Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) studied some of the earliest robotic lawn mowers to see if they could maintain St. Augustine grass when run daily.

Key Findings

The study found that daily mowing at a height of 2.4 inches did not ruin the grass. According to Dr. Bryan Unruh, professor and associate center director for the UF/IFAS West Florida Research & Education Center, the robotic lawn mowers provided a gentler trim than a massive weekly chop, which stressed the grass less.

Experts suggest sticking to the golden rule of height when using robotic lawn mowers. They also recommend monitoring docking stations for outdoor hazards, such as fire ants, and adding protection from lightning.

Trever Hickman of Guaranteed Green Florida noted that robotic mowers may still require some manual labor to maintain a healthy yard, including bagging grass cuttings left behind.

Original reporting: Tampa Bay Florida News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.