by Judith Morais

Created on: January 17, 2010

Creating and maintaining a healthy growth of green lawn requires knowing when and how to mow. Mowing your grass regularly is a necessity - grass left untended is unsightly and can leave you with problems down the road.  Secondly, keeping your grass mowed will keep your property well-presented, something you can feel proud of each day as you arrive home from a hard day at work, and something even your neighbours will appreciate as it enhances your street image and property value.

Firstly, trim your grass regularly. That does not mean that you have to do it every week or fortnight.  The season and weather will dictate how your grass grows and you are likely to find that you can get away with not doing any mowing for a month or more in the mildest of winters. On the other hand, the rains and fantastic spring or summer sun can get you mowing each week.

Never mow your grass during wet weather. The grass will more likely be pulled up by the roots leaving you with damaged lawn. The wet soil and grass are likely to clump up and damage your smooth green facade. Even the morning dew can wet the ground so the best time to mow the grass is in the late afternoon and evening when the sun has had time to dry out the soil and leave your grass safely anchored in.

Unfortunately this may mean that with rainy weather, your grass may have grown very tall by the time you got a chance to cut it again.  When grass is tall, resist the initial instinct to cut the grass short. Getting the grass back to a healthy, attractive height again will require patience. For the first cut, keep the grass as tall as your machine will allow.  After a couple of days, you can get back to cutting your grass even shorter. Mowing your grass too short leaves the exposed soil susceptible to weeds and disease.  Grass should be kept at 2 ½ to 3 inches high; with uneven terrain, it is safer to keep it a little taller so that you don’t accidentally create bald spots in the garden.

Having the correct equipment for keeping your grass in perfect shape will make your life much easier.  Firstly, get a machine that allows you to adjust the varying heights you require. This ensures your lawn has an even height. Secondly, some mowers will automatically collect the cut grass as you mow, making the task of cleaning up much easier. If your machine doesn’t collect the clippings, you must clear large clumps of cut grass that may be left behind. These will dry and form a thick matt of mulch that will prove unhealthy to your lawn. This isn’t a problem if you mow regularly so the grass isn’t too high when cut. A scattering of cut grass left in place will eventually break down and provide the nutrients your lawn will thrive on.  Next consider if you need other specialised equipment for jobs such as edging work.  The equipment you choose really is dependent on the size and design of your lawns.  Keep the equipment in good condition; in particular the blades to your cutting equipment must be kept sharp to ensure grass is given a clean sharp cut.

The perfect lawn isn’t difficult to achieve. Knowing when and how to mow will ensure that you are able to achieve a look you can maintain easily and enjoy each day.

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