What a fortnight. 35°C heatwave. Then the heavens opened! Your lawn may be looking pretty long...
And this weekend, you're going to do what everyone does: drop the mower to its usual height and take it all off in one go.
Don't. Do. It.
Here's the rule that matters: never remove more than a third of the blade in one cut.
Take off more than that and the plant goes into shock. It dumps its energy into regrowing leaf instead of building roots.
You get pale, weak grass right as we head into the driest months - when deep roots are the only thing keeping it green.
So if your grass is sitting at 9cm and you normally cut at 3cm, that's not one mow. It's three.
Here's what to do instead:
Cut 1: Take it down by a third. Yes, it'll still look long. Ignore the neighbours.
Cut 2: A few days later, another third.
Cut 3: Back to your normal height.
Three light cuts over a week beats one heavy one every time. The grass stays green, the roots stay deep, and you're not raking up clumps of wet clippings.
Long grass after rain isn't a problem. It's stored energy. Bring it down gradually and your lawn banks it.
As promised, lawn tips in under a minute.
Liam
Founder, Great British Lawn Co.
