Cutting a Summer Lawn

Lawn is looking a bit better than in March, although still not right. Just given it the second half of the first summer feed.

I have started cutting twice per week now.







CUT EVENLY AND OFTEN

If there is one thing more than any other which gives a good lawn, it is CUTTING - REGULAR CUTTING to a constant height. Lawns, probably more than any other plant (a lawn is millions of little plants) is a creature of habit, for reasons we shall soon discover. Even if you do this every fortnight, your lawn will soon adapt and form a turf. But whatever you do, keep it constant and regular.

For a rough-and-ready utility lawn, and using a rotary mower (the one with the horizontal single spinning blade, like a propeller), cut at 1 inch. This will give a nice lawn after a short time, especially if it is fed as well.

However, to get a tightly-knit fine turf, use a cylinder mower (the type most people don't use) with a cutting height of about 1/2 to 3/4 inches. This is usually about right for maximum growth consistent with maximum thickening and drought-resistance.

I know the purists will be screaming that it needs cutting shorter (down to 1/4 inch) to give a tight turf. I do not agree - not on my lawn, at least. Cutting too low causes scalping (especially with a rotary mower) on an uneven lawn, thus severely disfiguring it and opening the door for moss problems.

But worse than this, it also makes it less drought-resistant. A thicker turf insulates the surface against excess water loss, since it contains air.


THE CARDINAL SIN

The worst thing you can do is leave it too long and then cut it down too much. If you do this too often, you will destroy your lawn.