How Often Should I Mow the Lawn?
The main rule to stick to when mowing your lawn is to never remove more than one third of the grass blade at any one time, this will shock your grass plant. The key is mowing little and often with a cylinder mower. We have a great video here to explain why(15m22). Most cylinder mower users are cutting at least twice a week maybe three times during the mowing season if using the 10 blade cylinder. You will need to cut more frequently if using a cylinder with more blades as the more blades you have the less it will cope with longer grass. Different grass types are also a factor with some needing to be cut more often. Other factors also include whether you're using fertilisers etc meaning your grass grows at a quicker rate. We have customers that cut every day and customers that cut just once a week- everyone is different- just make sure you stick to the 1/3rd rule.
If your grass is 30 millimetres (an inch and a quarter) a third of that is 10 millimetres which would if you subtract that mean that the height of cut should be 20 millimetres. When mowing frequently your grass is actually well trained to be cut at that height . The green colour to your lawn is your grass leaf. If you start to cut more of that off then you're getting down into the stalk and the lawn will look really white rather than green- this is what happens when you cut too low and the lawn looks yellowish. The grass plant needs the leaves in order to photosynthesise and to be healthy so it's really important that we cut using this third of the plant rule. If you only cut the lawn once a week but are cutting low then you would constantly be cutting into the stalk all the time and that will never give you a great lawn. Cutting regularly will result in a stronger thicker lawn rather than cutting once a week which will result in an untidy patchy and straggly lawn. It also prunes the plant and encourages busier growth from the base and therefore a thicker sward. A thick lawn also makes it harder for moss and weeds to take hold. An optimum height of cut is between 20-30mm.
At Allett we have a set of auxiliary wheels available for cutting longer grass that has got away from you for example if you have been away on holiday and missed a few cuts. These wheels mean you don't have to keep your rotary mower saving space in the shed.
TOP TIPS
- Cut your lawn at the right height- between 20mm-30mm for the best stripe- Remember only cut a third of the grass plant off each time you mow.
- Mow your lawn at the correct frequency- 2x3x a week with a cylinder
- Keep your lawn mower blades sharp- a blunt cylinder will damage the grass plant
- Collect your grass clippings - dropping clippings will result in thatch
- Use the cartridges throughout the mowing season
When NOT to mow your lawn
During a drought- You don't want to be cutting your lawn with a cylinder if there is a drought. During periods of drought, the grass plant must be able to preserve as much moisture as possible. When a lawn is cut, the individual blades of grass are sliced, leaving an area where moisture can escape. The best time to mow a lawn during the spring and summer is in the morning or evening never in the harsh sunshine. It would be a good idea to mow at a higher height of cut during prolonged periods of dry weather.
Never cut when it is frosty The moisture in the grass plant will start to freeze. Cutting a grass plant whilst it is frozen will irreparably damage the fibres of the plant. You also don't want to be walking on your lawn when it is frosty/snowy as this will damage the grass plant.
When your lawn is too wet- If your lawn is too wet this will cause your cylinder rear roller to skid which can damage your lawn. If your grass blades are standing up straight you should be able to mow your lawn.
Keep your lawn mower blades sharp
Lawn mower blades need to be sharp to ensure that they cleanly slice through the leaves of the grass plants. Each time you mow your lawn, the grass plant leaves are opened up, allowing moisture to escape. A clean slice allows the cut to close up quickly, reducing moisture loss. A blunt mower cylinder will rip and tear the grass plant’s leaves, often exposing the fibres, and allowing too much moisture loss. You can back-lap throughout the season as a temporary measure but we advise you to get your cylinder sharpened by a professional Allett Dealer who will check for any stone damage and grind your cylinder if this is the case.
Grass cut with a Cylinder- Notice the clean cut
Grass cut with a rotary- notice the ragged edges
Find our CYLINDER V ROTARY video here