How short is too short?

Anything under 2 inches in summer. Below that you start scalping the crown of the grass and the lawn can't recover from a heat wave. Spring and fall, 2 inches is fine for a single mow. Summer needs 3+.

Should I bag clippings or mulch them back?

Mulch them back. The clippings break down in about a week and feed the lawn — about 25% of its annual nitrogen needs come from returned clippings if you mulch every mow. We only bag if a client specifically asks, and even then we usually talk them out of it.

What height do you mow at by default?

About 3.25 inches through the summer, 2.5 in spring and fall, 2 for the very first and very last mow of the season. We adjust per lawn if there's heavy shade, dog traffic, or specific HOA rules.

How often should the lawn get mowed?

Once a week through May and June, every 7 to 9 days through July and August, then back to weekly through September and October as growth picks back up. Skipping weeks is what creates the "now I have to cut a third off the lawn" problem.

Lawn Care Tips

The Right Mowing Height for an Idaho Lawn (And Why It Changes)

Most lawn problems we get called out for trace back to mowing height. Cut too short the lawn fries; cut too tall it falls over and breeds mold. Here's the seasonal deck height we use on Rexburg, Sugar City, Rigby, and Idaho Falls routes — and why it changes through the year.

By Colton Munns · Owner, Young Buck Lawn CareMay 18, 20266 min read

Why height matters more than people think

The blades of grass are how the lawn feeds itself. Short blades = small solar panels = a hungry, shallow-rooted lawn that needs more water and more fertilizer to look the same. Taller grass also shades the soil, which keeps moisture in and weed seeds from germinating. There's a reason a golf-course fairway needs daily watering and three guys mowing it — they're keeping it artificially short. Your yard is not a golf course.

Spring — first one or two mows short

Once the snow's off and the lawn's actively growing, the first mow of the season comes off short — around 2 to 2.5 inches. Cutting low clears out dormant top growth, opens the canopy so sun and air get to the crown, and signals the lawn that the season's on. We mow this height once or twice in early spring, then raise the deck.

Summer (mid-June through August) — tall, 3 to 3.5 inches

This is the big one. As soon as we're past mid-June we put the deck up to 3 inches minimum, 3.5 on hot blocks. Tall grass shades the roots, drops soil temperature five to ten degrees, and cuts your watering needs by roughly a third. Lawns mowed short in July are the ones that look fried by the second week of August. You can have a green Idaho lawn through a heat wave — just keep the deck up.

Fall — back down to 2.5 inches before snow

Last mow of the season in mid-to-late October goes shorter — about 2.5 inches. Long grass under heavy snow folds over, traps moisture, and breeds snow mold. Cutting it a notch shorter before winter prevents that. We don't go as short as the spring mow because we still want some leaf area for late-season photosynthesis, but lower than the summer height.

The one-third rule

Never cut more than one-third of the blade length off in a single mow. If the lawn got away from you (rain, vacation, busy week) and it's 6 inches tall, don't drop the deck to 3 inches all at once. Cut it down in two passes a few days apart. Cutting too much at once shocks the lawn, exposes the lower stem to sun, and leaves the property looking yellow for two weeks while it recovers.

Sharp blade matters too

A dull mower blade tears the grass instead of cutting it. Torn tips dry out, turn brown, and act as entry points for disease. We sharpen blades on a rotation through the season — usually every 25 to 30 hours of mowing. If you're mowing your own yard and the tips look ragged or whitish a day after a mow, your blade needs sharpening.

What we mow at by default

Our default route height through the heart of summer is 3.25 inches, which works for almost everyone. We'll go higher on heat-stressed lawns, lower on shaded yards that get less sun. If you've got a preference (most folks who ask want closer to 3 inches), just say the word — it's a deck-setting change, not an upcharge.