Gardening expert Monty Don has advised gardeners to complete an important task before spring arrives to ensure a healthy grass grow.
Winter is coming to an end, which means that gardening is an essential task to complete before the warmer months arrive, in order to avoid damaging your outdoor space.
The BBC broadcaster and gardening expert, Monty Don, shares monthly updates about his professional and personal life through his own website under his name. As gardening is now one of his favourite hobbies outside of his profession, Monty shares his best tips and tricks on how to maintain the best looking gardens throughout the year.
In the month of March, Monty warned gardeners about a must-do task to ensure the garden is ready for the upcoming seasons of spring and summer, when temperatures will rise and daylight will last longer.
In an attempt to ensure the grass grows back healthier, the British broadcaster advised gardeners not to “cut it too short” when mowing the lawn, as this could damage the grass and affect its photosynthesis.
He wrote: “The grass will need mowing in March but do not cut it too short. Just give it a light trim for the rest of this month. This will encourage good root growth and as a result the grass will be a lot healthier and better able to resist summer drought.”
Cutting it too short, also known as “scalping,” can stress the grass and make it vulnerable to bacteria and diseases that could potentially cause long-term damage, meaning that more work would be needed to repair it.
Monty also reiterates that it’s best to “put your efforts into healthy grass rather than fighting perceived problems,” referring to potential diseases and insects, adding that as long as the grass is healthy, it will be able to fight off the rest.
However, it’s not a good sign if the garden is covered in moss. He said: “Moss, for example, is always a symptom of poor drainage, made worse by shade.” To avoid that, he advised gardeners to stick a fork in the ground and wiggle it about, repeating the process every six inches. This should be done at least once a year to achieve results.
With spring just a month away, he also recommended “giving the lawn a good scratch with a wire rake.”
How often should the lawn be cut?
The frequency of mowing depends on the season and the type of grass in your garden.
During March and the spring months, it’s advisable to mow the grass once a week or every two weeks if the growth is slow. However, as temperatures in March can still be quite low, it’s best to avoid mowing when the temperature is below 10°C (50°F) or if the grass is wet, frozen, or soft.
According to various reports, a longer cut is a better cut. The longer the grass, the more nutrients it will be able to absorb to grow healthier. For the average lawn, it’s recommended to keep the length between 2.5 and 4 centimetres.