How short should you actually cut your grass?

Ask five neighbors how short to mow and you will get five confident wrong answers. The rule that actually works is simple: never remove more than a third of the blade in one cut.

Why the third matters

Grass feeds itself through the blade. Take more than a third and the plant panics, burns its root reserves and invites weeds into the gaps. That is why a lawn scalped in May looks tired by August.

The practical numbers

Cool-season lawns in Portland want 2.5 to 3.5 inches. Set the deck high, cut weekly in spring, and the lawn shades out most weeds on its own.

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