Our team have spent much of their time this growing season mowing grass. As the centrepiece of many communal areas and gardens, the grass is often the first area people notice on site!
A fresh mow can elevate any site to compliment and highlight surrounding plants and hedges. Not to mention the importance to anyone wanting to play football in the park!
In this article we share some of our top tips and tricks for getting the most out of your grass area. Could you introduce any wild meadow areas? Vary your cutting design? Or add in lawn care for areas struggling with hot weather or too much rain? We hope that you can take away some insights to keep you at the cutting edge of lawn maintenance.
Timing is everything!
Whether you are out mowing your grass every week or every month, be sure to cut at the right time and in the right conditions to ensure lawn health. When is it too wet or too hot (25 degrees plus), the benefits of cutting your grass will be limited. Often grass does not grow in excessive heat, and therefore if cut and further exposed to the elements, there is a risk it will die or become patchy.
Other times you should avoid cutting is 6 weeks from seeding. Look for around 5cm - 7cm of growth before mowing. Finally, when grass is dormant outside of growing season, you should refrain from mowing as the growth rate is low and this could expose the grass to disease and adverse weather.
Get creative with designs!
From a horticultural perspective, it is best practice to vary the direction of cut on your lawn. This helps promote healthy growth and reduce soil compression damage from lawnmower wheels.
Artistically, it is great for your mind and for visitors to see different patterns on the lawn from time to time! Try mowing your grass in a circular design, chequered, diagonal, zig-zag, and even changing direction of your cut by 90 degrees can freshen up the look of your garden. Could you cut in a way that draws attention to key features in your garden?
How low do you go?
We recommend following the one-third rule. It is advisable, even if your grass has overgrown, to only cut one-third of the original height off your grass. This prevents stressing the plant, damaging root systems, and leaving grass vulnerable to pests!
Should you collect your grass?
On showcase grass areas, it will look neater and more desirable to collect, however there are occasions where mulching is appropriate.
Mulching is the process of leaving your cuttings as they fall behind the mower. This allows nitrogen, and other chemicals released as the grass decomposes, to absorb into the grass. Mulching every few months can naturally fertilize and promote a healthier and greener looking lawn!
Maintaining your equipment
Keeping your gear in top condition can be challenging, however these tips can go a long way in preventing unnecessary damage. Firstly, walking the grass to check if stones, bricks, or large sticks are hiding, protects your blades. When mowing a bank, make sure the ground isn’t slippery or too steep for the machine to avoid your mower flipping over. Otherwise, give your mower a clean after use and ensure engine oil is regularly topped up!
We hope these tips help you get the best out of your lawn. As always, if you have any sites or gardens that need regular, high quality maintenance, give us a call.