Mowing: 7 Important Rules

Smooth and well-groomed lawn is not only the main attraction of any site, but also demonstrates from the threshold how skillful and neat the owner of the house is. A thick grass cover with proper care can please you with its rich emerald color from the beginning of spring to the end of autumn. Of course, you will have to make some efforts, which in the first place is timely watering the plot and his regular haircut. If you think that cutting grass with a lawn mower is an occupation that even an inexperienced summer resident will cope with, then you are very mistaken. It’s not enough to roll the mower around the site back and forth, you need to know the correct direction of movement, the optimal mowing frequency and height, and many other secrets, which we will be happy to share with you. So why do you need tolawn mowing, and how to do it right?

What is the lawn mowed for?

And indeed, why conduct a regular lawn mowing, if many sources repeatedly claim that frequent mowing is stress for plants? Indeed, the grass experiences significant loads and subsequent loss of moisture in large quantities, but this only happens when improper care. A haircut can be quite gentle and even benefit. When the stems of the plants are too long, they require more moisture, become less elastic, spread along the ground and the lawn loses its attractiveness.

When a regular minimum haircut is carried out, the stems become more elastic, and deprived of the upper parts, they begin to give many young side shoots. As a result of which density plantations significantly increases. Thus, it is possible to achieve a uniform, dense appearance of blades of grass without gaps and bald spots. But it is precisely such lawns that show many beautiful pictures in magazines and on the Internet.

When the grass becomes thick, it will contribute decrease in quantity unwanted weed which now and then appear on the site. They simply cannot germinate through the uniform root system. In addition, a denser cover exhibits better resistance to stress and is less prone to trampling, better tolerates wintering and retains moisture longer. Evaporation occurs to a lesser extent, since the sun does not fall into the gaps between plants.

As you can see, mowing the lawn not only makes its appearance neat and well-groomed, but also benefits the plants themselves. Now consider a fewimportant rules which experienced professionals advise to adhere to without fail. After all, those who have already done a great job on arranging the lawn yourselfare unlikely to seek help before cutting it.

Rule number 1 - observe the gentle mowing height

One of the most exciting questions is what height to cut lawn. It is important to understand that the very first haircut is significantly different from all subsequent ones.The first haircut should be done at such a height that only cut 1-1.5 cm from the total height of the grass, no more, that is, the very tips. This will help the plants to cluster and strengthen their root system. The height of all subsequent haircuts should be selected depending on the type of lawn:

• Ground lawn in his homeland, England, mowed to a height of 1-2 cm from the ground. For the local climate, this figure is considered optimal. But it should be noted that our climate is significantly different from English. Therefore, experts recommend observing the gentle height of the grass on the lawn - from 3 to 4 cm. It’s not worth trying to minimize the height of the cover. Indeed, too short blades of grass will quickly become too harsh, may turn yellow and form bald spots, and mosses and weeds may appear on the soil. And this applies not only to ground grass.
• The most common type of lawn for summer cottages is landscape gardening it should be regularly trimmed to a height of 4 to 7 cm in case it performs most of its decorative function. If the green lawn is regularly arranged picnics or barbecue, that is, they regularly walk on the lawn, and it experiences certain loads, then they slightly decrease their height - from 4 to 6 cm.
• Sports lawns that often equip for mobile children's games caring parents, due to the fact that cereals are more resilient and trampling resistant, can be mowed to a height of 3-4 cm.

These standards can and should even be neglected a little if the weather is too hot on the street. Then the cutting height must be increased by 1-2 cm from the set. You should also increase the height slightly if your lawn is less than 2 years old. Then the park and lawn are cut by 5-7 cm, and the ground by 4-5 cm. After two years, the lawn is already formed and grown, which makes it possible to adhere to the recommended height of the grass cover without harm to plants.

