Lawn Mowing Tips: Best Practices for a Healthy and Well-Manicured Lawn

Mowing Practices

• Height Settings: Research and set your mower at the recommended height for your grass type. For cool season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, a height of 5.5cm to 8cm is generally ideal.

• Frequency: Mow regularly, but adhere to the one-third rule to avoid stressing the grass. Cutting too much at once on a regular basis weakens your lawn.

• Sharp Blades: Keep your mowers' blades sharp. Dull blades will tear the grass resulting in a messy-looking finish, and increase the likelihood of disease. It's good practice to sharpen blades every few months.

Edge and Trim

• Edge Regularly: Use an edger or even a sharp spade to create clean lines along sidewalks, driveways and mowing strips. This enhances the aesthetic appeal of your lawn and will train the growth of grass to stay in its boundary.

• Tree and Bed Trimming: Regularly trim grass around trees and flower beds. This not only keeps the lawn looking tidy but will prevent competition for soil nutrients between grass and plants.

Seasonal Maintenance

• Leaf Removal: Rake leaves and debris promptly during autumn. Thick layers of leaves that accumulate over time can smother the grass restricting sunlight and nutrients to the soil, possibly leading to diseases and definitely poor growth.

• Winterising for Cool-Season Grasses: Before winter, cut your lawn slightly shorter than usual. This helps prevent both diseases and matting (when grass blades are matted down with a 'cottony, fungal fuzz').

• Preparing warm-season grasses for dormancy: Gradually reduce watering as the grass enters dormancy, as these grasses are more drought-tolerant during this period (winter). Also, avoid fertilising in late autumn as it can encourage new growth that may be damaged by winter cold.