The further you find yourself down the rabbit hole of growing a lush and beautiful lawn, the more questions you may find yourself having.
Unfortunately, achieving the perfect yard isn’t as simple as just tossing some seed on the ground and hoping for the best—it requires more thought, planning, and care than that.
If you’ve already started establishing what it takes to grow some gorgeous grass, you may find yourself at the point of asking smaller, less serious questions about your soon to be the perfect yard.
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably wondering just how high your grass will grow before folding over. The answer to this varies slightly throughout the different varieties of grass, but we’ll go over all the answers to give you even better insight into your yard.
Average Height Grass Will Grow Before Folding Over
Most common grasses will grow between 18-24 inches, or 45-60 centimeters before it folds over. Cutting your grass before it gets to that height is ideal and will help keep it at its healthiest.
However, certain varieties of grasses stay short and don’t bend over at all, and some don’t even need to be mowed. These kinds of grasses are called creeping grasses, which grow low enough that many people choose not to even cut them.
Some varieties include creeping fescue and carpet grass, which stay very short and therefore require less maintenance.
The different types of tall-growing grasses all have their own preferred height to be cut down to, which is a good thing to keep in mind when starting your lawn. Fast-growing, tall grasses require more frequent maintenance and mowing, taking up more of your time and money.
The slow-growing short grasses may be a better option for those not looking to continually tend to their yards.
Tall Grass VS Short Grass
Not only do the different types of grasses have varying looks and feel, but they also have varying heights that they reach, as well as varying heights that they prefer to be mowed down to.
Most common grasses used for lawns can be grouped into either the tall grass or short grass category, depending on how tall they can get and how much time it takes them to reach their maximum height.
Below we’ll go over some common grasses and place them in the appropriate categories.
Tall Fescue:
As the name implies, this grass grows tall and at a fast rate to top it all off. Because of this, it requires more constant maintenance and mowing, which is essential to keep in mind if you’re planning on choosing this grass.
If you have kids, pets, or just plan on using your yard on a regular basis, this might not be the best choice of grass, as tall fescue isn’t good at tolerating heavy foot traffic.
Dwarf Tall Fescue:
Dwarf tall fescue is very similar to its taller original form, although with a shorter maximum growth height and a somewhat slower growth rate.
This makes it a lower maintenance grass, although just like its original form, dwarf tall fescue is also not great at tolerating heavy foot traffic.
Double Dwarf Fescue:
The last of the fescue grasses on this list, double dwarf fescue is a short, slow-growing grass. It’s the lowest maintenance out of the fescue grasses, although it still has similarities to its original form, as it too is bad at tolerating heavy foot traffic.
Hybrid Bermuda:
This is a tall, very fast-growing grass that can be cut down to 1/8th of an inch. As it is a fast grower, it requires more frequent mowing in order to stay at the desired length. Bermuda grass is excellent at tolerating heavy foot traffic, making it a good choice for those with kids or large pets.
St. Augustine:
St. Augustine grass grows to a moderate height at a moderate speed, making it right in the middle of high and low maintenance.
With a carpet-like appearance, St. Augustine grass is a good choice if you plan on hanging out on the grass, and it’s reasonably good at tolerating foot traffic as well.
Kentucky Bluegrass:
Kentucky bluegrass is a tall but slow-growing grass, making it a fairly low maintenance option.
It’s a popular choice for those who want a great looking yard that needs less work than many other types of grass, and with it being good at tolerating heavy foot traffic, it’s good if you have pets and kids.
Perennial Ryegrass:
This is a tall-growing grass with a fast growth rate, making it higher maintenance to keep it at the desired height of 1.5 inches.
If you’re okay with the bit of extra work, this is an excellent option if your yard will be a place of heavy foot traffic.
Centipede Grass
Centipede grass will grow to a moderate height at a somewhat slow pace, making it lower maintenance than many other grasses.
This is, of course, a positive; however centipede grass doesn’t tolerate foot traffic very well, so that is also something to keep in mind.
Carpet Grass
This grass grows so low that it’s considered a no-mow grass. This makes it an excellent option if you’re looking for something very low maintenance, however, some downsides do come with carpet grass.
Its appearance isn’t ideal, as it grows very sparse and isn’t a bright green color.
This grass won’t make for a lush lawn, so it isn’t a great option if you’re looking to spend lots of time on it.
Read -> How To Get Rid of Carpet Grass
Conclusion
Regardless of how fast grass grows, almost every variety will get to a point where it will fold over once reaching a certain height.
On average, that height is 18-24 inches, so it’s good to keep that in mind if wondering exactly when you should mow your lawn.
Cutting your grass before it folds over will not only be easier for you, but it’ll also cause the grass less stress, making for a happier, healthier lawn.
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