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When to cut lawns

granmagranma Posts: 1,933
in The potting shed
on a lawn when should the first cut be and which setting  , mum's gardener has cut her lawn 3x already and he has scalped it. More mods than anything else.

I can't see where he is a gardener myself.

Posts

  • granmagranma Posts: 1,933
    Oooops...should be .......more moss
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It'll recover. It's grass.
    Ideally, when cutting - little and often is the key, during the main season anyway. You should never take more off than about a third of the height at any time. In areas where there's long dry spells through the growing season, grass is better left longer.
     
    I see guys round here cutting grass, and they scalp it. It looks dreadful, but as the customers pay for it to be done,  they get whatever these guys decide is the 'regime'. Usually every week. We get a lot of rain, but it takes a while for things to warm up, so at this time of year there's very little growth and it could easily be done every two weeks. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ElferElfer Posts: 329
    I don't think you can put time on it because as well as the weather different types of seed have varying growth rates. Cutting 1/3 is the best way.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Absolutely - the problem is that these 'gardeners' go by a date rather than the conditions. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Mine got it's first cut in February when we had that warm spell and it grew quite a lot. It's been done probably half a dozen times since then, but only a bit off each time. I'd rather start cutting it when it starts growing so that it doesn't get too long.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Our "lawn" is more a wildflife lawn and hasn't been cut since last year.
    The insects love the flowers....daisy, speedwell, bugle, celadine, primrose, violet etc
    Not to all tastes but we appreciate having these pollinators so that they will pollinate our fruit trees/bushes and veg.
  • SporophyteBoySporophyteBoy Posts: 118

    Our "lawn" is more a wildflife lawn and hasn't been cut since last year.
    The insects love the flowers....daisy, speedwell, bugle, celadine, primrose, violet etc
    Not to all tastes but we appreciate having these pollinators so that they will pollinate our fruit trees/bushes and veg.
    Nice idea B&M but plants and pollinators have been evolving together for around 140 million years and have become quite fussy about who is tickling whose fancy! What does for one will not do for another. Do a survey on your wild flowers, take a few photos and then compare with visitors to your fruit. 

    Fairygirl   It'll recover. It's grass.

    Yeh! I once had a window cleaner pass a similar comment when he heard me explaining to trainee groundsmen how grass grows - "well, it ain't rocket science, is it mate" he chipped in cheerily. "No - it's FAR MORE DIFFICULT!" (I'm leaving out the doubts I expressed upon his likely parentage ) 

    It depends whether you have or want a "lawn" or a patch of green stuff for Match of the Day reenactments.  Championship greens, bowling greens, Wimbledon are cut every day - with extremely expensive,well maintained mowers when to the average person they didn't need it - but they do!  If you leave the MOTD pitch till it's six inches tall then run a blunt and stalling rotary over it that leaves great green cow pats of mulch or digs in and takes out half moons everywhere. It will be forever a disgrace.  

    Treat your grass well, water it, feed it and cut it regularly and it will repay your efforts.

  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I’m surprised so many have cut their lawns so infrequently. I think mine has had 10 - 12 cuts this year. 
    Rutland, England
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Cutting the grass is the first and last thing ever done in our garden bed year. Hubby did the first one this year, yes I think it was February. I like it tidy,and we have 2 dogs,1 is a "you" breed,if the grass isn't short,you will inevitably tread in "something". I have Never fed, watered,or weeded any lawns,we have had. Celendines almost finished, now it's the turn of the daisies. Around our fruit trees is wildflower turf,plants,cut annually.Had a survey appear yesterday, wildlife, which I did, scored low on neighbour (you all know about saga) Alan. Titchmarsh said "a weed is just a plant in the wrong place". Hubby has just spent 4 days weeding our drive.You know where they seeded from. I can't have hedgehog gap under my fence,dog has escaped before now under the smallest gap 
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Damn phone,TOY dog,not YOU dog. I do cut using a hand(second hand) Qualcast,every 3 or 4 days And leave the clippings
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