Grass Cutting near you

The mowing is only part of a professional cut. The finishing work is what separates a tidy yard from one that looks half done, and it is also where most damage to trees, siding and sprinklers happens, so it is worth knowing what each step involves.

Of everything a grass cutting crew controls, the height of cut does the most for the lawn's health. The cool-season grasses that make up most Canadian lawns hold up better kept on the taller side, because longer blades shade the soil, slow evaporation and crowd out weed seedlings. Cutting low for a golf-course look weakens the roots and invites brown patches after the first hot spell. Shady areas need an even higher setting, since grass there relies on more leaf to make up for less light.

Frequency should follow growth, not the calendar. Grass grows fastest in the cool, moist weather of spring and early fall and slows or goes dormant in midsummer heat, so a fixed schedule is either too often or not often enough for part of the year. Sharp blades matter as much as timing: a clean cut heals quickly, while a torn one turns the tips brown. On bumps and slope crests, a good operator raises the deck to avoid scalping and varies the mowing direction so wheels don't wear permanent tracks.

Grasscycling means leaving the clippings on the lawn, where they break down and return nutrients and moisture to the soil instead of filling yard-waste bags. On a lawn cut regularly, a mulching mower chops them fine enough to settle out of sight into the turf. Bagging still has its place: after a long gap, when thick clumps would smother the grass, when weeds have gone to seed, or before an event where a spotless finish matters.

Grass cutting is loud, and many municipalities limit when it can happen. Toronto's noise by-law doesn't allow noise from power devices, a category that includes lawn mowers, grass trimmers and leaf blowers, from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next day on weekdays, or from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day on weekends and statutory holidays. Other cities set their own hours, so a crew that starts early or finishes late should know the local by-law, and so should a homeowner asking for the first slot of the day.

Some cities also require lawns to be kept cut. Toronto's turfgrass and prohibited plants by-law requires owners or occupants to cut turfgrass once it grows past 20 cm, and when they don't, the City can do the work and add the cost to the property tax bill. The same by-law names prohibited plants, including giant hogweed and buckthorn. For a vacant house, a rental or a summer spent away, a recurring cut keeps the property on the right side of rules like these.

A one-time cut on grass left for weeks is a different job from a routine visit. Tall, dense grass clogs mowers, and cutting it down in one pass leaves pale stubble under heavy rows of clippings. A careful crew walks the yard first, because long grass hides stones, toys, stakes, pet waste and sprinkler heads that a blade can throw or shatter, then lowers the height in stages, sometimes over two visits, raking or bagging the heaviest clippings. Growth that has turned woody or reached brush height may call for a brush cutter rather than a mower. Expect the lawn to look yellow for a while afterward; regular cutting brings the colour back.