It’s a Saturday afternoon, warm outside, and the best weather to relax with family or friends, although this is the day you usually mow the lawn. It may not be detrimental to skip your lawn care for one week, but if it’s been a few weeks, then you are probably wondering what will happen to my lawn?
Not mowing your lawn can lead to an untidy, unhealthy garden because the soil won’t get the nutrients it needs, and weeds will grow. Cutting long grass is much more complicated, and excessive grass clippings after mowing can damage your lawn. Long grass also attracts unwanted animals and insects.
Is it okay to let your grass grow a little longer than usual, leave it all-natural, or will it damage my healthy lawn? Let’s look at what will happen if you leave your grass too long and what regulations there are regarding lawn care.
What Will Happen If I Don’t Cut My Lawn?
We know if we leave our lawn, the grass will grow very long, specifically in spring and summertime, where the grass grows very fast. Even though it may look beautiful if left to grow for a while, looking green luscious, it is not necessarily healthy for your lawn in the long term. Let us look at a few things that will happen if the grass is just left to get wild.
Your Lawn Won’t Get The Nutrients It Requires
When your grass grows very long, it cannot get all the nutrients it needs to be healthy. If you are fertilizing your lawn, the granules will not reach the soil, which is where the nutrients are absorbed into the roots of the grass.
Another reason is when you cut your grass weekly and leave the clippings on the lawn, this released nutrients into the soil, promoting healthy growth and root development. If you stop mowing your grass and leave it for a long time between cuts, your grass can start becoming patchy, and you may see brown spots due to some parts dying due to a lack of nutrients.
Your Lawn Will Look Untidy
A beautifully green lawn may at first look beautiful if the grass is left to grow a little longer than usual, but if left too long, it can lead to an uneven lawn that looks messy. As was spoken about above, the patchy grass with brown spots will also lead to an unattractive-looking yard.
Once the grass grows to a certain length and produces seed, it can look like your lawn is covered with weeds. An attractive, healthy garden is a tidy one, not one that is left to grow wild and natural.
More Difficult To Mow Long Grass
It is definitely more challenging to cut long grass if left for an extended period, then using just a lawnmower may not do the trick. The excessive amount of grass clippings that you will have to pick up may also be a hassle to dispose of.
Also, remember the 1/3 rule when it comes to cutting your lawn; due to this, it will result in too much stress on your garden to cut it down to its desired height. Instead, you will only be able to cut 1/3 off and let it grow an inch before cutting it again until you get to the desired length. This will require you to cut your grass more frequently for a while until it is at a reasonable length.
What About The Excessive Grass Clippings
When you cut your grass once it’s been a crazy long length, you may have a large number of clippings on your lawn. Is it best to leave them like you usually would for extra nutrients? Unfortunately not, it would be best to clear them up and leave a small amount on your lawn because the excess clippings may block out the sun and trap moisture. This may stop your grass from growing properly and may even lead to dead patches.
Laws For Lawn Care
There are rules based on how long you can let your grass grow in some cities, most being not longer than 8 inches. Homeowners in these cities have minimal garden maintenance requirements, one of them being that their lawn should not grow longer than 8 inches; otherwise, they will get a fine. If you live in rural areas, these laws do not apply to you.
The reason for these lawns is because it makes the neighborhood look untidy. Wild tall grass can form an unsafe environment for the people living in that home and for the community because small animals and unwanted insects love long wild grass.
Unwanted Animals And Pests
As was spoken about above, these unwanted possible dangerous small animals include snakes. Not all snakes are poisonous; whether you have poisonous ones in your area or not, no one wants them roaming their neighborhood. Insects that love long grass include ticks, fleas, and mosquitos; these are unwanted pests, especially if you have pets walking around in the grass that can pick up fleas and ticks and bring them into your home.
Weed Growth
If you leave your grass to grow and don’t want to keep it at a desirable length, it can lead to excessive weed growth. The reason weeds are not suitable for the lawn is because they compete with your healthy grass for nutrients and water.
This can lead to your healthy grass weakening and dying, leading to other unwanted issues such as disease, insect infestation, and drought. If weeds start to grow on your lawn, it is good to go over it with the mower to prevent them from seeding, leading to the weeds spreading in your garden.
Wrapping Up
It is imperative to keep your garden neat; a frequently mowed lawn encourages a healthy garden. As we saw above, a neglected yard can lead to so many problems, such as more work for the one who will have to cut it, weakened grass, and an overgrowth of weeds.
It can also encourage small unwanted animals and pests to make their home in your garden. This is also why many cities have laws concerning the upkeep of lawns in the community to ensure it is safe and looks pleasing to the eye.
Kevin is the owner of Land Lawn & Garden. In addition to taking a lot of pride in his lawn at home, he also helps manage the family land. You can find more about him here.