Leavenworth and Kansas City sit in what turf people call the transition zone: too hot in summer for cool-season grass to be easy, and too cold in winter for warm-season grass to stay green long. Most lawns end up as tall fescue, a cool-season grass. Some, especially in newer and golf-course neighborhoods, are zoysia, a warm-season grass. They want very different mowing heights.
Tall fescue: keep it tall
Fescue does best at about 3 to 3½ inches in spring and fall, and 3½ to 4 inches through July and August. Tall grass shades the soil, keeps the roots cooler, holds moisture longer and crowds out crabgrass seedlings that need sunlight to sprout. Cut it short in the summer and you'll see brown, stressed patches and a lot more weeds by August.
Zoysia: lower it gradually
Zoysia makes a dense, carpet-like lawn that looks amazing cut short. The key is getting there slowly. One customer's zoysia yard started the season mowed high, and we lowered the deck a little at a time over several weeks until it sat at a tight cut with almost no brown scalping. Drop it all at once and you'll cut into the stems and leave brown streaks.
The one-third rule
Whatever the grass, never take off more than a third of the blade in one mow. If the lawn got away from you during a rainy week, bring it down over two cuts instead of one.
Sharp blades and mowing direction
Dull blades tear the grass instead of cutting it, and the torn tips turn brown. Keep yours sharp. We also change the mowing direction each week, which keeps the stripes crisp and stops the turf from leaning and rutting in one direction.
What mowing can't fix
Mowing at the right height is the cheapest weed control there is, but it doesn't replace fertilizer or a weed program. For that, we send our customers to Oak Creek Nursery and Landscape.