Use Your Lawn Mower Now For Winter Lawn Care

Even though grass hasn’t grown since the onset on our cold winter weather which began in mid October, our lawns can begin to look unkempt and untidy due to the small spurts of grass growth over these months. The untidy look of winter is often also due to the few remaining autumn leaves that somehow reappear even after you have spent many hours raking up all those autumn leaves. These leaves are not good for the grass and also make your garden look messy. Using a Lawn mower to cut your grass on the highest setting in January will solve both the problem of an uneven lawn and of those leaves lying on your lawn.

Choosing the right time to do any gardening task is important and it is especially important during winter. The current and forthcoming weather can harm your garden plants and lawns after tasks such as pruning, watering, feeding cutting. If you plan on doing any tasks in the garden during the winter months make sure that a heavy frost isn’t on its way. Plants are more susceptible to frost damage after they have been cut back. Not only because of their newly exposed open wound caused by the Secateurs but also because removing a plants foliage or canopy is like removing a layer of clothes and will cause the whole plant to shiver in the frosty nights.

The Current weather will also influence the work that can be done; if there is ground frost and your lawn is frozen then you shouldn’t even be walking on it never mind cutting it with a lawn mower. Frozen grass blades will snap and break if any weight is put on it. This will weaken the lawn and lead to water loss which will in-turn further weaken the lawn and leave it exposed and vulnerable to diseases.

The right time to cut your winter lawn is when we experience a mild patch with one week of mild weather. Dry conditions are always necessary when cutting grass although this is not always possible. In wet conditions lawn mowers can struggle to give a clean cut to individual grass blades and this will lead to frayed edges to blades which in turn cause water loss and leaves grass susceptible to diseases. As stated you should set your lawn mower blades to the highest setting to just top the grass. This will minimise disturbance to lawn while still leaving it neat and free of leaves. This cut will also encourage the grass to thicken out to give a fuller and healthier lawn in summer.

Lastly, before putting your lawn mower away until early March it is recommended to give the blades and wheels a good cleaning. If cleaning the blade be sure to remove the spark plug first as this will ensure that the engine cannot start. After cleaning all part coat with oil. Drain the fuel tank and check that it is topped up with oil. Having done all this, your lawn mower will be in full working order when you need it again in three months time