Free tool

Mowing height tool

Pick your grass to see the right mowing height and when to mow, using the one-third rule: never cut off more than a third of the blade at once.

Buffalograss

2–3 inches

Raise cool-season grass toward the top of the range in summer heat and in shade. Typical home lawn ranges; varieties differ.

Setting your mower

Mower height settings are often numbered, not in inches. Park on a flat driveway and measure from the ground to the bottom edge of the deck or blade tip.
Mowing too low ("scalping") weakens grass and lets weeds in.
Keep the blade sharp; a torn tip turns brown.