• Garden Maintenance

How to Mow your Lawn

• By Brad Slade

How often you mow your lawn will depend on a number of factors.

Firstly, how much time you have to devote to your lawn’s maintenance. Then, how fast your lawn grows, and this in turn will depend on whether you fertilise it regularly and whether it receives adequate water and sunlight. Normally, lawns should be mowed at least one a fortnight to keep them in check.

Height of cut One of the worst things you can do for a lawn is to mow your lawn very short in order to reduce the number of times you have to mow it. Grass generally will do much better when mowed at a higher setting. This is especially the case in the summer months, where short grass can often be burnt by the sun. You should never be cutting or trimming off more than 1/3 of the length of the grass in a mowing session. If you have let your lawn go and it is far too long, you should mow it at a longer cut first and then remow it at a slightly lower setting. If it is still too long, then you can go over it again in a couple of days time. Although this is time consuming it is the preferred method.

Look after your equipment

Needless to say, you should maintain your equipment. In this case make sure your mower blades are sharp and in good condition. Remove any stone or other obstructions from the lawn before mowing to avoid any damage to the mower or lawn.

Mowing directions

Do mow in different directions. It does not matter which way, whether it is diagonal, horizontal, or vertical. Each time you mow your lawn, simply change direction from the way you did it previously. This prevents the grass blades from curving in a particular direction after numerous cuts.

Avoid mowing when wet

It is well known that you should never mow when your lawn is still wet. There are actually two reasons for this. Firstly, you will not be cutting your lawn evenly and when it dries may be a lot longer than expected. Secondly, you can often cause fungus to establish itself.