A lot of people actually don't know how to use a riding mower properly to cut grass. Therefore, we've curated this article that will show you a few basic techniques to use a riding lawn mower. Make sure you wear sunglasses and close-toed shoes while mowing the lawn.

1. Choose the right setting

A riding lawn mower comes with various settings. Therefore, if you want your lawn and grass to look amazing, you must choose the right setting on your riding lawn mower. We advise you to select the highest possible position for adjusting the cutting blades on your riding lawn mower. This will result in a beautiful lawn and grass.

The reason behind this is if you cut the whole grass, it will grow more but if you cut one-third of the total height of your grass per mowing session, it will give you the desired result. For instance, if you have grass at 2 inches or 5.1 cm in height, then you must let your grass be 3 inches or 7.6 cm in height before you mow it. Thus, you must mow your yard as per the grass height.

2. Recognize the grass pattern

You should know the pattern of your grass. If you repeat the same pattern of your grass, then your grass will look better and healthier. However, you must ensure that you don't cut the grass when it's wet or when the sun is very strong.

In both these cases, you will damage your lawn mower as well as your yard. You can just repeat the same pattern and your lawn can look great. It's not necessary that the pattern should be strictly repeated every time but you must stick to it.

3. Mow at the right time

As mentioned before, it's a big no-no to mow your lawn when the grass is wet or during high afternoon. This will actually damage your lawn and grass. Therefore, you should always mow your lawn in the morning when the grass is fresh, not wet and when the sun is not so strong.

You can also check the weather forecast for dry weather. Wet grass can make it very slippery for you to mow safely, make compaction in your lawn, and clog your riding lawn mower. You can mow in the evening after a dry day, which can reduce heat stress on you and your grass as well as minimize lawn damage and clumping.

And, with this, when you follow the same pattern every time, your backyard will look beautiful with the right grass treatment. Additionally, you must water your yard, which will enhance the appearance of your grass.

4. No frequent turns

You should reduce sudden turns while using a riding lawn mower since it will make your lawn look butchered. Your unnecessary swift turns can harm your lawn a lot. This is because when you suddenly take a turn, you might ride over already cut areas in your lawn and the mower's weight will crush the grass. Therefore, you must make circular and long patterns so that your yard looks freshly cut.

5. Keep the blades sharp and clear of debris

The blades of your riding lawn mower should always be sharp. Dull mower blades can give uneven cuts to your grass, which invite grass diseases and result in brown tips. On the other hand, sharp blades will cut your grass neatly and not pull and rip it to pieces.

Moreover, mowing with sharpened blades is more effective since then you don't have to move backward and forward every time. You just have to make sure that the blades are sharp in order to mow your lawn efficiently. So, if you find your yard in a ragged state after you mow it, then most likely you need to sharpen the blades of your mower.

You must sharpen your mower blades once or twice a year. You can remove and then sharpen the blades yourself with the help of some tools and mechanical knowledge. If you don't know how to do it or if you don't want to do it, then you can get it done by a local lawn mower sharpening professional.

Additionally, you must examine your mower blades for damage after every 3-4 mows even if you don't think they require sharpening. Furthermore, make sure you brush and rinse away any grass debris on the blades and bottom of your riding lawn mower.

6. Don't mow very frequently

If you mow your lawn often, your grass will slowly die. It's advised to mow a yard every two weeks. This will give the required time to your grass to grow and also heal it after the mowing process. However, you must not let your grass grow too much, which will make your lawn look untidy. Moreover, it means that you need to work twice as hard to mow your lawn with that much grass growth.

Thus, if you follow all these points properly on how to mow a lawn with a riding mower, you can get the desired lawn with beautiful and fresh grass. Make sure you follow all these steps properly and are patient with your yard. This will give you the desired result. With proper mowing, you can get healthy and green grass with minimum weeds and bare spots. And, to get attractive patterns in your yard, you just need to practice mowing with your riding lawn mower.

Author Bio:

Peony Fairy is the founder of Alovegarden where she writes about gardening-related things as fruit tips, lawn care, gardening tools, gardening guides, etc.