How to cut long grass

Figures from the Met Office showed that by the middle of the month, Wales and some parts of England had already seen more rain than they would normally expect in the whole of a typical May. We are now in June and while the lawns may look luscious and green, they have also grown by several centimetres.

Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet, damp grass is harder to cut and takes longer to trim. When your grass gets very tall, you will need to raise your mower to the highest setting and work your way down. You may also have to use your push mower and carefully lift the deck and slowly lower it on your grass.

The Supreme 46cm (18″) Self Propelled High Wheel Petrol Rotary Lawnmower from British brand Webb is just what you need. It is a powerful, easy to use self-propelled high wheel mower for medium to large gardens, with seven cutting heights you can be sure your lawn will be back to looking its best.

www.gardenersworld.com recommends:

• It’s a good idea to aim to reduce the lawn height by only one third each time you mow – any more would decrease the health and vigour of the grass.
• Adjust the cutting height to suit the weather and season. Raise the height of the blade a little at the start and end of the season. If it’s hot and dry, raise the blade to let the grass grow longer. The extra moisture held in the longer foliage helps keep the grass green and shades the soil.
• If you cut when the ground is sodden, the mower will smear and rut the soil, and wet grass clippings will clump and smother the lawn below. Mow when the grass and the soil beneath it is dry.
• Grass cuttings can be composted – be sure to mix them with plenty of carbon-rich ‘brown’ material to prevent slimy compost. In summer you leave the clippings on the lawn to help retain moisture.

Once your lawn is at the desired height take a read of one of our previous blogs The Basic Principles of Lawncare to help keep in in tip-top shape.