Another lawmower question

[charles p]

I have a lawn of St. Augustine grass.  I use a Craftsman 22" mulching mower.  I have several mulching blades and sharpen and change them very frequently.  My grass still has a shredded look rather than a cut look.  I do not let it grow high, and I mow at 3".
 
What have I done that is incorrect?  Why am I tearing my grass blades rather than cutting them?

[hardertr]

Are you making sure the grass is dry completely before you mow?

[charles p]

Yes I think it is dry.  Mowed last Wednesday at about noon.  Irrigation works at 5AM on Mondays and Thursdays.  No rain in between so surely it was dry.  One thing I might have found is that the grass appears to be mowed in the "stalk" zone rather than in the leaf zone.  Still, the leaves I examine are shredded on their ends.  The grass seems not to be as green as before.  I just fertilized, so maybe it will improve, but that still does not explain the shredded leaf ends.  Mower RPMs are normal.  Confused!

[Drilling Man]

  You may want to try a different "style" of blade...
 
  DM

[hillbill]

  You may want to try a different "style" of blade...
 
  DM

yes, try a regular blade.since you mow often a mulching blade may not even be neccesary anyway.
also when you sharpen your blades, be sure you remove the burr caused by grinding on the underside of the blades with a few swipes of a sharp file.

[Paladin]

check your blade heighth , it should be sightly higher in the rear. otherwise ya double cut your grass.

[sonofafish]

You need to cut it 4 to 4 1/2 ''St. Augustine cuts better as high as you can. You are cutting it way to short.  Cut weeds and Bahia at 3'' .  Your grass is allot more healthier cut high. I know if you have St Augustine  you most be in the Deep South. So forget the way you all do thing up north. Some tricks with St. Augustine Mow it as high as you can it will stay healthy and strong and grow slower. Never water it at night only in the morning 4am and no latter then 8am. Spray it with seven once a mouth in the summer and only fertilize it only in the winter.

[james]

Several in my family take turns mowing my 93 yr. old mothers lawn.  She has a rider that gets serviced rarely.   My son told me it was mowing unevenly and not cutting right and maybe the blades need sharpening.  The next time I mowed I discovered one of the blades was upside down.  Well duh,  the back side of the blade doesn't cut very well. 
I try to cut my zoysia and bermuda rather high while it is so hot and dry and it drags over some it, even with sharp blades. 

[Empty Quiver]

You need to cut it 4 to 4 1/2 ''St. Augustine cuts better as high as you can. You are cutting it way to short.  Cut weeds and Bahia at 3'' .  Your grass is allot more healthier cut high. I know if you have St Augustine  you most be in the Deep South. So forget the way you all do thing up north. Some tricks with St. Augustine Mow it as high as you can it will stay healthy and strong and grow slower. Never water it at night only in the morning 4am and no latter then 8am. Spray it with seven once a mouth in the summer and only fertilize it only in the winter.

I would also suspect the mulching blade would have an effect as well. I have no way of confirming this though, I would try mowing with only one blade if safe to do so and check results.

[sonofafish]

Try flat blades it will bring the rpms up on the mower and the cut is all on blade tip speed. St Augustine only looks good cut high.