6 Common Lawn Cutting Mistakes to Avoid

However, lawn cutting requires more thought and effort than you first imagine. The small things you have overlooked could significantly affect the quality and overall appearance of your lawn. There's a reason why your neighbour's lawn looks lusher than yours, and this could be due to a couple of small mistakes made with your lawn cutting.

You may not even realize that you are making these lawn cutting mistakes when you are going to maintain it. But you will be more conscious of them once you realize what the problems are. By avoiding these following lawn cutting mistakes, your garden will be as healthy and beautiful as the best in your neighbourhood:

1. Lawn Cutting With Dull Blades

Cutting with a sharp blade is much more comfortable and productive than cutting with a dull blade. Depending on the season and weather patterns in the area, you should sharpen your mower blades regularly. It is also advisable to have a spare set of blades that you could interchange when one gets blunt.

Sharp blades make clean cuts on the grass, which makes for a more evenly trimmed lawn. Dull blades rip and tear away the grass, making it look uneven and straining the mowing machine. The tearing damages the grass tips, which eventually turn brown and make your lawn look dull and dreary.

2. Cutting the Grass Too Low

This is one of the most common mistakes people make when mowing their lawn. They do this either knowingly or unknowingly. Some people cut their grass a little lower than usual, especially if they are going on vacation and do not have anyone to tend their lawn in their absence. Others do it to avoid the repetitive necessity of mowing their lawn.

By cutting the grass too low, the soil is exposed to weed growth. Dead grass clumps apply a lot of stress on the lawn below as they block the necessary nutrients, which ends up killing the grass. It is recommended to cut at most a third of the height of the grass. Mowing higher is recommended to keep your lawn healthy.

3. Lawn Cutting with Wet Grass

It is common to for homeowners to mow the lawn on a weekend morning. Many people like to get this task done as early as possible and get on with their day. Unfortunately, the lawn might be damp from the morning dew around this time of the day, which is not ideal for lawn cutting.

Mowing your lawn when the grass is wet has similar effects to cutting with dull blades. The grass tends to stick and attach itself to the blades, which makes it harder for the blades to efficiently function.

Instead of slicing through the grass, the blades tear into it and your lawn cutting may look uneven as a result. This also makes the blades dull faster than they should. In addition, you expend more energy when mowing wet grass.

4. Not Cleaning Your Lawn Mower

Maintenance is key to the efficient working of an appliance, and the lawn mower is no exception. You may have the most expensive garden equipment, but it will quickly wear down if you don't take care of the tool.

Cleaning the lawn mower is one of the most efficient ways of maintaining it. The grass clippings accumulate on the machine during each cut. Cleaning and clearing this clutter will ensure the longevity of your mowing machine. Follow the user manual whenever you want to perform a thorough cleaning to avoid accidents.

Cleaning the blades from time to time is also essential, since this maintains their sharpness and enhances their efficiency.

5. Lawn Cutting in a Single Pattern

Mowing your lawn in one direction will affect the direction in which the grass grows. For your lawn to look its best, ensure that the grass grows straight and strong. Alternating your mowing patterns will ensure the grass grows straight and healthy.

This also helps in reducing the risk of rust developing on the wheels of the mower. Varying how you cut your lawn changes its aesthetics with each cut, giving it a different look every time.

6. Bagging Your Grass

Many people simply bag the clippings after mowing their lawn, discard them, or even burn the remains. This is not wise. Instead, experts are urging people to mulch the grass clippings as they mow. As the cut grass decomposes, it produces nutrients rich in nitrogen that enriches the grass growing beneath. Grass rich in nitrogen has a beautiful green hue and can make your lawn look even healthier.