How To Mow

D R Home And Garden
Jul 13, 2017
5 min read

A simple, easy to read step by step guide on how to mow the perfect Lawn.

When to mow

The best time to start mowing is normally between March and October. Mowing is the most frequent, and most important, task when it comes to maintaining healthily lawns.

Insuring the cutting height and mowing frequency is right will make a huge difference to your lawns appearance.

Over summer: Mow twice weekly, dropping to once a week during very dry weather.

Over spring and autumn:

Mow once a week.

Over winter: Mowing isn't necessary, unless the weather is mild and the grass is still growing. If this is the case then mow occasionally with a highest cut setting selected .

Do not attempt to mow your lawn if the ground conditions are very soft, frozen, or during spells of cold, drying winds.

How to mow The mowing itself is pretty straight forward. It's usually the height settings on your mower that usually cause problems.

Follow these simple tips to help you get the right height:

For the first mowing in spring, set the cutting height to the highest setting. Thereafter, gradually reduce the height of cut until the perfect height is reached.

For fine lawns

The best height will be 6-13mm (¼-½in). For ordinary ornamental lawns 13-25mm (½-1in) in summer and up to 40mm (1.5in) during spring and autumn.

For ornamental lawns 13-25mm (½-1in) in summer and up to 40mm (1.5in) during spring and autumn.

Avoid excessively close mowing. It may look good but this will weaken your grass and encourage shallow roots, making the lawn more vulnerable to droughts, weeds and moss.

Close-mowed lawns need more feeding and watering.

Extremely low mowing will also scalp your lawn and leave bare patches on top of uneven ground or tree roots. ItLawns cut often on a high setting can also suffer with loose and weak growth.

Top Tip

If you don't know what height to use, the general guideline is to never remove more than one-third of the leaf shoots in any one mow.

Types of mowers

Your lawn mower will be one of your most-used pieces of power equipment, so it is important you take the time to research which type of mower will best suit your needs.

Petrol, Electric or Hand-pushed?

Hand-pushed mowers are great for small grassy areas, they're quiet with zero running costs, as well as obviously being the more environmentally friendly option.

Electric mowers can be very cheap to buy, but aren't as powerful as their petrol cousins. Electric mowers are more suited to small - medium sized lawns & can be purchased either corded or cordless.

Petrol mowers are designed withstand more regular use than electric lawnmowers and as a result will provide a longer working life. If you have a large lawn, it is worth investing in a petrol mower as these can mow twice as fast as electric models.

Things To Consider

Lawn Size:

Mowing a big lawn can take up to an hour or more each time, so choosing a mower with a wider cutting area will make a huge difference in the amount of time and effort needed. However, these larger mowers do cost more so for larger lawns it might be worth considering a ride on or self propelled type of mower.

Mower type: Not all mowers are created the same!

Some lawn mowers will give a better quality cut than others.

If you are wanting a high-quality finish to your lawn then you should maybe consider purchasing a cylinder mower.

This type of mower cuts shorter than other mowers, and is good for achieving that striped finish.

Maintenance: For the best cutting experience you should keep your mower blades clean and sharp.

You can sharpen the blades on your rotary mower yourself, but for cylinder mowers, it is best to get professional help.

Mower types

There are four main types of mower: cylinder, rotary, hover and ride-on. (Mulching mowers are a type of rotary mower.)

Cylinder mowers

Cylinder mowers give the highest quality cut, these are best suited for fine lawns and sports turf. Cylinder mower blades cut with a scissor-like action. This action is what gives you the fine cut and striped finish with very low cutting heights.

Rotary mowers

Rotary mowers are better suited for ornamental lawns. Rotary lawn mowers have a horizontally spinning blade and are better suited for longer grass and uneven ground. rotary mowers with rear rollers can be purchased, which will give a striped finish.

Hover mowers

Hover mowers are like rotary mowers, but use a cushion of air to move around instead of wheels. Hover mowers are able to tackle long grasses and uneven surfaces just as well as a rotary mower. However, self propelled models are not available.

Mulching mowers

Mulching mowers are a type of rotary mower, but instead of

collecting the grass clippings in a box, they finely chop the clippings and deposit them back into the ground. These clipping then settle and are barely visible. Mulching mowers return nutrients back into the roots. It is possible to purchase versions that give you the option of mulching or collection.

Ride-on mowers

Ride-on mowers are suited for very large lawns. These can be purchased as cylinder or rotary. ride on mowers will shorten mowing times drastically, but are far more expensive than others listed above. Self-propelled models are a cheaper option for large gardens.

Getting that striped finish

in 3 easy steps.

Striped lawns look very impressive, and aren't that difficult to achieve when your mower has a rear roller. Rectangular lawns are easier to stripe than irregularly shaped lawns, but with some practice, you will be able to stripe up any lawn easily.

Step one - Mow around the edge of your lawn.
Step two - For square or rectangular lawns, work from the left side, mowing up and down the lawn using the straight lawn edge as your guide. For irregular shaped lawns, line your mower up with a focal point to create your first straight line. This initial stripe will then be your guide for subsequent stripes.
Step three - Overlap your stripes slightly at each turn, this will help ensure a uniform height between stripes.

Tips -

Emptying your clipping box regularly will prevent grass clumps from clogging your mower & falling onto your perfectly lawn.
Use hand lawn shears or a strimmer to cut into tight corners.
Alternating straight with diagonal stripes on different occasions, will help keep your grass roots strong and prevent ruts from forming.

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Your lawn mower will be one of your most-used pieces of power equipment, so it is important that you take the time to research which type of mower will suit your needs best. I hope this guide has helped you improve your mowing technique, if it has then please leave a comment below.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog,

Dan.