For the indecisive this is a difficult time of year. The mornings and evenings are a little brighter and the birds are singing, so should we get ahead in the garden and give the lawn its first trim?
And we do mean trim, not cut. There’s plenty of time yet for vicious frosts and snow, and if you cut the lawn as you would in the summer you can do much more harm than good.
So if you do want to make a start, remember that at this time of year you must raise the cutting height so you are just trimming around a centimetre from the grass stems.
Early cut: Grass like this will benefit from an early trim, but work with care
You must remember that you will be cutting grass that is probably quite wet, so you want to make sure that you don’t leave soggy clumps of cuttings as these too will make it impossible for Spring growth to flourish.
And please don’t be tempted to mulch the cuttings at the moment, even if your machine has this facility. The grass is still too damp.
This mower is one of our top sellers at the moment and would be ideal for the first cut, the Oleo-Mac G53-TK AllRoad Plus-4 Self-Propelled Lawn Mower.
The mower is made by one of the biggest manufacturers in Europe – based in Italy – and is packed with features.
Cuttings are either collected in the grass box, mulched and discharged back to the lawn, or discharged to the rear or side. You probably won’t want to mulch for a week or two.
So if you have a large area of land with small orchards and paddocks as well as formal lawns, this is the one to consider.
It also has an extra-large 196 cc engine and six cutting heights and extra-large wheels to handle the rougher areas.
Currently it is £200 less than the recommended price at £295, delivered free with a three year warranty from the manufacturer.
People with paddocks and areas of rougher grass will be interested in these two side-discharge mowers both great value at the moment.
The Mountfield 1538M SD Side-Discharge Lawn & Garden Tractor Mower is ideal for this type of task and will handle the wet grass you find at this time of the year.
When it gets a bit warmer you can use it as a mulching mower for the main lawns as well.
With a 452 cc engine and twin counter-rotating blades, a powerful current of air is created under the cutting deck assisting discharge. The cutting heights are from 25 mm to 80 mm.
Wide tyres and a five-speed gear box give great mobility and it also has twin headlights.
It costs £1399, £200 less than the recommended retail price and that price includes a free mulch-plug and a tow-bar. There is a five year warranty from Mountfield and free delivery within three to five working days of placing your order.
The Lawnflite RF125 Lawn & Garden Tractor is a similar side-discharge machine with a 96 cm cutting width and powerful Briggs& Stratton engine with shift-on-the-go transmission.
The deck has anti-scalp wheels and a pivoting front axle so you don’t leave gouges on uneven lawns.
You can buy a mulch kit and grass box separately. It costs £1099, £400 less than the maker’s recommended retail price and has a two year warranty.
Please give us a ring on 020 3026 8712 if you need advice before buying lawn mowers or garden tractors.
