How to Mow a Lawn With a Riding Mower? Complete Guide 2022

Mowing your lawn can be a fun activity, or it can be a laborious work depends on how you are doing it and what type of mower you are using to do it. In this article, you will know about how to mow a lawn with a riding mower.

It is a weekly activity for the people who do it. Mowing helps the grass to grow thicker and healthier and reduce the growth of weeds and the overall appearance of the lawn gets better with weekly mowing and trimming.

In order to get a perfectly manicured lawn, you need to consider a number of factors.

Some of those factors are described below:

• Type and height of the grass
• The 1/3 rule
• Time of mowing

For each type of grass, there is a recommended height. So, what you need to do is, access the height and type of your grass, and now it accordingly.

The 1/3 rule is saying never cut the grass more than 1/3 inches to make a close healthier cut.

The recommended best time to mow your lawn is mid-morning as there will be neither be due or not much heat.

To save your time and energy, you can use a riding mower. It is also good for people who may have knee or back problems because it does not require pushing. But there is one thing that can be a little problem. Its maneuverability can be a little tricky.

For the people who ride cars and bikes, it is a simple machine. You just have to sit over it, start it and keep it going.

Nowadays we own easy to push and riding mowers, so the mowing process has become easier and more efficient than it was in the earlier days. Most people can’t afford to get it done by a professional while most people can’t do it themselves because they find it hard. To ease your pain, all you need to do is a little learning. To make your mowing efficient, you have to put in effort and time at the start. Efficiency comes with practice and time. Practice some mowing and get a better understanding of the maneuverability and techniques to get freshly cut grass every other week.

See More: Best Lawn Mower For Small Yard-Review And Buying Guide

Here, a question arises:

How to mow a lawn with a riding mower?

Following Are Some Simple Steps Which You Can Follow To Mow Your Lawn With a Riding Mower

1. Selection of right time for mowing:

The best time to mow your lawn is mid-morning, or at the exact time, it is 8:00 to 10:00 am.

Mowing in heat may drain all your energy, and it is not beneficial for the grass as well because the grass gets dried up.

Similarly, mowing when the grass is wet, or it has dew on it can cause damage to your mower as it may get clogged up. The wet grass can also cause damage to the blades of the mower.

2. Give a proper check to the settings:

First of all, the deck of your riding mower should be balanced. If it’s not balanced, do it with the help of leveling tools.

Set the mower at a higher level cutting height for grass. It not only helps you to cut the grasses of different lengths but also removes weeds.

If your lawn has sprouted out of control, increase the cutting level of the mower and lower the blade and then again mow after ways to reach the desired height of the grass.

The mowing at higher levels helps to grow deeper rooting system, thicker grass, and fewer weeds.

3. One-third rule:

While cutting the grass, keep one thing in your mind that you have to stick by the 1/3 rule. This means that you have to remove only one-third of the grass blade at a time and not more than that.

For a better understanding of the one-third rule, here is an example: If you are growing a turf of 2 inches then cut the grass of your only when it reaches the 3 inches height. If you mow more than one-third, there will not be enough green area to nourish the roots. It will help in the decomposition of the clippings, and the nutrients return to the soil.

4. Patterns you want:

For healthy grass and compact soil, it is preferred to have alternate patterns every other week. It also prevents the grass from growing in one direction, and it will make your lawn look unattractive, and over the period of time, mowing becomes difficult for you.

Another advantage of varied patterns is that it will remove the wheel marks which are made as you are using a riding mower.

There Are Different Types of Patterns Which You Can Make While Using a Riding Mower:

• Stripes Pattern
• Checkerboard Pattern
• Diamond Pattern
• Circular Pattern
• Waves Pattern
• Zamboni Pattern

You can have any of these patterns in your yard but make sure to have a different pattern every two or three weeks. There may be used different types of blades or tools that you attach to your mower for creating these patterns or designs.

5. Blades should be sharp:

Make sure that your mower is well maintained, and the blades are sharp. The sharp blade gives a smooth and neat cut while the dull blades tear the grass and make the grass susceptible to diseases and pests.

Sharper blades give cleaner cuts and save your time and energy as well.

Another important thing that you need to keep in your mind is that you should mow when the grass is dry; otherwise, the blades get clopped up and their efficiency.

You need to get your blades harp after six to eight weeks and always keep a spare set.

Also check: How To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades

6. Prevent/Avoid the scalping:

Scalping your lawn means cutting the grass of your lawn to a very low height that it exposes the stems of the grass blades. It happens accidentally sometimes when your mowing lawn with a riding mower but sometimes it is done on purpose to increase the number of grass clippings.

Here are some of the harmful effects of scalping:

• It may cause the risk of soil compaction.
• Your lawn becomes vulnerable to diseases and pests.
• Nutrient depletion.
• Damage the crown and hinders the generation of growth.
• The sunlight reach may help in the germination and growth of weeds.

7. Give a careful read to the manual:

The operator’s manual that is provided with the riding mower read it carefully. All the warning labels should be taken in the notice. The right protective gears should be worn, which include, closed-toed shoes with good grip, long pants, tucked in shirt, etc. while you are cutting the grass.

If you are wearing any loose clothing, jewelry or anything like that, secure it before starting mowing because there is a risk that they might get caught in the mower.

By following the fore mentioned steps, you can easily mow your lawn with the help of the riding mower. Do practice a starting run with your mowing before going to actually mow the lawn properly.