How high should I mow my lawn

One of the most common mowing questions is 'how high should I cut my lawn'. In fact there is no one answer to this question as it can depend on may factors:

Quality of the lawn - If you are maintaining a luxury lawn you will want to mow it shorter than someone who is maintaining a general purpose lawn. A luxury lawn would contain a high proportion of bents and fescues, these grasses are very fine, produce a tight sward and tolerate close mowing. It should also be noted if you are going to mow you lawn short, it will require a lot more maintainance and work to keep it in tip top condition.

Weather conditions - As the weather can be very unpredictable, you have to adjust your height of cut accordingly. E.g During periods of drought the lawn will come under a lot more stress and the height of cut may have to be raised to help the lawn cope.

Wear and tear on the lawn - A lawn that receives a vast amount of wear and tear would suffer if it was mown very short, so the height would have to adjusted accordingly to help the lawn retain grass cover.

Soil type - Although the soil type would not have direct affect on the mowing height, soils of a sandy nature would suffer more in dry conditions. Lifting the height of the mower would help relieve some of stress on the grass caused by the adverse weather conditions.

Time of the year - Grass can be mown somewhat shorter during the summer moths where growth is stronger than in the winter months where growth is lacking.

Guide for lawn and grass cutting heights

Luxury lawns - During the summer months acceptable heights would vary from 10mm to 15mm raising it in the winter to 20mm.
Utility lawns - During the summer a height between 20mm - 25mm would be ideal, then during winter raise it to 30mm.

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Choosing the right mower for your lawn

As a lawn mower is the most widely used piece of equipment on the lawn it is very important that you choose the right type of mower to begin with. A good lawn mower that is correctly set up and maintained is essential to the health and appearance of the lawn.
The problem is nowadays there are many types of lawn mower to choose from it can become a bit confusing for the gardener to tell which is best type for their lawn. Lawn mowers can be walk behind or ride on, cylinder or rotary and powered by petrol, diesel or electric.

Types of lawn mower

There are two main types of lawn mower, these are cylinder and rotary mowers, each has advantages and disadvantages for different types and sizes of lawn.

• Cylinder lawn mower

  This type of lawn mower is the best option if you want a first rate luxury lawn as the quality of cut is so much better than that of a rotary lawn mower. They are available as both walk behind and ride on, however for most situations a pedestrian walk behind mower will be the preferred choice as ride on cylinder mowers can be very expensive.
  A cylinder mower has series of blades mounted onto a central spindle, these blades can number anywhere between 4 to 12, (more blades produces a better quality cut). It also consists of another fixed bottom blade running parallel to the surface of the lawn and the central spindle. As the spindle rotates, it traps the grass against the fixed bottom blade and it is cut with a scissor type action. This type of cutting action leaves a very professional finish on the lawn especially at low cutting heights. However with these mowers you have to mow the lawn on a regular basis as cylinder mowers do not cope well with overgrown lawns.
  A cylinder mower will generally have two rollers fitted, a large roller on the rear and a smaller roller at the front of the mower. The rear roller drives the mower and in certain cases drives the cutting cylinder. The front roller is where the height of cut is adjusted as it supports the mower. N. b. On some cylinder mowers the H.O.C is adjusted on the rear roller. It is the rollers on a lawn mower that produce the light green / dark green stripes on a lawn.
  Almost all cylinder mowers come with a grass box to remove the grass clippings. If you desire a high quality lawn it is very important that clippings are removed from the lawn. If clippings are left on the surface of the lawn they can increase the rate of thatch build up.
  A cylinder mower is more costly to purchase and maintain than a rotary mower.
  

• Rotary lawn mower

  A rotary lawn mower is the most common type of mower due to its ease of maintenance, cheaper purchase price and suitability to a wide range of lawns. If you want a general purpose utility lawn, a rotary mower would be the obvious choice.
  A rotary lawn mower cuts the grass using a single / multiple blades, these blades are mounted parallel to the lawn and rotate quickly cutting the grass with a slicing action. It is important that the blade / blades are kept sharp to prevent damage to both the lawn and the mower.
  A rotary lawn mower will not give as good a quality finish as a top end cylinder mower. However in recent years improvements have been made on rotary mowers and they can give a very acceptable finish for most gardeners and lawn care enthusiasts.
  This type of mower is ideal if you have a habit of letting the lawn get a little overgrown as they perform quite well in these situations, where lawn is a little longer.
  
