Mowing lawns

Lawns are one of the most intensive and time consuming areas of maintenance in a garden, but the rewards of a well kept lawn are great. In the summer months healthy grass grows vigorously and will need cutting at least once a week, and care must be taken not to cut the length too short. Following the simple rules below can help bring out the best in your lawn and help keep work to a minimum.

Cut regularly

Cut the grass as often as you are able to. Mowing encourages thicker growth, the development of fine grasses, eliminates coarse grasses, and deters flowering and seeding of weeds. The chart below is a good indication of the schedule of grass cutting you should adhere to under normal seasonal conditions.

Adjust the height

Never give the lawn a close shave. It should be long enough to remain healthy but short enough to be visually pleasing. Here are some optimum heights for different lawn types. Do not mow more than a third of the height of the grass in one cut.

Trim the edges

Trimming around the lawn gives a sharp edge that is very pleasing to the eye. You can buy a half moon edging iron that should only be used once or twice a year. At other times use long-handled edging shears to maintain a neat appearance every time you mow.

Sharpen the blades

Have the blades of your mower sharpened at least once a year. Blunt mower blades are very damaging to your lawn because they rip the grass instead of cutting it. This results in blades of grass that turn white at the tips and become more prone to lawn diseases.