24 February 2024 , 12:30
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Mowing your grass too early is never a good idea. The lawn is the centerpiece of the garden for many people, and after the cold winter months, you might be keen to get your mower out of the shed and give the lawn a good tidy-up.
However, doing this too early could mean you damage your prized grass, so picking the right moment to do this task is crucial.
During the frosts, your lawn won't grow because the soil temperature is too low, but keen gardeners will know that properly maintaining the grass once the temperatures have consistently warmed up is important to create an abundant and flourishing lawn come summer time.
Otherwise, it can become overgrown, patchy, and straggly, which is not what most people are aiming for. The perfect day to approach your first lawn mowing session of the year will vary from place to place, because of the various different climates that each region experiences.
For instance, if you live in a warmer location, then the frosts may stop a bit earlier for you than someone living in the colder parts of the UK.
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However, the growing season when you need to be regularly tending to your lawn goes from March all the way to October across the country, and the Woodland Trust says 18 March is, on average, the first day you should be mowing, The Express reports.
The Met Office notes that these days, the growing season has actually extended by a month - when compared to the thirty years between 1960 and 1990 - and with the changing temperatures the UK is experiencing, your lawn might even grow in the winter.
When the soil temperature goes below 6 degrees Celsius, your lawn will stop growing, but for some people given the milder winters their area is experiencing, the soil isn't regularly getting that cold. This may mean that you spot your grass is still getting a little bit longer in the winter too, however, because it can be hard to predict if temperatures will suddenly drop again, so waiting until 18 March to regularly mow is probably a safer bet.
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Mowing the lawn might seem like a simple task, but it's important that you do it correctly because it helps to keep weeds at bay, according to Gardener's World, "Mowing is the key to a healthy lawn – each cut encourages the grass to grow more thickly, creating a luxuriant look."
To get this task just right, first of all, make sure to pick the most appropriate weather to tackle it, you should opt for a nice warm afternoon when it hasn't been recently raining to ensure that the grass is completely dry and all dew has evaporated from your lawn.
Secondly, consider the height you are trimming to very carefully, only removing about one-third of the grass - cutting it too short can be really damaging to your lawn. Different areas in your garden will have different cutting requirements - with shaded areas needing to be left longer compared to sunny ones, and areas that are "heavily used" cut to around 4-5cm.
In terms of frequency, Gardener's World recommends mowing your lawn every two weeks in the first part of spring, before upping this to a weekly trim later in the hotter months.
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