Mowing is an essential form of lawn maintenance. Whether the lawn you are mowing has St. Augustine, Zoysia or Bermuda grass, you'll need to mow it. Grass can quickly grow during the spring and summer while turning the lawn into a living jungle. When mowing commercial lawns, however, you should avoid making these five common mistakes.

#1) Mowing Too Fast
Avoid mowing the lawn too fast. Just because your lawnmower supports a fast speed doesn't mean that you should use it. If you mow the lawn too fast, your lawnmower may not have enough time to cut all of the grass. You'll essentially be walking or riding your lawnmower faster than it's able to cut the grass.

#2) Always Bagging Clippings
You don't have to bag the grass clippings each time when mowing lawns. Rather, you can mulch the clippings. Mulching offers several advantages, in fact, over bagging. For starters, it's easier to mulch the grass clippings as opposed to bagging and emptying them. Mulching the grass clipping will also provide nutrients to the lawn. As the clippings decompose, they'll leach nutrients into the soil to promote a healthier and fuller lawn.

#3) Using a Dull Blade
An all-too-common mistake made when mowing lawns is using a dull blade. There are different types of lawnmowers, such as self-propelled walk-behind and riding lawnmowers. Regardless of the type, though, they all have a blade, which they use to slice off the top of the grass. A dull blade means your lawnmower won't be able to cleanly cut the top of the grass.

#4) Mowing When Wet
Don't make the mistake of mowing the lawn while it's wet. If it rained recently - or if it's there's still morning dew on the lawn - you should wait until it has fully dried. Most lawnmowers aren't designed to handle wet grass. When you go over wet grass with the lawnmower, it will clump up around the undercarriage and chute.

#5) Making Wide Passes
Finally, making wide passes is a mistake you should avoid when mowing your lawn. Most landscapers mow lawns by making perpendicular passes. If these passes are too wide, you may notice thin strips of tall grass. Of course, you can always go over these strips to mow them to a shorter length, but a better solution is to make thinner passes.

This article was brought to you by Palmetto Coastal. For more articles, tips and news for your commercial landscaping and maintenance needs, please visit us at our website.