How and when to use lawn feeds and treatments
Chris Bonnett, founder of Gardening Express, said: “When you have long grass, the worst mistake you can make is going in and trying to give it one overall cut.
“This will damage the roots of the grass, encourage weeds and can also damage your lawnmower.
“Instead, you’ll want to work in sections. As a general rule of thumb, never cut more than one third of the grass’s length at a time. This means you may have to go over it once or twice but you’d rather that than damaging your lawn.
“There are other precautions you should take too, like wearing protective clothing specifically to cover up your legs. You never know what could be lurking in the grass and the last thing you want is a nasty bite.”
1. Wear protective clothing
If you have long grass, it is likely to be home to several creepy crawlies or animals, so it is best to opt for protective clothing on your legs to prevent nasty bites.
Pick wellies or long trousers which can help to protect legs as well as long sleeve tops if planning on bending down to pull up weeds.
2. Clear any debris
Have a good search through the lawn for any debris which may jam lawnmowers such as branches or rocks and move these out of the way.
3. Rake the lawn
If your lawn experiences heavy foot traffic, then some of the grass may have turned flat so it is important to take over the lawn to stand it up.
This may take a couple of attempts across the lawn but make sure not to go too hard with the rake.
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4. Avoid mowing wet grass
The expert said: “As the grass is extra long, it will also take a long time to dry up so you’ll want to ensure it is dry throughout before you begin mowing as it can make the job much more difficult.”
5. Consider a trimmer
If your lawn has grown at an exponential rate, gardeners may want to consider trimming it first to prevent damaging the lawn mower.
6. Do it over multiple days
Chris explained: “To avoid too much harsh activity on your grass, you’ll want to cut it over multiple days. Think of your lawn as a labour of love.
“Do be considerate to your neighbours – they are unlikely to want to hear the constant sound of your mower over the Bank Holiday weekend.”
7. Clean the lawn mower frequently
The longer grass is likely to clog up a lawn mower much quicker than usual which can slow down the process and damage the mower.
Be sure to clean out the grass catcher frequently to prevent this from happening and damaging the machine.
8. Get back into a regular mowing routine
The gardening pro noted: “It can be hard work cutting really long grass, once trimmed, try to get back into a regular mowing schedule to make it easier on yourself.”
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