Fact or Myth? Mowing in a New Direction

Growing up, my father was always full of little factoids of knowledge to bestow upon me at any time. When he taught me to mow the grass, there was no lack of advice in the lawn care department. Besides the usual things like watering and fertilizing, I specifically recall a bit of advice that I’ve always wondered was true. He once told me with conviction that in order to grow a healthy, balanced lawn, you need to change up your mowing route to prevent the grass blades from permanently bending in one direction. As we all know variety is the spice of life, but does this apply to our lawn-mowing paths as well? I did a bit of research and have found contested results.

The advice is currently advocated by some for a different reason than grass growing sideways. If you take the same path each time you mow, you will also make the same mistakes each time. Presently, a new direction is used mainly for keeping check on where you’re mowing by looking at your lawn from new angles. Much like a stream flows around a rock, the way your mower flows around a tree may leave a triangle of uncut grass behind it. If you change direction, this triangle can be noticed and trimmed.

The myth doesn’t only have a foundation in checks and balances; there is some truth to the sideways growth notion. The old myth of sideways growth held some truth when cylindrical push mowers were the only available option, before gas powered parallel blade mowers. The cylinder mowers were powered by human strength and one had to go over their lawn multiple passes to finish the job. The multiple passes could flatten the grass down in an odd direction, but the new mowers won’t do so. So there you have it; the advice may be outdated, but it still doesn’t hurt to break the routine and change your direction.

If you have any questions about lawn care, or would like to speak to a professional, please don’t hesitate to contact The Grass Outlet all for your lawn needs!