3 Tips for Completing the Perfect Mow
You may not know it, but there is plenty of room for error when mowing the lawn. If you’re struggling to complete a clean mow, follow these simple tips for ensuring you get the job done properly.
Avoid Over-Cutting
Although you might discover your lawn growing faster than usual, cutting your lawn too short can be problematic for the following reasons:
- Over-cutting can damage the grass’s root structure
- Over-cutting starves the grass of essential nutrients
- It can ruin the aesthetic by producing brown patches
Reducing the cutting height can be a timely process. If your grass is growing too thick, it might be a better idea to mow more regularly and compost the grass clippings. You should begin by setting the mower to high and performing a once-over on the lawn. You can then lower the blades and repeat the mowing process. However, make sure your blades glide easily across the lawn, otherwise it can be detrimental to the grass.
Maintain the Edges
There is nothing better than a lawn with a beautifully-cut edge. Without correct edging, your lawn will start to encroach over borders, driveways, paths and up walls. There are two proper techniques for edge cutting:
- Tapering into the walls
- Establishing necessary boundaries between the paths/driveways and the lawn
It is vital to remember that when tapering the lawn you angle the whipper snipper slightly towards the wall. Start with the cord around 10cm away from the wall and keep the angle whilst cutting in toward the wall. Repeat this process as evenly as possible whilst moving the obstacle. This will create a proper tapering along the lawn toward the edge.
It’s also necessary to establish boundaries between the lawn and the path. This requires a further step once you have completed tapering. You don’t have to use as much angle on the whipper snipper when tapering a driveway, but you want to ensure the edge is the same height as all the other lawn.
When you have tapered you can then turn your whipper snipper upside down and allow the cord to work at a right angle to your pathway. Try to keep your edges straight in order to establish a 10-20mm gap between the lawn and the path.
Keep Straight Mowing Lines
You want to mow your lawn in strips, as this is the most effective way to keep it at a clean, even height with a neat finish. Start by mowing around your yard’s border, not allowing any unwanted patches after you’ve finished each strip. If your yard is situated on a hill you will want to mow around the edges in order to produce a buffer zone. There are self-propelled mowers for sale which have accelerators and move automatically. This creates ease of mowing when going uphill.
Mowing is not everyone’s favourite job, but it is much more satisfying when done properly. Follow the above-listed tips for the perfect mow, every time.
