Gardens often look overgrown in late winter, and many people can be tempted to get out their mower and start cutting the grass to tidy up their property before weeds start growing. Lorienne Whittle, an expert from the Woodland Trust, has warned gardeners that lawns need to be left alone for at least one other month in order to grow back properly. She said: “Whether you love or hate maintaining your lawn, mowing is normally needed between March and October.”
Grass is slowly coming out of dormancy in February, and the longer days will encourage more growth and allow weeds to start seeding. It can be tempting to start mowing grass to get the garden looking good before spring, but it is actually one of the most common ways gardeners damage their lawns.
Lawns are currently recovering after being frozen during winter, and as they begin absorbing nutrients from the soil as they come out of dormancy.
These nutrients are stored as energy to protect the roots, and as temperatures rise, the lawn can begin to produce thick growth that will stay strong and healthy.
Cutting grass at this stage places unnecessary stress on the lawn and prevents it from building essential energy reserves, which can result in weak grass.
Mowing at the wrong time often causes the lawn to grow back thin and makes it more likely to remain patchy for the rest of the year.
In the UK, it is better to wait until around March 18 to start mowing again, and the timing will have a large impact on the state of your lawn throughout spring and summer.
However, the exact date will depend on where you live, as grass should only be cut once the daytime temperature is regularly above 8C.
The ground temperature needs to be above 6C before you begin cutting again, so it can be worth investing in a soil thermometer if you are worried about accidentally mowing too soon.
The simplest ways to test if you can cut the lawn is to feel the ground to see how dry it is, and if it still feels spongy and wet then it is too early to start mowing again.
Make sure to only take a small amount off the top of the grass when you mow for the first time after winter, and cutting too much will make the grass more susceptible to patchy areas.
If gardeners are patient and wait just a little longer before tidying up their garden then your will have beautifully thick and healthy grass throughout the rest of the year.
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