Mowing your lawn in South East Queensland

After all the recent rain in South East Queensland the lawns are growing rapidly, but before you get out the lawn mower there are a few things you need to keep in mind to ensure the long term health of your lawn.

1. Avoid mowing whilst the ground is still soft, as this will cause wheel markings and will push soil through the lawn, which will allow weeds to germinate and can affect drainage flow.
2. Mowing whilst the ground is still soft will add to the compaction of the soil and will affect the air flow to the plants.
3. When wet, the clippings will be harder to pick up, as they tend to clump together and this will allow diseases to invade under those remaining wet clippings.

Our advice is to wait until the ground has dried up and the weather looks set to stay fine for a while.
The first rule of mowing is that height matters – only mow one third of the leaf at any one time, even if this means raising the height of your mower. ‘Sir Walter’ recommends never mowing below 25mm in warmer months and 40-50mm for those cooler months. Mowing too close will reduce root growth and reduce the amount of water that the lawn can absorb. Also if you mow too close you will make your lawn more susceptible to any very hot weather that comes along and can have problems with too much water evaporation. If this occurs then your lawn may require more watering to keep the plants alive. Mowing only one third may mean having to re-mow a few days later at the correct setting (generally notch 3 -4 -5 from the lowest setting on your mower) but this will vastly impact on the health of your lawn. With the second mow, move in a different direction if possible to avoid wheel marks and remove all the clippings to ensure your lawn doesn’t end up in a mess.

After the two goes at mowing your lawn will most likely change colour – don’t panic it will only last a few days before it comes back.

Tip: With Couch lawns you will have to watch out for lawn grubs and weeds after a lot of wet weather. Spray your weeds early, when they are small as it is be a lot easier to kill them. If you have a Sir Walter then you shouldn’t have to worry about any of this.

If you are fortunate enough to have just laid a Sir Walter turf, remember not to mow until it has taken root. You can check this by trying to lift a section of the turf. If it lifts, even a little – wait a little longer. If you need any advice regarding your lawn don’t forget that the Daley’s Turf team is here to help.