NJ Lawns Community

Hey everyone, new here and really frustrated. My neighbor who's been doing lawns for 30 years tells me I need to cut my tall fescue at 3.5 inches because of our humid summers in Hackensack. But I pulled out the Scotts Turf Builder guide and it says 2 inches max for cool season grasses. Who's right here? We're in Bergen County so dealing with that humid July/August heat definitely. My lawn looks okay but not great and I don't know if I'm scalping it. Would love to hear what others around here are doing - especially anyone near the Hackensack/Englewood area.

Your neighbor's right in my opinion. I run an organic lawn care service in Bergen County and I've been saying 3 to 3.5 inches for tall fescue for years. The 2 inch rule is pretty outdated for our humid climate - that Scotts manual was written for more arid areas out west. When you cut short, you're stressing the grass and it can't develop deep roots to handle our humidity and disease pressure. I personally mow at 3.5 inches and my KBG/fescue blend at my house in Teaneck has never looked better. Check out Cortez or Titan Rx if you want tough fescue varieties - got mine at Battaglia's in Maywood. Longer grass = deeper roots = less irrigation needed. Simple as that.

It's really about the season honestly. I live in Paramus and run a year-round lawn service - here's what I've learned over 15 years: In spring you can go a bit shorter (like 2.5-3 inches) when things are drying out, but once we hit June through mid-September in Bergen County, bump it up to 3.5 inches absolutely. That extra leaf surface Area helps the grass photosynthesize and handle the humidity without getting brown patch and dollar spot. The Scotts manual isn't completely wrong, it's just general blanket advice. Our county Extension office at Rutgers actually recommends adjusting based on moisture levels. I'd say listen to your neighbor - they've been doing this locally. And raise your deck gradually if you've been cutting low, don't just jump to 3.5 inches or you'll scalp.

Thanks for the replies! Yeah I didn't think about the humidity factor - makes sense that longer grass handles it better. I've been cutting at about 2.5 so probably contributing to some stress. Quick follow up though - should I be bagging the clippings when cutting longer or mulching? I've been bagging because I thought it prevented thatch but now wondering if that's hurting more than helping.

Great question on the clipping debate - sprinkler tech here in Bergen County, see this mistake all the time. You DEFINITELY want to mulch/clash those clippings back in, especially if you're raising your height. Short answer: they're mostly water and decompose fast, returning nutrients. Thatch is usually from improper watering not clippings - overwater and you'll get thatch. Bags go to the transfer station on Crown Court in Hackensack anyway which is a pain. One caveat though: if your grass is actively seeding (some fescue does in late spring) maybe bag once or twice during that period. And water deeply but infrequently - I can tell you most sprinklers in this county are set wrong. Happy to share my config if you want.

+1 on the mulching. Don't waste those clippings - they're free fertilizer. And Ivan's right about the watering being the bigger issue than mowing height. I've seen lawns destroyed more from overwatering than from cutting too short. If you're on sprinkler system, most county properties require 1 inch per week including rain. Deep soakings once or twice weekly train roots down versus daily light watering which creates shallow roots and thatch. Get a rain gauge from any of the garden centers on Route 4 - they're cheap and actually work. Happy to help anyone tune their system, DM me.