Author: Nathan Edwards

A few simple tips on mowing your lawn will go a long way to ensuring you get a nice even cut, without ripping, scalping or smothering the lawn each time you give the grass its regular haircut.

1. Healthy mowing height for your lawn

Don’t mow your lawn too short, as this can put your lawn under extreme stress. It can leave brown or bare looking patches on your lawn, and if cut too short regularly, can seriously deplete the lawn’s energy reserves and is an open invitation for weeds to invade and seed. A good guide is the ‘one-third rule’ – only remove one-third of the leaf each time you mow.

Guideline for ideal mowing heights

(General rule of thumb: shorter for summer, longer for winter)

Green couch:                                          5 to 30mm

Buffalo grass (Sir Walter):                    30 to 50mm

Kikuyu:                                                    30 to 50mm

Zoysia matrella (Sir Grange):               5 to unmown

Queensland blue couch:                       5 to 30mm

Broadleaf carpet grass:                         30 to 50mm

Hybrid Bermuda (TifTuf):                     5 to 30mm

Fescue:                                                     30 to 50mm

2. Don’t let your clippings build up

It is ok to leave your clippings on the lawn every now and again, as clippings are a great source of nitrogen and can act as a natural fertiliser for your lawn. Recycling your grass clippings back into your lawn can actually account for 25% of its annual nitrogen requirements.

If you are using a regular mower you should only be leaving small amounts of clippings every so often. If you have a mulching mower which cuts the clippings up much finer, then it is ok to leave the clippings on your lawn, so long as they aren’t left in clumps and they are evenly distributed.

You definitely need to take the type of grass you have into consideration when deciding whether to catch your clippings. If you have a couch lawn and are looking for a manicured finish, it’s always best to catch your clippings. If you have a buffalo or kikuyu lawn, you can generally follow the instructions provided above.

3. Change up your mowing direction

Mowing in different directions not only minimises ‘mownotony’, it also contributes to a healthy lawn by encouraging the individual blades to grow straight, which in turn provides more space for new blades to grow. Ultimately, this gives you a thicker lawn.

4. Avoid cross contamination

If you have a different grass in one area, say front to back, wash or clean down your mower before transitioning to the other grass type. Some grasses like kikuyu for example, can be easily transported into other varieties where they can quickly start to invade and spread. Ideally you should try to install the same grass in all areas if you are looking to keep your grass variety clean.

5. Keep a consistent pace

If you want a consistent cut, you need to stick to a consistent pace when mowing. If you race over one area and are much slower in another, the grass is likely going to be cut inconsistently with bouncing and movement creating differentiation in the height of cut.

6. Keep your mower blades sharp

Keep your mower well maintained; sharp blades are crucial for a good cut. Blunt blades tend to tear, rather than cut the lawn.

7. Cylinders or reels will provide a cleaner cut

Reel mowers, cylinder mowers in particular, will have a better quality of cut due to the slicing ‘scissor’ action. This action is superior to that of the chopping action of a rotary mower, when comparing both with sharp well-maintained blades.

Having said this, a rotary mower with sharp blades and decent power produces a good enough cut that most people would be happy with.

8. Mow when the lawn is dry

Rain is great for fertilising, but not ideal for mowing. Mowing when the grass is wet can damage the leaf blades as they will tear rather than cut, leaving an uneven edge. This can give a ‘chopped’ look to your lawn. Wait until the lawn has dried out after rain or irrigation before you mow.

9. Don’t mow during heat of the day

When mowing, do so earlier in the day or as the sun has started to go down again. The hot sun in the middle of the day is more likely to do damage to the freshly cut lawn, so doing so when it is cooler will cause less stress to the leaf.

10. Mow your lawn regularly

Avoid long periods between mows – regular mowing is best. Keep in mind that your mowing routine may also need to change with the seasons. Warm season varieties like Kikuyu and Couch, for example, love hot summers and will have vigorous growth during this time. Regularly mowing your lawn promotes lateral growth and allows more of the sun’s rays to get amongst the leaf of your lawn.

