How to Mow Grass Correctly with a Lawn Mower

Even though it’s been a little time since the lawn was planted and it is still difficult to compare the grass with a dense green carpet, it’s time to take care of the first mowing of the lawn. If you miss the right moment, some seedlings will outgrow or die from the rain and then will not rise. It is the mowing of the lawn that allows you to form a beautiful grass cover of optimal density, therefore it is so important to cut the grass on time and do it regularly.

From the first to the last lawn mowing

The first lawn mowing should not be postponed due to the fact that the sprouting blades of grass still look very weak. It’s scary to trample. In fact, trampling and rolling the lawn will only benefit him, the grass from this will begin to shrub more, creating a dense turf. Yes, and you will step on already mowed grass, moving a lawn mower in front of you, so that it will not cause any harm to the young lawn.

Let’s figure out when to start mowing the first seedlings, how often to mow during the season, and when is the last time to mow the lawn? Also, from the article you will learn how to mow correctly in order to avoid common problems that newcomers often encounter.

How to understand that the time has come for the first time to mow the lawn? Usually the first lawn mowing occurs in mid-May. See how the blades of grass have grown: if they stretch to 10 cm, then there’s nowhere to put off. Try to choose dry weather so that the grass is not wet (clogging of the lawn mower will occur), but at the same time, the ground should remain slightly moist. Plants will take root from the dry ground, and mowing on wet soil is not recommended because the mower will damage the surface of the lawn when moving.

Before mowing grass for the first time, make sure the mower knives are perfectly sharp so that weak blades of grass are not pulled out of the ground by a lawn mower. You will need to cut only the very tops of the plants, so immediately set the knives to maximum height.

Before mowing grass for the first time, make sure that the mower knives are perfectly sharp

In the future, grass mowing should be carried out at least once a week in warm, humid weather, and on cold or dry days it will be sufficient to mow the lawn once every two weeks. Focus primarily on the height of the grass: the lawn looks neat at a height of five centimeters, if the grass has grown two centimeters higher, then it’s time to mow it. It is advisable that your lawn be approximately the same height throughout the season, but mowing the lawn too short during the summer months is not recommended as the plants can dry quickly.

The last mowing of the lawn should be carried out before frost, unnecessarily high or low grass does not winter well. Look according to the circumstances. Perhaps the last time you cut the grass in mid-September, and in the case of warm autumn, a second haircut may be necessary in October.

How to mow grass on the site and avoid mistakes

The last haircut in autumn should not be done with a cold wind, otherwise the tips of the blades of grass will frostbite

Here are a few rules to consider when mowing a lawn:

• First of all, make sure that the height is the same on both sides of the mower drum, otherwise you risk simply ruining the lawn;
• Clean the area from stones, sticks, wire and other debris that could harm the mower;
• Sweep the surface of the lawn with a broom or rake to level the heaps of earth after earthworms and raise the grass towards the blades;
• Mentally outline the direction of the haircut. Adjacent stripes should be obtained at a certain angle to each other;
• The direction of the strips at each mow change to perpendicular, then on the lawn you will not get ribbed strips;
• The last haircut in autumn should not be done with a cold wind, otherwise the tips of the blades of grass will frostbite, which will negatively affect the quality of the lawn next year.

Mowing grass with a lawn mower is not as easy as it sounds. Of course, you will first need to learn how to control the mower before you start mowing the lawn. However, in the process, you can accidentally make mistakes that will noticeably worsen the appearance of the lawn. The most common mistakes:

Grass on bumps shaves off

If your site is characterized by the presence of many bumps, it is worth increasing the height of the mowing and adding mulch to level the surface of the lawn. When mowing, try not to press on the handle of the mower and do not pull it back and forth.

When mowing, try not to push the handle of the mower and do not pull it back and forth

After cutting, the tips of the grass turn brown.

Blunt knives on a rotary mower can cause this effect (blades of grass are jammed, but not cut), damage to the bottom plate of a cylindrical plate or its incorrect adjustment. Grass can also turn brown if it was wet during mowing.

The lawn looks ribbed

If narrow strips of long and short grass appear perpendicular to the movement of the mower during mowing, this means that the knives in a cylindrical lawn mower rotate very slowly. The reason for the resistance to knives can be dew on the blades of grass (therefore, you must sweep the lawn before mowing), the mowing height is too small or too high.

Wide waves cross the entire length of the beveled stripes.

A similar “washboard effect” is observed if each time the grass is trimmed in the same direction. The same vibrations during the mowing of the lawn result in the appearance of waves on the soil surface, therefore it is so important to change the direction of the strips with each mowing. To smooth the topography of the soil in autumn, you can add mulch.

Mowing Lawn

The question arises: what to do with mowed grass. Leave on the lawn or clean? On the one hand, cut plants can serve as an excellent fertilizer for the lawn, nutrients from them will return back to the soil, the spread of moss will stop, and you won’t have to spend time cleaning the grass from the lawn.

However, there is a flip side to the coin: the mowed grass will lead to the rapid emergence of weeds, the propagation of earthworms, the surface of the lawn will become porous and more susceptible to disease, soil ventilation will deteriorate. Thus, it is better to clean the cut grass after mowing, it is recommended to leave it only in dry weather, so that the necessary moisture evaporates less from the lawn.

Mowing the lawn should be regular, then the plants will take a dwarf form

As for watering and top dressing. They are necessary for the formation of a dense, high-quality cover, even if you have to cut the lawn more often due to the rapid growth of grass. It’s better to mow the grass more often and get a beautiful green surface without bald spots.

Mowing the lawn should be regular, then the plants will take a dwarf form and, instead of increasing the leaf mass, they will form new shoots, creating a dense turf. If you cut it rarely and immediately shortly, the grass will weaken and begin to fall, and in its place separate islands will form, overgrown with weeds, yarrow, moss or bluegrass.