Rule number 2 - choose the right time for a haircut

Meaning in what time of day it is better to carry out this procedure. Experts recommend doing this in the early morning or evening. An important role is played by the weather. Most suitable days - cloudless and calm. At lunchtime, mowing the lawn is strongly discouraged. Firstly, you yourself will be very tired while you work under the scorching sun, because depending on the area of ​​the plot, mowing can take from 1 hour or more. And secondly, plants are already tested at high temperatures. Do not injure them even more.

After mowing, the lawn loses a lot of moisture, so after it must be watered and make up for losses. In our article about how to water the lawn, we wrote that doing this in the daytime is fraught with burns. In the morning, make sure that the grass is dry. Dew drops can make it difficult to cut, blunt the scissors, and then instead of a clean cut, you will get chewed edges or torn blades of grass in places. Such bald spots will have to be eliminated by re-sowing them with seeds. And before they rise, it may take about 3 weeks. And all this time your lawn will be "decorated" with bald patches.

In the evening, the blades of grass can also become condensed, which occurs if the ambient temperature drops much faster than the soil has time to cool. In a word - wet grass should not be cut. Take care of the area in the morning before watering or in the evening. At the same time, calculate how much time will be spent on the mowing itself, on subsequent watering and on the complete drying of the grass. It is necessary to have time to do everything before sunset.

Windless weather is preferred because grass can bend or change slope under gusts of wind. If at that moment you just drove a lawn mower along an inclined section, then the grass may be cut unevenly.It’s not always possible to notice right away if under such conditions the entire lawn was mowed. Unevenness you will find when the wind settles. And you will have to tackle the lawn mower again, and this is repeated stress for the plants, since they did not have time to rest.

Rule number 3 - frequent haircuts injure plants, do not abuse

Question, how often should shear the lawn is individual. Depending on what kind of crops grow on the site and how quickly they are able to grow back, you can mow the lawn once a week, or 2-3. If the soil is quite fertile, plus you regularly apply additional fertilizers, then the grass will actively grow in summer and autumn. Average frequency haircuts is:

• 1-2 times a week in spring, when the grass is in the phase of active growth;
• 1 time in 7-10 days in the summer in warm weather;
• 1 time in 2 weeks in the autumn, when during the day the temperature does not rise above + 10 ° C.

If, adhering to the above frequency, you see that the grass has time to grow over 10 cm, then the frequency of cutting should be to increase. Another very important rule that should be followed in all circumstances is do not cut over 1/3 of the total length of the stem. If the moment is missed and the grass reaches a height of 10-15 cm, the haircut should be done in several passes, gradually achieving the required height. With such a competent approach, it will be easier for plants to cope with the load, they will develop correctly, and will not fade.

Mow every time the grass height becomes 1.5-2 cm higher than the recommended one for your type of lawn and you will understand what frequency is optimal for your lawn.

Proper care behind the lawn is when its height throughout the season is about the same. An exception may be too hot summer months, in which it is permissible to cut a little less to protect the lawn from drought. Some types of lawns, namely meadow or Moorish, should be cut no more often than 1 time in several months. This is due to the fact that most of the flowers that grow on it propagate vegetatively. By interfering in this process too often, you can interrupt the process of flowering and proliferation of its inhabitants.

Rule number 4 - properly prepare the lawn for mowing

You can’t just get a mower from the closet and immediately get to work. It is necessary to carefully prepare and inspect both the equipment itself and the site. Be sure to cut follow these steps:

• Remove all excess objects from the site - sticks, stones, other debris that could damage the tool;
• In order to achieve the most uniform height of the grass, first raise it. To do this, comb the lawn with a rare rake;
• Rake combing must also be done if there is dew on the grass. It is necessary to knock it to the ground and wait a while until the plants dry. You can use a soft broom or a broom. And not only so that wet grass does not chew, but also so that too wet grass does not clog a bag to collect it;
• Now carefully inspect working tool. If it is a lawn mower, make sure both wheels are set to the same height;
• Never mow grass with blunt blades. Badly sharpened knives will crush her;
• Before starting work, mentally think over the trajectory of your movement. Recommended every time change direction. This will help to achieve a more even haircut. The soil under the influence of vibrations from the lawnmower can sag a little, and if you move the same every time, at some point the grass in the site will have a different length, and the site will become wavy. If today you decide to mow the lawn from left to right, then next time move perpendicularly.Be sure to ensure that each subsequent strip goes to the previous one at least 1/3 of the cutter width of the mower. At the edges sometimes there are untouched blades of grass. This technique will allow you to trim them immediately, without returning specifically to different corners of the lawn. Mowing time in this way will not take much, and the result will be much better.

