6 Common Lawn Mowing Mistakes to Avoid

During spring and summer, mowing your lawn often makes it onto your weekly to-do list. Growing a lush, green lawn that is the envy of your neighbourhood is something everyone can do, and yet so many of us get it wrong. To help you grow the greenest, healthiest lawn in the warmer months, we thought we’d put together a list of the 6 most common mistakes made when mowing lawns. As long as you avoid these, your lawn will be ready for cartwheels, a game of bowls, and many, many barbecues. 

Mistake #1: You're cutting the lawn too short

You went a little overboard with the trim, didn’t you? It’s not too big of a deal, because lucky for you grass grows, but as a general rule, your grass shouldn’t be cut any shorter than 2-3 inches long. When you cut your lawn too short, you remove a lot of the top growth putting stress on the blades, and make your grass more vulnerable to insects and disease.

Thicker lawns also do a better job of crowding out weeds, which is exactly what you want: a weed-free lawn.

How low can you go?

When you cut your grass at the proper height, regularly, and with the right technique and lawn care equipment, you’ll get that dense, healthy and attractive turf that’s just perfect for summer entertaining. How do you know if you’ve gone too low? A low mowing height will often leave brown patchy spots in the grass.

How to avoid cutting your grass too short

If you’ve adjusted your lawnmower blades too low, you can bet that’s the reason why you’re mowing your lawn too short, but there are other factors at play too. Also, when’s the last time you had the blades sharpened? Sharp mower blades cut through grass blades cleanly. If your mower has dull blades, they’ll tear the grass, leaving a frayed, brownish edge that’s unpleasant on the eye and leaves your lawn open to disease. 

You might be thinking, ‘it’s no big deal! It’ll grow back!” and that’s true, but the time of year you’re cutting and other environmental conditions affect the ability of your lawn to recover from short cutting. Grass is able to bounce back from a low mowing height during months when it grows quickly, like in early Spring, Summer or Autumn – depending on the type of grass you have of course. During extremely hot and dry summer weather however, grass grows slower due to the lack of moisture in the soil. As long as you’re using the right lawnmower and proper technique, you’ll be able to avoid this major mowing mistake.

Mistake #2: You're mowing with dull blades

So, we know that using dull blades can lead us to cutting the lawn too short, but what other problems do dull blades pose to your lawn? It doesn’t matter what kind of mower you’re using – a walk-behind or ride-on – it’s important to use sharp blades if you want a beautiful lawn. Dull blades hack at the grass, leaving jagged ends that turn brown and yellow, not the luscious green you’re looking for.

Bad for the grass, bad for your lawnmower

When you cut your lawn with dull blades, what happens is the dull edge of the lawnmower blade pulls at the grass, tearing each blade instead of cutting through them. Not only does this make your lawn look a bit rough, but it also means a longer mowing time and unnecessary strain on your lawnmower. 

How to tell when your blades need sharpening

After you mow your lawn, take a close look at it. If the tips of the blades are jagged or torn, you know it’s time to either sharpen the blades or buy new ones. Always inspect your mower’s blades and sharpen them after 10 hours of mowing. It’s worth the effort, trust us. Alternatively, if you’re hiring a mower from Hirepool, you can save yourself all this maintenance, as the team regularly sharpens the blades and keep mowers in perfect condition. Grass cut with sharp blades recovers quickly and is able to resist disease and pests, staying lush and green for longer, leaving you with a beautiful looking lawn. 

Mistake #3: You didn't test the soil

Okay, you’re no scientist, but you might want to brush up on pH if you want your grass to grow strong. pH is the measure of acidity and alkalinity. The Ph scale ranges from zero to 14, but the number you want is 7.0 because it's neutral and the best for your grass. So, how on earth do you know what pH your soil is? Test the pH of your soil by buying a DIY soil-test kit. Follow the directions on the box and you’re good to go. Once you know how acidic or alkaline your soil is, then you can take action:

• Too acidic (below 6.0)? add crushed lime to raise the pH. 
• A bit alkaline (7.5 to 8.0)? Balance the pH by mixing in some peat moss.
• Overly alkaline (over 8.0)? Time to add sulfur.

Soil conditions change just like the weather, so be sure to repeat the soil test every spring.

To fertilise or not to fertilise

How are you supposed to know which one to use? Lucky for you, you’ve got that soil test which also lets you know what nutrient deficiencies your lawn might have. You can figure out how much fertiliser, if any, to apply to your lawn once you get the results of your soil test. You can make sure your grass is its healthiest by applying the right amount of lime and fertiliser as you need, when your precious lawn needs it. A fertilizer spreader from Hirepool can make this job a breeze. 

Now, most lawns in New Zealand grow well without needing lawn fertiliser, but using fertiliser can be a real gamechanger. It basically makes sure that your grass is getting all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy, lush, green, and gorgeous. Lawn fertiliser helps your grass grow dense and strong, making it look beautiful, but also protecting it from the wear and tear of everyday use by your family, kids, friends, and pets. 

Mistake #4: You didn't dethatch

Is mowing your lawn starting to seem a bit too complicated now that we’re getting into dethatching? Fair enough! It’s complicated growing the best lawn on the street. If you really want the best from your lawn, you’re going to have to put in the effort. So, what is dethatching anyway? According to Popular Mechanics, dethatching might have a complicated name, but it’s simply the act of removing thatch. Thatch is the layer of dead organic lawn matter, like grass clippings or shredded leaves. It forms on top of the soil and if it’s over half an inch or even thicker, it’s bad news for your lawn. Why? Because your lawn will starve as it’s not able to soak up the sun, water, and nutrients. You don’t want that! So, let’s dethatch!

How to get rid of thatch

If your thatch is hefty, you can rent a "power rake”, but in many cases, it’s just faster and easier to hire a dethatching machine. They’re easy and fun to use. Simply run the machine back and forth across the lawn and its spinning tines will pull out the thatch. Rake up and dispose of the thatch, and you’re done!

Mistake #5: Overwatering

Water, as you know, is vital to growing and maintaining a healthy lawn, but too much of it can be just as destructive as watering too little. Be aware if you’re watering your lawn too often, and check those sprinklers. If your grass is always wet, it won’t develop deep roots because there’s no need to. Watering your lawn the right amount will let your grass grow deep roots, creating a lawn that’s stronger, healthier, greener and able to withstand drought conditions. So, how much water are we talking about? Most lawns only need about an inch of water per week. Yup, that’s it. They’re not as thirsty as you are after a hard day working them! Of course this depends on the weather, soil conditions, and the type of grass you have.  

What does an over-watered lawn look like?

An over-watered lawn is often plagued by weeds, diseases, and insect damage and will most likely lead to a loop of turf problems and expensive chemical treatments that won’t go away easily. A healthy lawn should always be a little on the thirsty side, sending roots deeper into the soil, making it healthier and more resilient. An ideal watering is deep and infrequent, imitating natural rainfall. If your lawn is overwatered, it’ll probably have a shallow root system since the roots won’t have to travel for water because it’s always there pooling near to the surface. 

Alternatively, under-watering your lawn is just as bad! During hot, dry summers when the weather gets warmer you can bet that your lawn is going to get stressed if it’s not getting enough water. But don’t worry, during a drought, stresses on your lawn can be sorted out by mowing less frequently, mowing at a higher height of cut, and just staying off it! Head to the deck instead.

Mistake #6: You're not using the right equipment

The most common mistake of all when it comes to mowing your lawn is not using the right equipment. Whatever you need, you can rest easy knowing that Hirepool has you covered. Call in to your local branch to chat to the team about hiring the right landscaping tools or order online now.