This Morning: 'UK’s best lawn-fluencer' shares his best mowing tips
Many people overlook the importance of maintaining their lawns during the autumn months but it’s actually a crucial time of year for lawn care.
As temperatures cool and leaves start to fall, lawns require maintenance and preparation ready for the winter months and when spring comes around again.
With this in mind, lawncare and garden machinery expert Cobra has compiled the most common autumn mowing mistakes.
1. Putting mowers away too early
Just because it’s autumn, doesn’t mean it’s time to put the mower away and ignore the lawn.
Grass grows more slowly in the autumn but it still needs mowing occasionally.
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The experts advise mowing grass every week or fortnight in the autumn months and raising the height of the mower’s cutting blade to approximately 5cm.
Not mowing as frequently and keeping grass longer, will put less stress on the lawn and will ensure there is more surface area for lawns to capture sunlight.
2. Mowing after rain
The experts said: “Dry spells can be rare in autumn and a common mistake people make is to mow the lawn after a period of rain or whilst the grass is still wet.
“While it may be tempting to seek any opportunity to get the grass mown, mowing wet grass can damage your mower as it is more likely to clump and jam the cutting blades, which could cause things to overheat.”
3. Not aerating soil
Soil can become compacted in the autumn after months of parties and barbecues.
Soil compaction can prevent lawns from getting the water and nutrition they need.
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4. Forgetting to fertilise
Lawns sometimes need a helping hand during the autumn months to “encourage root growth” and “give soil nutrients a boost”.
Sprinkle the fertiliser across the lawn and if it doesn’t rain, water it until it’s absorbed.
5. Letting leaves and debris build up
It’s important that gardeners regularly rake debris up from lawns. Debris such as fallen leaves can block out sunlight and “kill your lawn underneath”.
Damp leaves can also cause thatch which can become hard to remove and encourage fungus to grow.
Debris can also prevent daylight and nutrients from reaching grass which can cause weeds and moss.
6. Ignoring brown or odd-coloured patches of grass
The recent hot weather most likely had an impact on lawn health so it’s important to pay attention to brown, dead or strange patches of grass.
The experts continued: “Autumn is the best time to reseed any patches of turf to ensure it gets a chance to grow to a healthy level before winter, which will encourage more vibrant growth next spring.
“However, autumnal weather, being warm and damp, creates the perfect growing conditions for many fungi and lawn diseases.
“Keep an eye out for any changes to your lawn so you can act quickly and prevent a full infection from taking over your prized garden.”
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