By Ginellie
Surrey, United Kingdom
On a recent blog there was mention of cutting the lawn now. I thought it was too late, but obviously not. Mine has suffered from brown tipping on the grass and I read that this might be because of cutting when the grass is wet - which it always is now. It looks awful at the moment, so would you advise cutting or not?
- 18 Nov, 2011
Featured on:
lawn care
Answers
Hi Ginellie, I tend to lift my mower up to next setting from summer cutting, at this time of year, when it is mild, just to keep it in trim and suck up any leaves. If you cut it too short, keeping it on the summer setting, and there is any overnight or day frost, it will burn off the tips. You may also need your blades sharpening so that the tips are cut rather than battered, which could also cause browning off. Hope this helps!
18 Nov, 2011
I think Young DaidyD means have the longest cut you can set your mower at, so for some mowers this means having the lever at the lowest level. We have cut ours when pretty wet but left the grass box off as it tends to clog up. Rake off the excess mowings and you should be OK. Best to wait until the late afternoon of a dry day to give it the best chance. If your lawn isn't too big you can walk over it with a yard brush earlier in the day to knock off a lot of the water so that it stands a better chance of drying a bit.
Well worth the extra effort but very boring!
18 Nov, 2011
I cut my lawn whenever it needs it (I have been known to do it in January) and this year I am still cutting it every week as it is growing so fast. I do however, use a higher cut. Walking on a lawn when frosty can cause damage.
18 Nov, 2011
Thanks so much. You are right Daisy, it will/is getting on my nerves. I have a petrol mower which the elderly lady who lived here before me left. That was great when it was a 'field', but now I have divided it up so much it is too big. Avk you are SO right about the blades, definitely need sharpening. Steragram thanks, good idea about getting rid of the water and I'll leave the grass box off. My mower is ancient, which doesn't help, but if it's fine tomorrow afternoon I'm mowing!
18 Nov, 2011
If the grass needs cutting, then cut it. I once did this on New Years Day - and I was sober!
18 Nov, 2011
Well, I can't promise to cut on New Year's Day B, but tomorrow for sure.
18 Nov, 2011
I mow about 35 customer's lawns a week. My own view is if the grass is still growing cut it! I usually raise the blades on my mower by an inch for the final two or three cuts and first cut or two in spring..
Some people have the idea that you should stop cutting lawns at a certain time of year. This is clearly nonsense as the weather varies every year. Cut until it stops growing and you'll be fine.
The earliest I've ever cut a lawn was early January and the latest is early December but some years I don't start cutting until late February and sometimes i finish cutting in late October
18 Nov, 2011
Agree with everyone else. Regarding the brown tips, blunt blades may cause this, but the one thing to watch for when cutting in late autumn and winter is a cold Northerly wind - cutting grass when that's blowing will definitely cause brown tips, regardless of sharp blades.
19 Nov, 2011
No Steragram, I mean on the lowest setting lol, I like it nice and short, Its only grass, and its tough, i can't be fussing with it haha..
Lol bulbaholic :))
Ginellie, I think if you sharpen the blades you will save a fortune on buying a new lawnmower, I have cut my grass when its been really wet and it was fine, its the grass sticking to the mower and clogging, as steragram said, that is irritating :)))
19 Nov, 2011
Because it's my job I regularly have to cut wet grass in all seasons. As Youngdaisy says it's the clogging that's the problem not any damage done to the lawn.
My mower has a roller and wet grass leaves a particularly pronounced stripe.
19 Nov, 2011
I guess I'm one of those people Anchorman who always thought lawnmowing stopped at a certain time of the year. I only had a patio/balcony before I came here so knew nothing about it. I've learned lots from Goy members over the past three years, and now I've learned about lawns. Reading about these things is all very well, but suggestions and advice from fellow gardeners is far better. Thanks again everyone.
19 Nov, 2011
Sorry if I came ovew a bit abrupt Ginellie. It certainly wasn't aimed at you. I'd had a long week with half my customer's suggesting or implying I wasn't needed and the others saying " you won't stop yet will you"
Human beings are difficult to fathom!
:^)
I've been a nurseryman since 1988 and a professional gardener since 2001 and I still learn lots of new stuff on here.
19 Nov, 2011
Oh no Anchorman you certainly didn't. I am happy to recieve any advice and all is welcome. Thank you.