Rule number 5 - choose the best type of tools depending on the area of ​​the site

What to mow lawn? In fact, you should think about this before you even begin the initial sowing of the site. After all, at the time of the first shoots, you should already have all the necessary set of garden tools. With the help of one braid, you will not be able to achieve a neat appearance and the same length of blades of grass. What exactly you will work with depends directly on the area of ​​the site and on whether there are hard-to-reach spots on it. Let's consider in more detail the most suitable tools:

• The simplest tool, which, despite its unpretentiousness, quite often used by many gardeners - gardening scissors. If your lawn is very small, and the grass on it grows only between shrubs or trees, then you can quite do without such equipment. True, a lot of time and effort can be spent on cutting. Scissors will also be irreplaceable in large areas where there are benches, various flower beds and other places where it is inconvenient to drive a lawn mower. There you have to cut the grass by hand. To complement the well-groomed appearance of the lawn will help its clear edges. For their modeling, it is also best to use precisely scissors.
• To facilitate the process of mowing a small lawn, many prefer to use garden trimmer. It is also very convenient for them to mow grass in inaccessible places and along the edges. Most trimmers are powered by the network, which may make its use impossible. In this case, there are gasoline models that are not as light as the previous ones, but they have mobility.
• Cutting grass in 150 m2 plots is best done with lawn mowers. Their choice is quite wide depending on the type of engine, cutting tool and the presence or absence of a variety of additional functions. When purchasing a lawn mower, we advise you not to save. Indeed, the appearance of your green area directly depends on the quality of the instrument. Pay attention to case material. It is preferable to be impact resistant plastic or aluminum. Such a tool will be lightweight and easy to clean. Manual mechanical lawn mower - This is one of the most common garden tools. Its charm is that you do not depend on the availability of a power source. Although many share their experiences and argue that working with it is quite difficult. Electric mowers simpler to operate. Caring for them is also much simpler, but their work requires electricity. Before buying, pay attention to the noise level that the device emits. If she speaks too loudly, then there can be no talk of pleasure from work. For large areas, the most suitable are gasoline lawn mowers. They are absolutely mobile, but at the same time they have tangible weight and high noise level.
• To care for the vast green areas, where even the largest lawn mower can not do, there are special cleaning machines - garden tractors. Some of them not only mow the grass, but also have the function of a vacuum cleaner to collect garbage, leaves and freshly cut grass.

If you have chosen one of the lawn mowers as a working tool, then note that regardless of the type of its engine and the type of knives, it must be moved slowly around the site, without jerking and abrupt change of trajectory. Before buying, make sure that the device has function to adjust the cut level. If this is not found, then in 80% of cases you have a poor-quality tool, which you should not buy.

If the mower has grass catcher which, incidentally, is very convenient, it is better to choose models with rag bags. If necessary, they can be removed and washed, they do not have significant weight, which means they do not burden the structure and are more easily crushed. When using such a mower, regularly monitor the level of grass in the bag. Do not let it clog to the very top.

Rule number 6 - do not leave mowed grass on the lawn

After the haircut is over, a logical question arises - what to do with mowed grass? Some leave it lying on the site until it turns yellow. Some strongly recommend cleaning it immediately after mowing. Let's see in which cases the first or second advisers are right:

• Leave Mowed grass on the plot is permissible only when the particularly hot summer months come. In this case, it will act as a mulch and contribute to less evaporation of moisture.
• The rest of the year, the grass really needs to be immediately clean up using a rake. Otherwise, it will block the access of air to the rhizomes, will absorb moisture and contribute to the formation of fungus and mold. And your lawn will simply get sick.

