A pre-mowing routines should be done before mowing your lawn. First is to remove the debris and any oher objects that are on the lawn surface including the removal of twigs, leaves, stones, children’s toys, pet droppings and bones. The reasons for these are:

-To ensure safety because lawn mowers can throw stones and other objects at great speed that will cause cuts, broken bones and eye injuries.

-Removal of lawn surface objects will prevent damage to the lawn mower blades and other lawn mower parts that can be caused by hard objects.

-The surface debris like leaves and pet droppings will be scattered to lawn surface by lawn mower weight. It could also create unwanted lamps and bumps on the lawn surface that will block the penetration of sunlight that will cause in the grass underneath dying or losing its vigour.

Waterlogged turf will be compacted by the weight of the mower and your footsteps and the mower’s roller or side wheels are likely to sink into the wet turf. Its outcome is unsightly depressions, markings and tracks. Before you start mowing, lawns should be brushed with a besom broom this will prevent grass from lying flat and could help the grass and weeds sit up for the mower blades. This will ensure that the grass is cut at the desired length. Brushing the surface of the lawn will also disperse any worm casts that may be present on the lawn surface. Removal of worm casts is important Brushing the lawn can also remove any remaining dew that may be left on the tips of the grass.

Before starting to mow the lawn determine which direction you want your stripes to go. You should aim to make the stripes at right angles to the stripes that were created the last time you mowed the lawn. Alternating the direction of the stripes with each cut helps avoid the unsightly corrugated appearance that is known as washboarding.

And your last task before you mow the lawn is to check your lawn mower to ensure if it is ready for the job. If your mower is a petrol mower then have you checked to see there is enough petrol in its tank. And dont forget to set your mower blades to the correct height. Because it should vary with the climatic seasons and the type of grasses that make up the lawn.

Source: Lawn and Mower

This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2008 at 12:50 pm and is filed under Lawn Care Tips, Mowing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.