17 Lawn Care Mistakes That Are Killing Your Grass

Getting a healthy lawn that your neighbors are envious of doesn’t come so easy.

No matter what time of the year it is, your lawn needs optimal lawn care to survive through the external condition and be its best in every condition. 

This is only possible when you avoid common lawn care mistakes and give the care and love your lawn deserves.

Whether it’s scorching summer or blooming spring, don’t wait to search for the best lawn care regimen and keep your lawn in a healthy state.

Our experts at 10 best lawnmowers have spent years learning the best lawn care practices so you don’t make the same lawn care mistakes that we did. 

With this guide, you have a golden chance to learn from our lawn care mistakes and enjoy a beautiful, healthy, and lush lawn. 

17 Lawn Care Mistakes You’re Probably Making (But Don’t Have to!)

1. Cutting Too Short

If you’ve read our blogs before, you probably know how much we stress the importance of mowing high. With so many best lawn mowers on the market, you can easily find one that comes with multiple cutting heights.

Such lawn mowers let you switch between different grass lengths while mowing.

For maximum cutting performance, it’s better not to go any lower than 1/3rd of the grass length.

When you cut the grass too short, the grass blades either get cut whole or left by a small area, which means less space for new grass growth. 

However, only cutting grass with a sharpened blade can cut the grass well and limits the arrival of weeds. Check out our recommendations for the best lawn mower blades

1. Maxpower 331528B Mulching Blade 
2. Maxpower 561532B 2-Blade Mulching
3. Maxpower 561713XB Commercial Mulching 2-Blade Set 
4. 561739B 2-Blade Set 
5. MaxPower 561713B 2-Blade Set
6. Maxpower 561738 54-Inch Blade Set AYP
7. Maxpower 561739XB 2-Blade
8. Maxpower 561545B 3 Blade Set 
9. MaxPower 331737B Mulching Blade
10. EGO Power+ AB2101 21-Inch Lawn Mower High Lift Blade 

2. Overfertilization

Feeding the lawn is as important as dreaming of a healthy lawn to make your neighbors envious.

Nitrogen-rich fertilizers are the best source of food to feed to promote the healthy growth of your lawn. However, make sure the fertilizer is in the correct quantity and applied at the right time.

Moreover, fertilizing the lawn is the easiest way to feed the lawn with all the nutrition that comes with extra health benefits.

This way, you won’t make the lawn care mistake of underfeeding or overfeeding your lawn that causes other common lawn care problems. 

Our 10 Best Lawnmower experts have a history of using only nitrogen-rich fertilizers from reputable brands such as:

3. Soil Compaction

The easiest way to check if the soil is compacted or not is by pressing the soil under with the help of a sharp tool. If the particles meet together, it indicates that the soil is compact.

However, the most significant cause of soil compaction is poor drainage and improper aeration.

As a result, the water stays on the lawn, leading to poor root growth. Therefore, it’s important to aerate the surface of your lawn at least once or twice a year and test the soil’s PH to avoid this lawn care mistake.

Below we’ve listed some of the useful tools to use for lawn aeration and get this job done perfectly.

1. HEYPORK Lawn Aerator Shoes
2. Homebrewer Outpost – FE380 Aeration System
3. Aquascape Pro Air 60 Pond Aerator

4. Overwatering

Lawn owners typically either feed their lawns too little or too much water, which results in poor grass growth.

Although watering regularly is good, doing this too much can be a problem, which is why experts suggest pouring one inch of water every once a week.

However, Irrigation and rainfall are also two good options to water the grass, but you shouldn’t be totally dependent only on that. 

According to the best lawn care practice, water for 20 minutes every twice a week reaches deep into the roots and fills the lack.

Moreover, you can also use devices that control the amount of rain and give the correct measurements to keep you updated on how much you’ve poured.

5. Excessive Fertilization

Fertilizing your lawn too much can also be an underlying threat to your lawn and a serious lawn care mistake.

Therefore, add the right amount of fertilizer, preferably in the early morning, to increase your chances of a healthy lawn.

However, the type of fertilizer you use can also have an impact on the growth of your lawn. Although chemical fertilizers can speed up grass growth, they can leave harmful effects on the soil surface.

