Lawn care is more than just keeping a good looking lawn, it is about ensuring it is a healthy lawn. There are several things to keep in mind to ensure a healthy lawn, but one of the key principles is the 1/3 rule. It’s a rule that if followed, not only makes it easier to know when to mow or how much, but it will also pay dividends back into your lawn, actively making it healthier and AIRSEEKERS TRON series is uniquely designed to capitalize on this rule.

What Is The 1/3 Rule?

The rule is quite simple, almost as simple as its name. As its name implies, the goal is to cut only the top 1/3 of your grass when mowing in a single pass. For example, if your grass is 3 inches, then cut only the top 1 inch. If it is 4.5 inches tall, cut no more than 1.5 inches. Additionally it is ideal to wait until the grass has grown about 1.5 times its ideal height, so that when you mow your 1/3 off the top, it leaves the grass at the perfect height.

The logic behind the rule is that grass blades are the primary source of energy for grass. They capture sunlight and drive the photosynthesis that feeds the roots and promotes growth. Cutting off too much at once reduces their ability to photosynthesize and creates a great deal of stress on the plant. When grass becomes stressed from over cutting, it responds in ways that are difficult to reverse. Roots shorten, the immune system weakens, growth is stunted, and the turf thins. Moisture usually locked into the soil by the canopy of grass blades is exposed to the sun and dries out faster from the exposed soil. Weeds, every lawn’s arch nemesis, find these bare spots and take hold. It doesn’t take much to harm grass and thus your lawn by cutting too much, therefore the 1/3 Rule is there to help keep your lawn safe and healthy.

What Do You Do When Your Lawn Gets Overgrown?

With this new found knowledge about the 1/3 rule in mind, dealing with an overgrown lawn may seem quite daunting, but it’s ok. Should life get busy and you find that you accidentally allowed your lawn to over grow, there is a solution. First, resist the urge to cut it all the way down to the original ideal height for the grass. Once the grass has become overgrown, its ideal healthy height has grown with it and if you cut too much off, you will risk harming and stressing the plant like we described earlier. Therefore, what you’re going to want to do is to mow down by 1/3 of its current height. Then after 3 days, mow again removing another 1/3 of the grass’ current height. Repeat this process of mowing 1/3 off the top and then waiting a few days until you have gradually trimmed the grass down to your desired height.

How To Prevent Overgrowing?

The easiest way to prevent overgrowing is simply adapting a mowing schedule based on how fast your grass is growing. It is important to keep on your grass throughout the year and adjust your schedule accordingly. AIRSEEKERS makes updating and keeping your schedule easy with the AIRSEEKERS App. You won't need to worry about missing a day in your schedule and run the risk of letting the grass over grow because the AIRSEEKERS TRON series will follow the schedule and automatically mow for you. Then throughout the year, as you notice the grass growing faster or slower, adjust the schedule for the frequency of mowing is as easy as pressing a few buttons in the AIRSEEKERS App.

How High Should You Let Your Grass Grow?

The right mowing height varies depending on what type of grass you have, your climate, and the time of year. Once you know what is the correct height for your lawn and your grass, just set that height on your AIRSEEKERS TRON series mower. Thanks to its impressive 1.18 inch to 3.54 inch adjustable cutting height and ability to cut through any type of grass, it is the perfect machine to trust to trim your lawn down to the perfect height.

 To help make your lawn caring easier, here’s a general reference guide for how high different grasses should be allowed to grow.

As a general rule, leave the grass slightly taller during the hot summer months. The taller grass blades will help give shade to the soil and reduce moisture loss during those hot months. During autumn, you will eventually have your final cut and it is recommended that you trim the grass slightly lower for that final cut of the season so it reduces the risk of snow mold during the winter season.

Other Key Habits For A Healthy Lawn

While the 1/3 rule is a solid foundational rule to keep to ensure your lawn stays healthy, there are a few other things to keep in mind to really help you have the perfect lawn.

Reuse Your Mulch

With every pass the mower takes, it produces a healthy amount of mulch and while some may be inclined to collect and discard their mulch, it is actually an incredible fertilizer for your lawn. Better yet AIRSEEKERS FlowCut, a proprietary technology found in their TRON series, has the best method of how to handle your mulch. The FlowCut system first mows in such a way that the clippings are sliced and diced into fine particles before they finally pass through the blades. They are then collected and deposited evenly across the lawn behind the robot mower, ensuring your lawn is fertilized and nice looking, all in one pass.

Keep Your Blades Sharp

A dull blade does not cut grass as cleanly as a sharp blade. Instead, it catches and tears grass tips, leaving ragged, brown edges that are slow to heal and more vulnerable to disease and fungal infection. To avoid this, be sure to inspect your blades regularly and sharpen or replace them as needed. A clean cut across the grass blade instead heals quickly and keeps your lawn looking at its best.

Seasonal Mowing Tips At A Glance

Spring: it is advised to not cut below your target height for your lawn on your first cut of the year. Let the lawn wake up gradually as it were from the long, cold winter months.

Summer: Raise your cutting height slightly during the hotter weeks and any heat waves in your area. Taller grass blades shade the soil and help to retain moisture in the soil and thus for your lawn.

Autumn: Make the final cut of the season slightly lower than usual to reduce the risk of snow mold over winter for those living in the colder regions.

Winter: Stop mowing entirely and allow the lawn to go dormant. Dormancy isa natural and healthy process for grass.

How AIRSEEKERS TRON Series Excels At The 1/3 Rule With FlowCut

In a way, AIRSEEKERS TRON series with its proprietary FlowCut system was almost designed to perfectly follow the 1/3 rule. By performing three actions in one pass of the lawn, it is one of the most adherent robotic lawn mowers to the rule of 1/3. 

1st: Lift And Cut

FlowCut generates a strong upward draft that pulls even wet and matted flat grass blades upright before they are cut. Thus every cut is clean and complete at your desired height on the first pass.

2nd: Chop And Mulch

Once cut, the clippings are then held in the cyclonic airflow in the deck where the dual-layer blades, found in every TRON series mower, slice and shreds them, turning the clippings into an ultra fine mulch.

3rd: Feed The Lawn

The finely shredded clippings then eventually escape out of the cyclonic airflow and fall out of the deck, evenly distributing themselves along the track of the TRON series robot. This natural mulch then breaks down and returns nitrogen, potassium, and other organic matter directly into the soil, acting as a slow release fertilizer.

When following the 1/3 rule, the frequency of routine mowing to keep the grass the desired height will create a great deal of clippings, or in the case of the TRON series, finely shredded mulch. The routine maintenance of keeping the grass trimmed while also fertilizing consistently creates a kind of cyclic loop for the lawn. The lawn stays at a healthy height while also being infused with nutrients so that its next round of growth is always healthier than the one before. 

To help ensure this beneficial loop keeps going smoothly, it is best to periodically, if not after every mow, to quickly wash down your TRON series robot. Thanks to the IPX6 rating that all TRONs have, a quick 3 minute wash with a hose is all that is needed to ensure the tires, blades, and deck are quickly cleaned up and ready for the next scheduled mow.

Consistent Mowing Made Simple For The Best Looking Lawns

The lawns that look the best are almost always the ones that are mowed most consistently. Frequent, shallow cuts following the 1/3 rule keeps the grass growing in a steady, healthy rhythm, improved even further when refertilized with mulch every time it is mowed. Maintaining that consistency is often the most difficult part but, thanks to AIRSEEKERS TRON series of robotic lawn mowers, you’ll never have to worry about missing a scheduled mow. You can rest peacefully and enjoy your free time knowing that TRON has your back, reliably mowing your lawn at a perfect 1/3 every time.