Mowing your lawn is an easy way to get it looking neat and tidy. It also makes it more appealing for outdoor entertaining, sunbathing, a game of football or simply to gaze at over a glass of wine.
In its natural habitat, grass is grazed by animals such as sheep and cattle. By regularly mowing the grass, we mimic the effect of grazing, which stimulates the grass to grow more strongly from the base.
Seasonal advice on mowing your lawn
Spring
Keep your mower set high for the first few cuts of the year. It’s best not to remove more than a third of the blade length at once. This can cause the grass to put all of it’s energy into re-growing blades and halt root growth. Root growth is really important at this time of the year as it allows the lawn to cope with summer stress. When the weather warms the mower’s cut height can be gradually dropped.
Summer
Try to keep the lawn cut regularly over summer as this will help to keep many weeds under control (as they don’t cope well with being repeatedly cut). It will also encourage thickening of the grasses in the lawn. It is best to avoid close mowing the lawn when it gets very hot and dry as this can stress the lawn.
Autumn
Autumn is important for grass root growth, as energy is stored in the roots for use over winter. Try to avoid removing more than a third of the blade to keep the roots growing. When the temperature and light levels start to drop, raise the cutting height and leave some length on the lawn. This will help the lawn better cope with the winter stress.
Winter
Lawns are fairly slow growing over the winter months, but if the weather is mild then the occasional cut may be required. It is best to keep the cut height quite high.
What’s the right height?
How many times each month should I mow my lawn?
Top Tips
- Keep the blades on your lawn mower properly adjusted and sharpened
- Don’t mow your lawn too short, as this will cause weak grass. It’s better to cut little and often
- If you are on holiday, cut the lawn as normal before you go
- Don’t cut the grass when it is wet, or when the soil is waterlogged
- Never cut the grass in frosty conditions
- Don’t mow a newly seeded lawn until the grass reaches about 5cm (2 inches) in height and only cut 50% its length
- Very short grass clippings produced from regular mowing can be left on the lawn as a mulch. This will help to protect from heat-damage during summer when the weather is hot
- Don’t compost grass clippings treated with weedkiller
- Don’t forget the edges – use Lawn Edging Shears to neaten up the edges around your lawn
