NJ Lawns Community

Okay I'm losing it. Three different employees at three different box stores in Paramus gave me three different answers for how high to cut my KBG. One said 2 inches, one said 3.5 inches, and some kid at Home Depot literally shrugged and said 'whatever you want man.' Then I go online and suddenly it's between 2.5 and 4 inches depending on who I'm reading. It's Kentucky BLUEGRASS. There's got to be a RIGHT answer. Can someone just tell me what deck height to set my Honda on? I'm in Paramus, zone 6b, thatch is under control, I aerate every fall. I'm watering properly (every 3 days, deep, early morning). I just want ONE consistent piece of advice without having to wade through clickbait articles that are clearly written for Georgia or some nonsense.

First off, breathe. Second off, those store employees mostly don't know anything - they're workingretail, not lawn care. Here's the thing though - there's actually a range for a reason. KBG is flexible. In Bergen County with our clay soil and humid summers? I'd go 3 inches minimum. You're not in some desert climate where cutting low makes sense. Cut it at 3 to 3.5 inches during growing season (April through June), back it off to 2.5 maybe in September when it slows down. The '2 inch' crowd is probably reading Midwestern guides where it's drier. Our humidity here in the valley stays OFF the grass all summer - cutting too short is basically asking for dollar spot and brown patch.

Listen I sell mowers at a dealer in Little Falls so I hear this every week. The real answer nobody wants to hear is it depends on how sharp your blade is and how fast your grass is growing. Set that deck at 3 inches, keep that blade SHARP (like, sharpen every 8-10 hours sharp, not once a season), and when you rake and see ragged tips? Your blade's dull and you're causing more stress than helping. Also - stop listening to the one-size-fits-all guides. They're bait for clicks. Your property's microclimate matters way more than any chart. Southern exposure near the road? Different than shaded back yard. Nobody writes about that though.

Guru - what time of day are you watering? You said early morning which is right but ALSO make sure you're not watering at night. I've seen people wreck KBG by watering at 8pm and wondering why fungus moves in. Our water here in Paramus is also pretty hard - have you tested your irrigation water? Mineral buildup affects how the turf processes nutrients. Anyway, height question - I run mine at 3.25 most of the season and honestly it looks better than when I cut shorter years ago. Longer grass = deeper roots = better drought tolerance which matters because you know our water restrictions in Bergen County get crazy in July/August. Don't let anyone tell you shorter means healthier. That's basic mowing myths from the landscaping industry that won't admit they can't charge for dethatching.

Oooof the conflicting advice struggle is REAL. My neighbor had a guy from some franchise company tell him to cut his KBG at 1.5 inches last year because 'it encourages tillering.' His lawn looked TERRIBLE. Bare spots everywhere, crabgrass took over half the yard. Now he's seeding again this fall. 🙄 For what it's worth I'm organic only and my KBG is at 3.5 inches - I leave the clippings (sharp mower), feed with compost top-dressings twice a year, and it's the thickest lawn on my block. The longer height helps shade out weed seeds anyway so I'm not fighting as much. Less work actually. Don't overthink the chart. Honestly the best thing you can do is just pick a height in that 3-inch range and STICK with it. Consistency matters more than hitting some magic number.

Thanks everyone - honestly feeling less crazy now. I'm realizing the problem is I was looking for one exact number like it's math homework when really it's a range with adjustments. Mike - good point on the blade, I probably haven't sharpened since Memorial Day. Ivan - watering in the evening would be around 7pm-ish when I get home from work... that's probably not great? I'll move it earlier. Queen - I'm leaving clippings already, just didn't think about the height relationship there. Think I'm going to set the Honda at 3.25 and sharpen the blade this weekend before the predicted rain rolls through. Appreciate the reality checks from people who've actually done this in Bergen County instead of some blog written in Kansas.