mowing tips

Regardless of the treatments that Lawn Style apply, one of the most important tasks that you need to perform in maintaining the health of your lawn is regular mowing using a mower with sharp cutting blades set at the correct cutting height. The following is a general guide to good mowing practice but since there is no specific date separating the seasons and our seasons are becoming more changeable then a comon sense approach is required: 

• During the early spring aim to mow the lawn once a week ensuring that for the first cut of the season your mowers cutting height is set to the highest setting. Thereafter gradually reduce the cutting height down to a height of 25 - 40mm or 1 - 1.5 inches using the general guideline of never removing more than one-third of the grass blade in any one mow. 
• In the late spring early summer increase the number of times you mow to twice a week unless there are drought conditions in which case keep to once a week and raise the cutting height to retain moisture. If the lawn has not been cut for several weeks due perhaps to holidays then start again with a high cut and gradually reduce the cutting height on each subsequent cut, again using the general guideline of never removing more than one-third of the grass blade in any one mow.
• Come the late summer and autumn mowing can start to be reduced down to once a week.
• In the winter months mowing will be a less frequent event simply because in freezing temperatures the grass will not grow; however, when the weather remains mild as we have seen more recently and the grass is still growing then it can still be mowed with a high cut as required.

There are of course exceptions that should be made:

• Never mow the lawn if the grass is covered in frost as this can damage the grass plant. Instead wait until the lawn has defrosted or leave it until another day.
• Avoid mowing if the lawn is wet since this can also damage the grass plant and cause compaction in the soil. Instead wait until the lawn has dried out or leave it until another day.
• Areas which are dry and shady such as those under trees will probably need less frequent mowing than areas which are in full sun and have good moisture levels.

One of the most common problems is that of mowing the lawn to closely which, unless it is fed and watered on a more regular basis, will cause the grass plant to shallow root and make the lawn more susceptible to drought, weeds and moss. Also unless the lawn is very flat close mowing can easily scalp raised areas leaving unsightly bare patches which will also be susceptible to weeds and moss.

Each time you mow make sure you mow in a different direction which will ensure the grass maintains an upright stance rather than lying flat.