Top Tips for a TopGrass lawn care
Mowing
Most domestic lawns will not survive very well at low cutting heights and even worse it encourages moss and weeds to take over. Generally most lawns will benefit from being cut at about 1”(2.5cm) and slightly higher if the lawn is under some kind of stress(i.e. dry conditions).
Frequency does depend on how fast the lawn is growing. A good rule of thumb is not to cut more than one third of the grass length at any one time.
Mower type is down to individual choice. Cylinder mowers with their “scissor” cutting actions will always give a superior cut, but you need a very flat lawn to operate them on without “scalping”. In most domestic lawns a good quality rotary mower is the best option, with a roller if you want stripes.
Change the direction of cut at regular intervals or the grass will start to lie in the direction you are mowing – clever grass! You may want to try mowing diagonally across the lawn, this can look very good on some lawns. Don’t leave the cuttings on the lawn as this will encourage thatch and reduce water, air and nutrient penetration into the soil.
Watering
Grass need air, light, water and nutrients in the right proportions to grow well. If you limit any one of these the grass will slow or even stop growing and die. Watering grass during dry weather will maintain your lawn in good condition.
The objective here is to get water into the root zone(normally about 2”(5cm) below the soil surface and you are better to water well once or twice a week than a little bit every day. To help you measure the impact you are having there are low cost moisture meters available from good garden centres which you can push 2” into the soil to see what impact you are having and whether to water more or stop watering.
Shade
Shade will severely limit grass growth. The more you keep shrubs and trees trimmed back the better your lawn will like it. Also if you have play equipment or furniture on the lawn, you will need to move it every 2-3 days to avoid getting patches of poor growth.
Pets
Dogs urinating on lawns will cause scorch effects to appear. The urine contains urea, which is high is nitrogen and up a point is a good fertiliser, beyond that point it starts to kill the grass. If you can train you dog to go in small doses all over the lawn you can reduce the amount of fertilser you need to apply!!! However for most of us the best answer is to keep the dogs off the lawn or to flush the affected areas with water straight away.
Autumn/Winter
Clearing the leaves off the lawn is an important task, they block the light and cause yellowing or even dead patches if left.
Don’t walk on your lawn when it is frosty – it damages the grass and can cause blackening.
If your lawn is getting a little long during this period then you can mow as long as the ground is firm enough not to damage the lawn and the weather is mild and not too wet. Cut at on a high setting just to top the grass.
