If you want to keep your garden looking as green and lush as possible then a gardening expert advises making this one simple change to your lawn mower settings
If your garden is starting to look lacklustre after the recent spew of hot weather, the problem may lie in your lawn mower settings. A garden expert has recommended one small change that can help your grass stay a deep green.
With summer fast approaching, more of us are getting out into our gardens. In fact, the beginning of May was the hottest on record, with millions of Brits basking in temperatures more commonly experienced in the Med. The one downside is that the sunny weather can mean that your lawn needs a little extra TLC to stay a vibrant green.
It may sound surprising, but one of the biggest factors in your grass health lies in how you mow your lawn. This can affect everything from its colour to how long it lasts.
According to Ceri Thomas, a garden expert from Which? magazine, mowing your lawn too often can ruin its colour. Instead, it’s best to let your grass stems grow longer.
Ceri explains: “Longer grass stays greener and lets flowering plants like daisies bloom, which helps pollinators. I’d just recommend putting your mower on the highest setting.”
The reason why longer grass stays greener is that it absorbs more water, making it more drought resistant. Their longer roots also help them avoid turning brown.
Putting your mower on a higher setting will raise the grass blades, meaning that you’re taking less grass off each trim. This keeps your lawn looking neat without shortening it too much.
Most lawn mowers will have a knob or lever on the side that allows you to adjust the height of the blades. Other lawn mowers will have spacers that you can add and remove to change the height.
Keeping your grass longer also lets free-growing flowers like daisies flourish. Not only do these add a whimsical charm to your garden, they also attract pollinating insects which benefit the environment.
Plus, butterflies also flourish in less manicured gardens. This is especially important now, given that butterfly numbers in the UK are reportedly declining .
According to the Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, last year was one of the worst years on record for butterflies. In fact, it was the fifth-worst year since records began.
Perhaps counterintuitively, keeping your grass longer can also help reduce weeds. This is because the stems create natural shade, blocking light from unwanted plants.