Saturday, August 8, 2015

Lawn Care and Mowing Guide

Lawn Care and Mowing Guide:

Christmas and New Year is done so soon spring will be upon us and in the not too distant future the lawns will need mowing, maybe sooner than we anticipate if the mild winter we are having continues. We thought it would be a good time to talk about lawn care. All lawns need mowing and it is one of the most important tasks you will undertake to help maintain a healthy lawn. There are a few factors to consider, these will make a massive difference to the continued health of your lawn.

We will discuss types of lawnmower, mower types, when to mow, how to mow and how to achieve that quintessentially British striped lawn finish.

Types of lawn mower:

There are a few different types of lawn mower available in today’s market and for most people a lawn mower is one of the most used pieces of garden machinery or equipment they own, so choosing the correct type is important as it normally represents significant investment.

Petrol or electric.Electric lawn mowers usually represent good value for money, price wise they are cheaper than petrol lawn mowers. Electric mowers are only suitable if you have a smaller lawn, say less than 200 meters sq due to the power cable you will have to drag around with you. Petrol lawn mowers are more powerful too.

Lawn size: If you have a large lawn that could take more than an hour to mow every time you can shorten the time length of the job by choosing a wider cut lawn mower. These are available for a modest increase in price compared to a standard cut. If your lawn is very large it may be worth considering a self propelled lawn mower or a ride on lawn mower.

Lawn type: some lawn mowers will give a higher quality cut than others, if you are looking for a really high quality finish and an immaculate lawn a cylinder mower may be the way forward. This type of mower cuts a lot shorter; they tend to run off lower power too. A good cylinder mower can start from 3hp while a rotary mower would be more like 4-5.5hp

Blade maintenance:Keep your blade sharp! You will get the best results with a sharp blade, a rotary mowers blade can be sharpened at home, but for sharpening a cylinder mower, you're best to take it to a local professional.

Mower Types

Cylinder mower:These give the best quality cut and are most suitable for sports surfaces and fine lawns. On a cylinder lawn mower the blades are arranged on a cylinder with blades that cut in a scissor like action. You can achieve and incredibly fine cut, these are often used on golf greens to give carpet like finish. They cannot handle very long grass.

Rotary mower: Rotary mowers are suitable for most normal lawns; these have a horizontal spinning blade. These will not give as fine cut as cylinder mowers; however that said it is more than capable of cutting longer grass and uneven surfaces. You can also buy rotary mowers with a rear roller, these will give the sought after striped finish.

Hover mower: These are essentially rotary mowers but rather than sitting on wheels they sit on a cushion of air. Like rotary mowers they are capable of cutting longer grass and uneven surfaces.

Mulching Mower: These are another variation on a rotary mower, it is not uncommon for lawn mowers to come with a grass catcher at the rear, mulching mowers finely chop the cut grass and place them back on the lawn in such a way they are barely visible. The advantage here is that the nutrients you would normally discard are returned to your lawn roots. That said when your lawn is very long there may be some excess clippings, these will have to be collected and put on a compost heap. Models are available that give you the option between mulching and collection.

Ride on Mower: Sometimes called a lawn tractor. These types of mower are usually used on very large lawns or sports surfaces, football, rugby, golf fairways for example. They are much more expensive than anything we have talked about already. However if you  do have a medium to large lawn and find long periods of walking difficult or you just prefer a more relaxed approach to lawn mowing then these are available in cylinder or rotary version

When to Mow

In summer mow twice a week, if there has not been much rain or in times of drought drop this down to once per week, in spring and autumn mow once a week. Over winter it is not usually necessary to mow your lawn at all unless it has been particularly mild, grass normally grows in temperatures above 5 degree c.

If it has been unseasonably warm mow occasionally with a high cut setting if your lawn mower allows. Do not mow your lawn if the ground is frozen, wet or very soft, this will damage the turf and soil. If you wait until the lawn has dried or until later in the day when it has thawed this is much more preferable.

How to Mow

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how to push a mower backwards and forwards, however the cutting height does sometimes cause people problems, the following tips will help:

When you conduct your first mow of the year, usually in early spring you will need to adjust your mower to the highest cut setting. After these gradually reduce the height setting until the desired length is achieved. If you have a fine lawn this will be 5-15mm, for standard lawns this will be 15-25mm. In autumn it may be as high as 40mm.

It is better to avoid close mowing on a regular basis, this may look good but it will weaken the grass and dry out your lawn making it more susceptible to moss, drought and weeds. Lawns that are mowed closely will require more watering and feeding. There is also a fair chance close cutting will cause bare patches where the surface is uneven due to tree routes for example.

Getting a Striped Finish

Some people think that the grass is cut to a different length or even that the effect is achieved by using different strains of grass, this is not the case. The stripes that you may have seen on lawns or grass sports surfaces are caused by light reflecting off the grass itself, It is simply the direction the grass is bent.

The direction the grass is bent determines how light or dark the grass appears to the eye. Striped lawns look very impressive, but the effect is very difficult to achieve with a wheeled rotary mower. In order to produce a good quality defined stripe you will need to use a cylinder mower or a lawn mower with a rear roller.

  • Mow round the edges of your lawn first.
  • If you are lucky enough to have a square or rectangle lawn work from the left side  and mow up and down using the lawn edge as a guide so you get a straight line
  • If you lawn is not a defined shape or if it is circular locate a point to achieve a straight line or even tether some string as a guide. You can then use the first stripe as a guide for the subsequent stripes.
  • Every time you turn the mower line it up with the previous stripe in order to achieve another straight line and take your time!
  • It is advisable to empty you grass box on a regular basis as clumps of mowed grass, this can spoil the finish of your lawn and clog up your lawn mower.

The longer your grass the more it will bend and the more vivid the effect will be, even a small amount can make a difference.



Basic Lawn Stripe

Take care when turning you mower at the end of each row. A ‘Y’ turn is the best method as this will reduce the chance of damaging your turn and will set your lawn mower up to start the next row.


Checked Lawn Stripe Pattern

Mow the perimeter first, complete as in the first image then repeat as illustrated above. Mow the perimeter again when finished, this will remove an irregularity left over while turning the mower at the end of each stripe.


Criss-Cross Striped Lawn Pattern.

This pattern is achieved by using the same technique as the checked lawn stripe pattern but in a diagonal direction. See image above.


Lawn Striping Around Trees & Obstacles.


When mowing and striping around trees and other obstacles; mow around the object into the next ‘lane’ that has not yet been cut. Then when you make your next pass you will stripe over encroachment into your current stripes path.

Lawn Mower Parts from SparesGiant.com
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