For this reason, choose slow-release fertilizers that are high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. All these nutrients combined can stimulate the healthy growth of grass like those included here 

1. Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food
2. Scotts Turf Builder Starter Food for New Grass, 
3. Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food Spikes

6. Test the Soil 

Another common lawn care mistake people make is thinking all soil has the same PH, which isn’t true. You can never have a healthy lawn with soil that has PH, either too acidic to alkaline.

Therefore, it’s essential to test a small quantity of soil before you use it to grow on your lawn.

Healthy soils should have all the nutrients with balanced pH of 6.5-7, so your lawn grows healthy with a balanced supply of nutrients. 

Test a patch of your lawn soil after every rain to ensure growth is up to the mark.

Experts suggest performing the soil test at least once every two-three years so that you can have a healthy lawn without any doubts.  

However, you can test the soil PH with the help of PH meters listed below that gives accurate results for our lawns.

1. Justmetr [2021 Upgrade Soil PH Meter
2. Luster Leaf 1601 Rapitest Test Kit for Soil pH,

7. Select the Correct Type of Grass

Selecting the right type of grass plays a significant role in determining the health of your lawn in the long run.

For this reason, you can go for high-quality seeds to grow low-maintenance grass that keeps you at rest for your lawn’s health. 

8. Prepare A Good Seedbed

If you don’t know, a seedbed is a layout on which you lay the seeds of your lawn. Most lawn owners use seedbeds for perennial seeds, for which you can use any herbicide that prevents the arrival of weed. 

9. Mow High

Mowing high is hands down the best lawn care practice to help the grass grow healthy from the roots and keep you away from repeating lawn care mistakes.

Not only does it allow easy passage of light, water, and air to the roots, but it also helps in photosynthesis and the prevention of weeds.

You can use the following lawnmowers that let you switch between different cutting heights and mow high.

1. Greenworks Cordless Lawn Mower, MO40L02
2. Greenworks Electric Corded Lawn Mower, 25022
3. Greenworks Cordless Lawn Mower, MO40L00
4. EGO Cordless Mower, LM2135SP
5. EGO Power Cordless Lawn Mower, LM2130SP

10. Mow Regularly

Mowing is one of the best lawn care practices but not doing it regularly or the right way can be a red signal for the nurture of your lawn.

Mowing not only helps in trimming the lawn but also cuts off the weed seeds with the help of sharpened lawn mower blades.

Experts suggest mowing at a maximum of one-third of the grass length, which is ideal for enhancing root growth.

This one-third rule of mowing regularly will show you good lawn results in less than the expected time.

11. Mulch Grass Clippings

No matter how many times you mow the lawn, mulching the grass clippings back to the ground surface is never a bad idea.

The mulched grass clippings act as a natural fertilizer while reducing the need for raking, blowing, or storing the clippings in a bagger, which can be a bit of a hassle.

Look through our suggested best lawn mowers and mulchers that work great for mulching lawns regardless of their size.

1. WORX WG509 12 Amp TRIVAC 3-in-1 Electric Leaf Blower
2. WORX WG430 13 Amp Electric Leaf Mulcher
3. Earthwise GS70015 15-Amp Garden Corded Electric Chipper
4. Sun Joe SDJ616 Electric Leaf Mulcher/Shredder
5. BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 Electric Leaf Blower

12. Fertilize Properly

It might hurt a little, but using too much fertilizer can cause plenty of problems that can hurt the health of your lawn.

Most experts recommend applying 1 pound of fertilizer at least 1000 sq feet to stimulate healthy grass growth, between autumn and spring. 

13. Water Your Lawn

Watering lawn is good, and a prerequisite lawn maintenance practice, but overwatering can be equally stressful and hard to deal with.

However, it’s important to identify the right requirements for water with respect to the type of grass you have on your lawn.

Giving the right amount of water can promote root health, ensure proper drainage, and avoid compact soil and other common lawn care mistakes.

Watering once a week to 1-1.5 inches of grass is more than enough to expect healthy grass to survive harsh climate conditions and heat.

With so many water sprinklers present in the market, you can find the perfect fit to water your lawn evenly.