  Some rotary mowers come with grass boxes to remove the grass clippings, and some have a rear roller fitted to give a nice striped appearance.
  
  Flymo hover mowers - Another type of very popular rotary mower is the Flymo. The cutting action is the same as other rotary mowers, the difference being is that there are no wheels as it rides on a cushion of air. When the engine is running, an 'impeller' produces a powerful jet of air causing the mower to float on the surface of the lawn. These mowers are very manoeuvrable and ideal for tight spaces, steep banks and uneven lawns.
  

How are lawn mowers powered

A lawn mower can be powered or driven by a different methods, these being petrol, diesel, electric, battery and hand, each has is own advantages and disadvantages.

• Hand powered mowers

  This type of lawn mower will always be a cylinder mower, it is simply pushed across the lawn under pedestrian power. Although they can be hard work, they are quiet in use, useful on small lawns with tight areas and of course have no running costs to speak of.
  

• Electric powered mowers

  Available in both rotary and cylinder mowers these mowers are generally cheaper than petrol and diesel powered mowers. The electric power source powers the cutting blade, this means the mower still has to be manually pushed across the lawn. The big disadvantage with this type of lawn mowers is the cable, which has to be kept out of the way and will only stretch so far. A good choice for small lawns where manoeuvrability is not a problem.
  

• Petrol & diesel powered mowers

  Many pedestrian cylinder and rotary mowers run on petrol, although more costly than the others, this is the most preferred and easiest method of powering a mower. This method is suitable for most types of lawn. Larger ride on mowers can be both petrol or diesel powered, these ride on mowers will generally be rotary mowers and are ideal for large areas. Ride on cylinder mowers are available but are very expensive and are predominantly used in the professional turf care industry.

Which type of lawn mower is best for my lawn

Using the information above and the chart below will enable you to make the correct choice of lawn mower.

	Push Cylinder	Electric Cylinder	Petrol Cylinder	Electric Rotary	Petrol Rotary	Ride-on Mower
Small lawn
Large lawn
Luxury lawn
Utility lawn
Bumpy lawn
Awkward
Quiet
Inexpensive

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Tips for overseeding a lawn

Over seeding new grass seed into an existing lawn is always going to prove very difficult task. This is because the new seedlings will have to compete with the established grasses and they will need all the help they can get to ensure they not only germinate, but establish successfully too.

However there are a few factors to take into consideration, and these can ultimately determine how successful your overseeding regime will be.

• Soil Compaction - Any soil or rootzone that suffers from extreme compaction will have a detrimental effect on any over seeding program. A compacted soil is a very poor environment for new seedlings to establish. Even established grasses struggle to grow on a compacted soil so what chance are new seedlings going to have? virtually none! A compacted soil will be devoid of oxygen, this will in turn lead to poor drainage, poor drought resistance, excessive thatch build, all to the detriment of your over seeding program. 

• An Excessive Thatch Layer - Thatch is the accumulation of organic matter that builds up between the grass sward and the soil. Although a little thatch is beneficial to the lawn, too much will see your over seeding program suffer. The ideal sowing depth for grass seed is usually just below the thatch layer with the seed just coming into contact with the soil. This is difficult to achieve if your lawn has an excessive layer thatch. If the grass seed is sown with in the thatch layer, it may well germinate but it will have a difficult time establishing successfully.

• The Temperature of the Soil - One of the most important factors that will have a major influence on the success of your over seeding program is the soil temperature. This is one of the key reasons many people prefer the late summer over the spring for over seeding. This is because the soil is warmer in late summer which will aid grass seed germination and establishment. That said, there is no problem with over seeding during the spring, however the results maybe inconsistent and in some cases disappointing. In recent years we have experienced cold springs with overnight frosts, which havent been great for over seeding, often yielding very poor results.

• Irrigation and watering - The amount of water the lawn receives following overseeding will also play a part in the germination of the seed. All new seed requires water to establish successfully. However getting the balance right is important, apply just enough to maintain adequate soil moisture.

• Mechanical operations prior to over seeding - Carrying out key lawn maintenance tasks such as aeration or scarification and raking prior to overseeding will be very beneficial in helping the seed to germinate and establish successfully. These operations help open up the surface of the lawn creating a seed bed where the seed comes into contact with the rootzone.  This will help promote both good germination and establishment of the seed.

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