Mowing height is the single biggest lever you have on lawn health, and most lawns are cut too short.
For cool-season grasses such as fescue and Kentucky bluegrass, aim for 3 to 3.5 inches through spring and fall and raise the deck to 4 inches in summer. Taller grass shades its own roots, holds moisture and crowds out weeds.
Follow the one-third rule: never remove more than a third of the blade in a single cut. If the lawn got away from you during a wet week, bring it down over two or three mows rather than all at once.
Keep the blade sharp. A dull blade tears the grass, leaving ragged brown tips that lose water and invite disease. We sharpen ours every few days in peak season.