1. Melnor 65074-AMZ XT Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler
2. Melnor 65003-AMZ MiniMax Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler
3. Aqua Joe SJI-TLS18 3-Way Turbo Oscillation Lawn Sprinkler
4. Melnor 65074-AMZ XT Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler
5. Eden 94113 Lawn & Garden Essential Oscillating Water Sprinkler
6. Aqua Joe AJ-OSPR20 20-Nozzle Max Coverage Adjustable Gear Driven Oscillating Sprinkler 
7. Aqua Joe SJI-OMS20 4,400 Sq Ft Coverage Indestructible Jumbo Oscillating Sprinkler

14. Mowing Wet Lawn

When your lawn is wet, it’s best to let it dry instead of mowing at the same time to avoid this lawn care mistake.

Not only does mowing damp lawn damage the turf, but it also invites weeds that you don’t want in any case.

Cutting the grass with sharp blades can clump the clippings, which can be hard to get rid of in the long run.

Whether it’s rain or pet urine, there’s no way you should know a wet lawn that can lead to brown spots and other common mower problems.

15. Understanding the Lawn

You can never treat your lawn and identify the right problem unless you know what it wants.

It’s one of the most crucial steps to take the best care of your lawn and determine what, when, and how to feed your lawn.

It might sound strange, but this is the root cause of some of the most common lawn care mistakes homeowners make.

However, it’s better to understand the type of grass, make a mowing schedule to do things in a better and systematic manner.

Also, keep an eye on every minor for a major change in your lawn health. 

16. Dull Mower Blade

Using a dull mower is the biggest lawn care mistake lawn owners make that keeps them from having a healthy and safe lawn.

When you mow the lawn with dull or worn-out blades, it harshly rips the grass blades instead of cutting them finely.

In contrast, mowing with sharp mower blades not only prevents the weeds from invading the lawn but also promotes the growth of grass for a good cause.

If you have a dull mower blade and are not prepared to buy a new one, check out our recommended lawn mower blade sharpeners to increase the sharpness of the blade.

1. Work Sharp WSKTS-KO-W Knife & Tool Sharpener
2. Lansky Puck – Dual Grit Multi-Purpose Sharpener
3. Rotary Blade Sharpener/grinder Wall
4. AccuSharp Garden Tool Sharpener

30 Dont’s of Lawn Care

1. Don’t Plant the Wrong Type of Grass.
2. Don’t Remove Grass Clippings.
3. Don’t Skip Aerating.
4. Don’t Use a Dull Mower Blade.
5. Don’t Water Every Day.
6. Don’t Forget to De-Thatch.
7. Don’t Give Up on Shady Areas.
8. Don’t Fertilize Shady Areas More.
9. Don’t Forget to Check Soil Moisture.
10. Don’t Wait Too Long Between Mowing.
11. Don’t Skip Reseeding.
12. Don’t Cut Grass Too Short.
13. Don’t Mow in the Same Direction Every Time.
14. Don’t Cut Wet Grass.
15. Don’t Use Broadleaf Herbicides in Extreme Temperatures.
16. Don’t Overfeed
17. Don’t Ignore Pet Areas.
18. Don’t Discount Compost.
19. Don’t Remove ALL Fallen Leaves.
20. Don’t Use Salt to Melt Ice
21. Never Scalp Your Lawn
22. Do Not Bag Grass Clippings
23. Don’t Cut Wet Grass
24. Don’t Overfertilize
25. Don’t Mow With a Dull Blade
26. Don’t Use Poisons
27. Don’t Mow at Noon
28. Don’t Water Too Often
29. Don’t Think All Mushrooms Are Bad
30. Don’t Grow High Maintenance Grass

FAQ’s About Lawn Care

Conclusion

No one is a bone expert when it comes to lawn care, but learning a handful of tips is never a bad idea. Through this article, our 10 best lawn mower experts tried their best to save you from common lawn care mistakes and help you start from scratch. 

Not only does this article speak of our experience with lawn care. But, it also includes mistakes that our clients make and seek help from us, mostly when the situation is out of their hands.

Make the best of these typical lawn care mistakes to achieve a healthy lawn fantasy that doesn’t come with an expensive price tag.