Newbie Gardiner - Mowing A Lawn

[S R]

We a small garden lawn area of about 20ft x 10ft. We have new turf laid and as advised have kept off it for 3 weeks, watering it twice a day (except when it rained) and this weekend gave it it's first cut.

There are a number of problems I would like some advice on please.

1. I am using a rotary mower. The grass was long to begin with and we were advised to set the mower on its highest level (off the ground). The trouble the wheels of the mower flatten the grass they travel on, and then the footsteps of the person pushing the mower flatten the grass too. The result is a very untidy finish combining wheel tracks and footsteps.

1. Off-cuts. The mower did leave some clumps of cuttings in it's wake (it did gather most in it's bin). I tried gently raking the lawn to gather and collect these but gave up after it seem like I was ripping the grass blades out of the soil too. The clumps of off cuts compound the untidy finish mentioned in 1.

2. In view of 1 and 2 above, any recommendations for a reasonable mower (not too expensive).

1. Using the lawn. The kids want to use the lawn for their little kick-abouts. Is it best to keep the grass long or short of this type of regular usage?

All advice gratefully received.

SR_NG

[Cicero]

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The smallest 'Flymo' hover mower would be best for such a lawn. Look in B&Q, Focus, etc.

As a general rule cut on the longest cut until the turf has established and then experiment with closer cuts. Use an old paint scraper during use to clear build-up of cuttings on the underside of the mower body - helps to maintain the hover. Buy some spare plastic blades.

Cic.

[R]

3 weeks is fine to set the turf growing, but unless it is reasonably well rooted you will still have wheel marks caused by the soil in the turf being still soft. It needs to be firmed up. Light rolling occasionally will firm it up lessening the effect of wheel and footprints. eventually it will settle and the problem will reduce once the turf is fully established.

If the mower is leaving clumps the exit chute of the mower to the "bin" is blocking. This causes drop back of the cut sward to the blades area which then gets left behind. When mowing watch for debris from the cut as you mow. If the wheels are picking up cuttings then stop, empty, clear the exit chute (With the mower OFF) and start mowing again. Blunt blades will rip grass, as will the inability to "Throw" the cut sward using whatever upturn to the blade will do also. Gently file or grind a sharp leading edge on the blade maintaining balance by removing as little as possible from each end equally.

Hover.......easy to use, usually no collection of cuttings, can be electric or petrol. Rotary...... easy to use, grass collection usually adequate for most uses. Same power as above. Reel...........better finish, more suuited to fletter areas, will be usually more expensive for a quality one.

ALL will cut grass, all will require maintenance and lastly all need to be kept sharp.Your choice.

I would never lower the settings on the machine you choose to cut less than an inch height. This allows the grass sward enough leaf to maintain moisture during hot spells, allows the root system enough cover to reduce ingress by other unwanted weed, and looks fine. If you can leave it at 1½" in the summer to maintain good strenght and moisture for short hot spells. Lower than that and it will suffer fatigue from repeated foot traffic and use, which in turn will eventually kill off the weakest parts of the sward leaving space for weeds.

Feed your new lawn after around 6 months, carefully de-weed it, and cut up to September/October and after that leave if to recover until spring.