With warmer weather on the horizon and grass growing once again, it’s important to maintain it throughout the spring and summer for better growth. According to Monty Don, mowing the lawn is an important task for gardeners in March. In a 2024 blog post, the gardening expert said it will be healthier than ever if you cut it now.
Monty wrote: “The grass will need mowing in March, but do not cut it too short. Just give it a light trim for the rest of this month.” According to the gardening pro, this will encourage “good growth”, which will result in grass which is a “lot healthier” and better able to resist any summer drought.
When mowing the lawn in spring, it’s better to cut little and often than to perform one big cut.
It’s important not to remove too much of the grass at any one time when mowing because you could make it susceptible to a range of problems.
If your aim is to achieve a healthy lawn, the gardening expert said you need to put effort into establishing healthy grass rather than problems like moss, ants, dandelions and weeds.
Monty added: “Nine times out of 10, if the grass is healthy, then everything else will look after itself.
“The best grass likes very well-drained soil. Moss, for example, is always a symptom of poor drainage, made worse by shade.
“Unfortunately, even the best prepared soil becomes compacted by matted roots, rain and especially normal family use.
“The answer is to work on it at least once a year by sticking a fork into the ground and wiggling it about and repeating the process every six inches or so.”
Then mix up equal portions of sieved topsoil, sharp sand and sieved leaf mould or compost.
Monty noted: “If you do not have these things to hand, then just sharp or silver sand will do the job. Spread it across the area you have pricked and brush it in with a stiff broom, filling the holes with the mixture. This will help drainage and feed the grass.”
Gardeners are also recommended to give the lawn a good scratch with a wire rake to remove thatch and moss, and to allow light and water to reach the soil.
Monty continued: “Put the debris on the compost and then mow. It will look a little bald for a week or so, but will grow back thicker than ever.”
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