11. A bumpy lawn will be an uneven lawn

If you have lumps or depressions in your lawn it can be a good idea to top dress your lawn. During the active growing season is the best time. Information on top dressing can be found here. Levelling and topdressing will help to ensure a more even cut with less scalping.

12. Consider mowing frequency when selecting a turf variety

Consider the amount you are willing to mow when choosing a turf variety. Some types of grass will require more frequent mowing than others. Mowing frequency will be an important aspect of maintaining a healthy lawn.

Anything we have missed?

Let us know what mowing tips you have found works best on your lawn.

Clover or Oxalis?

How to tell the difference

These two weeds, clover and oxalis, are commonly misidentified due to their similar leaf appearance, but they are different plants.

While treatment for both can be the same in many instances, it is important to understand how each of them grows so you can take action to prevent them from infiltrating your lawn again. There are also a many different species of oxalis that can be particularly tricky to eradicate from your lawn. This is why identification can be the key to success.

The main difference between clover and oxalis is that oxalis has small light green heart shaped leaves, while clover has oval shaped leaves.

White Clover (Trifolium repens)          Common Oxalis/Yellow Wood sorrel (Oxalis Stricta)

                     

Clover (Trifolium)

Clover is the common name for plants of the genus Trifolium, which consists of over 300 different species.

The clover commonly found in Australian lawns has leaves with three leaflets (4 if you’re lucky!) with circular markings and creeping stems that set roots at the point they touch the ground. The flower that it produces can be white or pink depending on the species (Trifolium repens, Trifolium fragiferam).

Treatment:

Clover is a legume that draws nitrogen from the air and stores it in its roots, so it doesn’t require a large amount to grow. Because of this, clover in your lawn can be a sign of nitrogen deficiency in your soil. When there is sufficient nitrogen in the soil for your lawn, clover will be much less likely to survive. As a result, an application with a lawn fertiliser high in nitrogen can assist in removing clover from your lawn.

A selective herbicide such as Lawn Solutions Australia All Purpose Weed Control or Bin Die Herbicide will help to eradicate clover in all lawn types including kikuyu and couch and are safe to use on most varieties of buffalo except the ST varieties.

Oxalis (Oxalidaceae)

Oxalis, also known as wood-sorrel, is a genus of plants with green or purple leaves and many variations in flower colour including white, pink or yellow. Below we focus on the common species found in Australian lawns.

Creeping Oxalis (Oxalis Corniculata)

Creeping Oxalis, as its name suggests, quickly runs along the surface of the soil and produces roots from the leaf as it goes and creeps under and through your lawn. When seed pods mature, they dry out and explode, causing the seed to spread. It is a very invasive and nasty weed, so it’s important to take action against it as soon as possible.

Treatment:

Creeping Oxalis is difficult to remove as crowns break off leaving roots for re-growth. You can hand remove small plants or dig out sections where you need to if they aren’t particularly large. If there is a substantial spread of creeping oxalis through your lawn, you will get better results by spraying your lawn with a selective herbicide.

A selective herbicide such as Lawn Solutions Australia All Purpose Weed Control or Bin Die Herbicide will help to eradicate Creeping Oxalis in all lawn types including kikuyu and couch and are safe to use on most varieties of buffalo except the ST varieties.

Soursob (Oxalis Pes-caprae)

Soursobs spread with leaves along the ground, producing large yellow flowers with 5 petals and a long white tuberous root.

The problem with Soursobs is that they are extremely resilient to herbicides. They have a fast-growing system of onion like bulbs growing beneath the surface. In addition to this, they have small secondary bulbs known as bulbils. These bulbils are attached to the root system and each Soursob can have as many as 20 bulbils! When you remove the plant, the bulbils are left behind that then detach and grow into a new plant.

More information on Soursob here.