Last month we posted an article showing you how to service your lawn mower, and hopefully yours is now in fine fettle ahead of the spring.
Many people find mowing a chore to be endured and tolerated at best, while others enjoy making the connection with the great outdoors in general and their lawn in particular. Whatever your view, mowing is the bigger favour you can do for your lawn. Mowing regularly and frequently will help get it in top condition and keep it there. It’s no secret that professionally tended bowling greens, golf courses and other sports pitches look so spectacular because the green keepers are mowing them most days of the week. If not daily, then at least every 2-3 days.
Why do I need to mow so often?
No, you’re not seeing things. Our Jim really is that quick at mowing lawns.
When your grass is allowed to grow long, which can take as little as a week in the growing season, you will cause it stress when you do cut it. The damage this causes can result in the grass plants’ growth being stunted. Little and often is the motto to adopt here, as best practice is to take off no more than one third of the grass blades’ height each time you mow. Regular, frequent mowing at a height which removes just the tips of the grass will keep your lawn vigorous and healthy by encouraging growth every time you cut.
What is the best height for mowing?
A number of factors can influence the ideal cutting height for your lawn, including the time of year, grass species, lawn levels and the kind of machine you use. For most household lawns using a rotary mower, we would recommend a height of 25 to 50mm, while finer lawns (which tend to be cut with a cylinder mower) can be mown much shorter at 10mm. Larger lawns which require a ride-on machine are often somewhat rougher, and can be mown to a height of 75mm. As our MD Jim Hewlett explains in the above video, we should never cut more than 50% off at any one time, so as to avoid causing shock to the grass plants and making them vulnerable to disease. Always make your first cut or two of the new year at the highest available setting.
How short to mow your lawn? Make sure you never cut off more than 50% at any one time
Should I leave the box off or collect the clippings?
For formal lawns we recommend that grass clippings are always collected when mowing. Do not be tempted to treat them as mulch for your lawn. For larger informal areas where grass quality is less important, for example recreational areas and paddocks, the grass can be mulched providing it is mowed regularly to avoid build-up of clippings.
How often should my mower blades be sharpened?
Keep an eye on the quality of cut your mower is delivering. If your grass is looking ripped rather than neatly cut it is a sure sign the blade is blunt, and the grass will be vulnerable to disease as a result. Rotary mower blades should be checked twice a year and sharpened. It is also a good idea to keep a spare, sharp blade in reserve. To check the quality of cut look closely at the tips of the grass a few days after mowing and look for the tell tale signs of yellowing or browning.
Cylinder mowers need more upkeep than rotary mowers, as they have more scope for adjustment. A poor cut may only be a sign that an adjustment is needed, rather than the blades being dull.
I keep scalping my lawn in places. Does this cause harm?
Apart from being unsightly, scalped areas of your lawn will be perfect spots for moss and weeds to get established in. Those spots have become scalped because the lawn could be uneven and they are slightly higher than the surrounding areas, so try raising the cutting height for spots to avoid scalping them. If the entire lawn is prone to scalping, or is spongy it is a sure sign that there is excessive build up of thatch which will require scarification to remove the unwanted material. As with most things your lawn needs a full service occasionally and this will resolve the scalping issues.
Raising the height like this will also make allowances for those areas which are shady or sloped.
Stripes:
Stripy lawn, mowed with a roller driven mower.
The preferred type of mower for creating neat stripes up and down your lawn is a roller driven mower. This will have a roller at the rear of the machine and two wheels on the front. A roller powered mower is particularly useful for getting close to flower beds without scalping as a careful operator can use the roller to hang over the edge slightly with ease.
As well my stripes, the wheels on my mower are leaving a single tram line down one side. How can I avoid this?
Four-wheeled mowers will produce tramlines or ruts, if you mow in the same pattern each time. Overlapping the previous lane you have just cut will take longer, but it will lessen that tram line effect. Powered mowers often only drive one of the rear wheels, hence that single rut, but overlapping your runs will help.
Mowers which have rollers will cause the grass to flatten, so if you have one of these it’s a good idea to alternate your mowing direction monthly. If you do so more frequently, you can also experiment and try for the pretty patterns you see on TV sports coverage.
One final thing about stripes; As you’ll see on the video above, if you have no straight edge from which to start your mowing but are looking for the perfect striped effect, set up an imaginary centre line by placing an object on the far side of the lawn and start from there. Work your way outwards and finish off with a pass around the perimeter.
Fore more advice on mowing your lawn, have a look at this page from our Lawn Care Guide:
https://www.lawn-tech.co.uk/lawn-care-guide/how-to-repair-a-lawn/mowing-your-lawn/
