Time To Raise The Blades On Your Lawn Mower

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It's time to raise the blade on your lawnmower so your grass doesn't get scalped and scalded in the summer sun. The exact height depends upon the type of grass in your lawn, but in general it should be about an inch taller in summer than in the spring and fall.

Leaving the lawn a little higher in the summer shades the roots, which helps keep them from drying out in the heat. The longer blades of grass also absorb more sunlight, which makes more food for grass roots so they can grow deeper in the soil to find more water and thrive.

So, if you haven't done it yet, raise the blades on your lawnmower from now until September or so.

The good news is that grass usually grows more slowly in the summer, so even mowing higher, you can usually get 10 days to 2 weeks between mowings, instead of needing to mow once a week like you need to in the spring and fall.