20 Nov, 2011
Sorry DaisyD. I do think its a bit risky to use the lowest setting at this time of year, but as your garden is so gorgeous you must be doing something right!
20 Nov, 2011
As YoungDaisyDee has come clean, I'll follow suit - I always cut on the lowest setting too, can't be doing with fiddling about raising it... even though I know that's what you're supposed to do (guilty grin...)
21 Nov, 2011
I'll come clean too - our little lever has broken off so we are stuck with the medium length all year round. We were once advised by Greenthumb that using a slightly longer cut helped to keep moss at bay. We tried it and it did, though it doesn't look quite the same a a close shave.
21 Nov, 2011
Hahahaha Steragram/Bamboo, you both made me laugh, i think its because we have been cutting the grass for about 8 month now! im past caring if it gets marked lol. I need a break :))))
PS, it needs cut again!!!
21 Nov, 2011
Well the lever on my Boot Sale Bargain mower (not the petrol one) has two settings - high and low - but sometimes it's impossible to move it from one to the other. I guess which ever one it sticks on will decide the fate of the grass!
21 Nov, 2011
And I don't alter my cut height because I can never get the central nut undone on the blade of my hover mower...
21 Nov, 2011
Personally I think for most lawns a cut height of about 1 inch is about right and you can leave it at that height all season if you cut weekly.
Cutting very low is not generally good for the grass as it cuts down the amount of energy the grass gets( ie shorter leaves cannot photosyntesise as much as longer leaves)
Also unless you have a bowling green smooth lawn and a pecisely set mower with sharp blades cutting low can scalp the grass to within an inch of its life.
This is probably my best lawn and I've cut it at a height of one inch weekly from April to today.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/5009333134/
21 Nov, 2011
Gosh Anchorman, how very very neat! I bet it salutes you every time you arrive to cut it!
Do you apply your weed and feed by hand or in one of those little applicator things?
22 Nov, 2011
By hand. I don't get along with the applicators. I always end up with tram lines of over or under application.
Before I started professionally gardening I used to spread fertiliser on my plants on my plant nursery by hand so got quite good at getting an even spread because I could see the number of granules falling in each pot.
I move very quickly and go over the ground twice ( Most of my lawns aren't very big) I've been doing it so long now I don't need to measure stuff out it just seems to happen naturally
22 Nov, 2011
Me too, Anchorman - but I've got a theory that how successful hand application is is not just down to experience, but also to the size of your hand - when I taught someone who was working for me years ago how to do it by hand, we had burns everywhere - and then I realised, his handful was at least twice the size of mine...
23 Nov, 2011
I tried weighing out the amount it said for a square yard (metre!) and putting it in a little plastic dish. Then I used garden canes to mark out the first square and did one at a time like that. Then I would refill the dish to the same level for the next square. It took ages but I didn't burn any. But I have such a lot of lawn now I keep putting off starting and it has got very weedy. I did get an applicator from Freecycle but as it hasn't got a lever to shut off the holes I am afraid of what would happen at the end of a row when you turn round. If either of you would fancy a trip to Pembrokeshire in the spring you would be very welcome!!
23 Nov, 2011
It isn't the easiest of things to do Steragram.
Some of my customers have made horrendous messes of their lawns when they've over applied fertiliser.
I've only messed up once and it wasn't too bad.. just a couple of small brown patched where, I guess, I must have accidently let slip more out than I intended to.
To be on the safe side I usually aim to put about 25% less fertiliser on the grass than the instructions say. This gives a bit of room for error and the grass always seems to green up quite nicely .
23 Nov, 2011
I think the fertilising bit is a step too far for me, however I did manage to get the lawnmower lever to move to 17 (whatever that meant) and left the grass box off. It looks a whole lot better I have to say. Just after I'd finished I heard my neighbour start up his mower - he obviously wasn't sure either but thought 'if she can I can'!
24 Nov, 2011
Cheers Ginelli - glad it looks better anyway.
24 Nov, 2011
Related photos
Related blogs
Previous question
« Is anyone a fan of "River Cottage"? Can you remember what the favourite...
Hi Ginellie, I cut my lawns yesterday! I have a petrol lawnmower set at the lowest, The grass wasnt soaking (no rain for weeks) but it was damp. Go for it while its still growing, it will only get on your nerve's :)) weather for next week is getting Cooler by the way :( ...
18 Nov, 2011