension office. They will tell you what nutrients the soil needs so that your turf can stay healthy and green. Remember, grass needs 3 things to stay healthy. Poper height. Proper watering. Proper minerals (fertilization). You remember those 3 things you usually wont get too many weeds and will often avod diseases. Last lets talk watering. To much IS a bad thing. It creates shallow roots as your grass will only go after something it needs. When watering water infrequently but DEEPLY. Once a week for MOST grasses for 45 minutes is enough but it goes back to your soil make up. Ask about watering from your extension office as well. NEVER water at night. Water during the early morning hours to allow the grass to dry. Otherwise if you water at night and you see brown in your yard chances are it a fungus-brown patch or what have you. Remember, the folks on yahoo are good folks but they are not scientist and most of them have had no formal training. You would ask here about a heart bi pass procedure. Same thing with your lawn, call the folks at your extension. Their assistance is free.

Answer 2

Grass Turning Yellow

Answer 3

Mow the grass now, but rake up the clippings, leaving them will cause damage because they are so long. In the next week make sure you have enough water ( not a problem around here) for the grass. Mow again in a week at the same setting that you used the first time - this time leave the clippings. This will help re-seed creating a more dense lawn. Keep mowing weekly for the healthiest lawn.

Answer 4

To start with, when you cut the grass, cut it often and allow it to be as tall as you can. Rethink the 2-3 inches, 4 1/2 is great, if you have a basic push mower there are ajustments on the wheels to raise up the deck. The grass will need less water and is much less likely to turn yellow. Also look at a blade of grass before you cut it again. Does it look like it has been cut, like with scissors? or kinda shredded/ pulled off? If it wasn't a clean cut , you may need to sharpen your blades. Sharp blade keep the ends from looking yellow too. I wish you good weather and good luck

Answer 5

Different grasses like to be cut different ways, so the answer to your question depends on the type of grass. If you've cut it to 2-3 inches before and it thrived, you are probably ok doing it again. You may get some yellowing, but it should recover. Just don't cut it any shorter than that and cut it more frequently in the future.

Answer 6

My husband and myself always let our grass grow a bit high before we cut it because when you let it get a lil high the grass will start growing long shoots with seed pods on them. Being that our grass sumtimes has bare spots letting it grow high will make seed pods and when we mow it the seeds will blow and rid us of bare spots. Weve never seen our grass turn a yellow color after cutting it. We also take the shavings of the cut grass and cover over the bare spots (usually from the kids kiddie pool) with the grass shavings (seeds will usually be in the mix too)and soon the bare spots are gone. And the dark green color should not be affected.

Answer 7

Your grass will not turn yellow and yes it is true that when you cut your grass it gets stronger. I know because I work for NYC Parks and Recreation. If you continue to let it grow the grass that needs to be cut will destroy new grass then you will have a brown lawn.

Answer 8

I have the same problem after cutting my grass, bluegrass. Since our area had lots of rain, I'm planning to use Ammonia Sulfate, so after cutting it will be green too. Also, make sure your cuttings are fine and spread around and no looking like Hay, it will kill the grass. Check with your Homie Depot man. they have a book fro the general public to review about grass conditions.

Answer 9

For the best lawn health, you should cut no more than one third of it's blade length at any given time. Beyond this puts it in shock and in the hotter weather it can be severe, turning lighter and even yellow. This is more work but that is what it takes to keep a green lush lawn.

Answer 10

I have heard that by letting your grass grow a little longer it makes it more healthy because the roots are also growing, and this makes the grass thicker and stronger because the roots system is stronger. It should stay green and healthy when you cut it if you keep watering.