The best time to mow your lawn to keep it lush and green
13.04.2024 - 07:23
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Wondering when you should mow your lawn this April?
The exact time to start with the mower is crucial for keeping your grass lush and green in the approaching summer.
Mowing the lawn too soon can result in stress on the plants, leading to undesirable brown patches and hard-packed soil that hampers the grass's ability to absorb water.
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Yet, if you put off mowing until too late in the year, you risk inviting unwelcome weeds and moss which could outnumber your lawn, resulting in a pesky invasion of pests and diseases.
As a general rule, lawns in the UK are usually tended to between March and October - but the precise date to begin mowing depends on our often unpredictable spring weather conditions, reports the Express.
Typically, late March or early April are the best moments to start up the mower after the grass has awoken from its winter sleep and started growing again. But when specifically should you give that first trim?
Lorienne Whittle, of the Woodland Trust - who serves as a science officer - offers some insight. Over the past two decades in the UK, she notes, the average date of that initial cut falls around March 18 - but warmer or colder temperatures can obviously shift that date either way.
Adding weight to her point, Whittle goes on to mention: "The Met Office has estimated that the growing season has increased by at least a month compared to 1961-90. In some areas, grass is growing all year round. This is an important indicator of the effects of climate change."
Allow the grass to start growing when the soil temperature is above 6C, best waiting for it to reach a height of six to eight centimetres before mowing