If you decide to remove the grass, then where to put it? Do not immediately get rid of it. Experienced summer residents use it as a top dressing for vegetable beds. Considering that proper lawn care implies regular fertilizer, even mowed grass is rich in various minerals. You can simply spread it between the beds and leave it to spontaneously decay, you can throw it into special compost pits. There it must be moistened periodically to speed up the rotting process, then mixed with manure and compost fertilize the beds before the next planting season. You can spread grass under trees or large bushes to retain moisture longer. But in this case, it is necessary to constantly fluff it up and turn it over with a rake in order to prevent the accumulation of moisture and the appearance of harmful insects.

Rule number 7 - do not tighten with the last haircut before wintering

If the first haircut is recommended to be made as soon as the height of the young shoots reaches 10-12 cm, then with the last haircut you must be extremely careful. Before you go to winter the lawn, you must mow it to the usual height no later than the end of September. If the autumn turned out to be warm, and the average daily temperature does not fall below + 10 ° C, then you should make the last haircut in mid-October. Be sure to choose a calm day. After cutting, the tips of the blades of grass are very vulnerable and sensitive. If a cold wind blows, it can freeze. Before wintering, you can not remove the cut grass from the site. She will protect him from severe frosts. Do not think that long grass tolerates the cold easier. If the lawn sets off to winter with a cover height of about 10 cm, then frost-bitten plants will begin to bend to the ground, further cooling the soil and deforming themselves. Too tall grass is prone to snow mold infection.

Common mistakes that can ruin the look of the lawn

Even using the latest equipment, it is not always possible to achieve a uniform lawn surface without characteristic patterns and defects. This is due to the fact that the mower needs to learn how to operate correctly, and most errors are made involuntarily. Consider the most common of them and identify the reasons their appearance:

• Grass on hills and bumps is cut to the very root and a noticeable "Bald" spot. This is due to the fact that at one time you were too lazy and did not level the site before landing as it should. You will have to do this now by adding mulch.It is also necessary to increase the height of the cut and not to press on the handle of the mower during operation. Back and forth movements are not permitted.
• After cutting, the tips of the blade of grass become brown shade. This can result in either mowing wet grass, or mowing with a dull tool that simply wrinkles the stems. The same reasons can cause whitish stripes on the lawn.
• Ribbed lawn after a haircut, it indicates that the mower’s knives rotate too slowly or are obstructed by something. It can be harmless dew. This can also occur if the cutting height is too high or too low.
• Washboard effect - when the beveled stripes intersect with wide waves throughout the lawn. Appears if you do not change the direction of movement of each subsequent haircut. The soil from the vibrations emitted by the mower gradually becomes wavy. Add mulch to level it.

Do not forget about safety

In pursuit of a successful result and an amazing view of the lawn, do not forget about own security. To do this, always follow the rules below:

• When cutting, do not allow children to be nearby. If you didn’t notice a small pebble or other object when cleaning the lawn, it can fly out from under the mower at high speed and injure someone;
• If the area is inclined, mow it across, not up and down. At any time, you can not hold the lawn mower, it will tip over and an accident will occur;
• Mowing the area when the grass is dry should not only be done to avoid its creases. On wet grass in uncomfortable shoes you can easily slip;
• If during operation you notice that the grass has clogged the scissors or the discharge chute and there is a need to clean it, first turn off the engine. Only after the blades have completely stopped can they be cleaned;
• When using an electric mower or trimmer, be careful not to run into the power cord;
• It is preferable to wear closed clothing during operation, especially the bottom. Even the smallest pebble that flies in your direction can cause injury.

Do not worry if your first haircut did not bring the desired result, even after strictly following all our recommendations. Perhaps you have not yet fully mastered the selected cleaning equipment. Perhaps your movements were faster than they should. In any case, the green cover will quickly recover, and you will have time to work on the bugs. After all, skills come with practice!