Have you done the first grass cut of the year yet?

Mowing is something every lawn needs in order to stay healthy and presentable.

It is the most important lawn maintenance task there is. And choosing when to start mowing your lawn can make a huge difference on your garden’s overall appearance.

It’s also essential you choose the right time of day to do the mowing. Otherwise, you might be left with some sub-par results.

Once spring arrives, some of us will be looking to mow the lawn and start getting ready for the first grass cut of the year. This means dusting off the lawnmower and gardening tools to prepare for the season ahead. But when should we mow the lawn for the first time in a year and what important things should we consider?

In 2022, ‘First Cut Sunday’ – a term coined by Flymo as a good date to cut your lawn for the first time since winter – falls on Sunday 20th March.

When to mow your lawn depending on the season

Mowing is normally performed between March and October, however, depending on the weather (whether it’s mild), might continue throughout winter as well. Yet, bear in mind the starting date for mowing will depend on local conditions and won’t always start in March.

When mowing your lawn for the first time, you should always follow the one-third rule: Never cut more than a third of the blade of grass off in one go. Cutting more than this can stress the grass.

You should gradually reduce the grass length over a number of weeks to reach the desired length. Cutting the grass too short, too fast, is known as ‘scalping’ which can lead to disease and weed infestation.

Now more than ever, people are turning their gardens over to wildlife, and wildflowers and some may choose not to mow at all. This is much better for wildlife and will encourage habitats to flourish throughout summer. You could even plant some wildflower seeds here and make it a real visual feature of your garden.

You could consider a mow path – in the spirit of helping wildlife, do you need a whole area to be mown or could a pathway leading through your wildflowers be enough? Remember that a rich garden ecosystem can keep pests under control naturally.

Join us on Speakers Corner – what are your lawn plans for 2022 – will you be cutting regularly, do you like stripes in your lawn or will you turn some of your lawn over to wildlife?