Lawn Care & Garden Maintenance

The Benefits of Mowing Your Lawn

Mulching mowers are most beneficial for your lawn. That's because they recycle grass clippings back into the lawn, providing valuable nutrients for sustained growth. What's more, the blades on mulching mowers are designed to break down the cut grass into very small pieces, then distribute them evenly over the lawn where they quickly break down without leaving a trace. Not only have you groomed your lawn, but the lawn maintenance you've performed will sustain your grass' health between fertilising your lawn during the season as well.

Lawn Mower Cutting Heights

Grass grows fastest, and is at its healthiest, in the warmer months, so decreasing your cutting height down to 2.5cm won't affect it too much. During cooler months, grass grows much slower so it's a good lawn care practice to raise your cutting height a little so as not to damage it. As a general rule, it's wise not to cut your grass lower than 2.5cm during these months. The big risk of mowing low is 'scalping,' which browns your grass. Scalp your lawn repeatedly and you risk weakening it, allowing more weeds and diseases to take hold. In these situations, the best lawn maintenance advice means letting your grass take care of itself rather than making too many changes to it!

How Often to Mow

As a guide, you should mow once a week or at the very least, once a fortnight during Summer, and around once every three or four weeks n Winter. At other times, you'll probably vary between these extremes depending on how fast your own individual lawn is growing. Other seasons Infrequent mowing can cause a lawn to become "stalky" and less attractive. This is especially the case with popular grasses such as Couch and Kikuyu. So it is advisable to mow regularly, with sharp blades, to keep your lawn looking its best.

Make sure to mow your lawn slightly more often than this.

What Kind of Mower?

The three most popular types of rotary-action lawnmowers today are mulching mowers, mulch or catch machines and cut & catch models. If you have a large lawn area, be sure to choose a mower that is powerful enough to handle the job. For small to medium-sized areas, it could be more beneficial to choose a mower that offers a mix of solid performance and low maintenance.

Not sure what a mulch mower is? Check out the video below.

Advice for Watering your Grass & Garden

As most of us learned at school, Australia is the driest populated continent on Earth. But did you know that around 40 to 50% of annual residential water consumption in Australia goes in watering grass and gardens? And unfortunately, we use about twice as much water as we need. To reduce your water bill and still perform the right amount of garden maintenance and lawn care, consider these important points when watering your grass:

• For sandy soil, mulch regularly to improve its water-holding ability
• Water in the early morning or late afternoon / evening - depending on local water restrictions and regulations - to maximise nourishment and reduce evaporation
• As soon as the water starts to run off the surface, it's time to stop because you're beginning to waste water!
• Check your nozzle and sprinkler regularly to ensure they work well & don't leak
• Install an approved rainwater system and tank