Nothing says summer like the smell of a freshly mowed lawn. A nice lush carpet of grass requires a regular schedule of mowing, watering and an occasional aeration.
Mowing actually helps to produce a dense lush lawn when properly done. When you cut the grass you prevent the setting seed which in turn spreads nutrients through its rhizomes; or underground horizontal plant stems. The key to a successful lawn starts with the correct mowing height.
The taller the grass the deeper the roots. But how tall is the correct height is really up to geography. Most grasses metabolizes sunlight; or better said, phytosynthesize better with a one to 1/8th inch leaf blade above the rhizomes. Their roots can manage with the normal seasonal rains. However if you live with southern grasses; the kind that brown in the winter, a two inch mow in the winter will help protect the soil better and alleviates the stress to dry roots by forcing the roots to penetrate deeper in the soil.
Test have shown that simply cutting about a third of the blade each mow significantly improves the density and health of a lawn. Keep in mind that cutting is stressful if your blades are not sharp enough and can cause a ragged leaf blade which isn't at all beneficial to the food manufacturing of your lawn. Stress to the leaf blade weakens the root system and makes them vulnerable to disease as well.
Next but not least important is watering. Most northern lawns get a fair share of beneficial rains but an occasional drought will make lawn watering necessary to keep a healthy lawn. Some lawns suffer a full brown-out during droughts, which may take full reseeding to rehabilitate the lawn back to its original healthy qualities. Usually though a good summer drench and things will green back up.
If you notice your lawn losing its resilience when you walk on it, it's time to water. Light daily sprinklings, however don't really encourage root health. It's really better to have a few deep waterings over the course of the summer months. Not to say you should flood your lawn but ten minutes of heavy sprinkles early in the day two or three times a month can do wonders for your lawn. In fact unless you are reseeding a whole new patch of grass simply watering and mowing can suffice the nutrients your lawn require. No fertilizing necessary.
If you should see stress; such as balding patches, on your other-wise healthy lawn you should try aeration holes near and around the patches to encourage natural seeding before you re-seed yourself or fertilize. If you feel the need to fertilize keep in mind that grass clippings from a mow decompose quite quickly and will provide a good source of nitrogen to your lawn. Love your lawn give it a mow today and it will reward you triple. Looks neat, feels great, and smells like summer.