Here’s how a cotton swab can help you before mowing your lawn.
Spring is an exciting time for gardening enthusiasts. After the winter months, when the lawn is often dormant, the return of warmer temperatures and sunny days heralds the ideal time to wake up your lawn. The first spring mowing is crucial to getting the growing season off to a good start. But be careful, mowing your lawn too early is not necessarily recommended, it can even cause significant damage and prevent it from growing back properly.
The first spring mowing should be done when the lawn begins to emerge from its dormant state and grass growth becomes evident. But it’s not always easy to know if it’s really the right time. Here are some signs that it is time to mow: stable temperatures around 10 to 15 degrees during the day, dry grass, and a height of the grass high enough to cut without stressing the lawn, but not too long to create a tangle.
Timothy Greene lawn expert at iCANLAWN.com has revealed a very practical tip for the correct length that your lawn should have for the first mowing of spring: the cotton swab technique. He explains that “there is a specific height at which you can mow your lawn safely – and you can find it by taking a cotton swab to your lawn,” he explains.
How ? It’s very simple, “the ideal height of the grass before cutting it is around 5 to 7 cm, about the same height as a cotton bud”, revealed the lawn expert. “This height means the grass grows well and can be cut safely,” he continues. If your grass never manages to reach the height of the cotton swab, the specialist explains that this is problematic, you could have an underlying problem in your lawn.
When your lawn has reached the correct height, and the conditions mentioned above are met, you can mow. Before you begin, “it’s important to make sure your lawn mower is on its highest setting when you cut your lawn,” says Greene. This will help you avoid accidentally damaging your lawn by cutting the grass too short.