How Low to Go in Spring & How To Get Ready for the First Cut

WAKEY WAKEY! Come on. You’ve been putting it off. It won’t cut itself you know? Go on, get the mower out, check it, make sure it’s fuelled, make sure it’s oiled, make sure it’s clean and just get the job done.

Dick’s useful blog yesterday was on a similar theme. Concentrating on large lawns he extolled the virtues of the larger ride-on mowers like the extraordinary good value Simplicity Contender SZT550 Commercial Zero-Turn Ride-On Mower, sitting happily on our site at a completely out-there £3000 below its RRP.

But his main thrust was the same as mine. If you haven’t cut your grass yet, GRRRRR! you probably need to do it very soon. Growth starts seriously in spring and it is now March. There is no set time or date for natural growth, as I remember well from my first attempts to start a beard. So. What do you need to cut your lawn properly for the first time in the season.

First of all. Your mower. .So many people start the season by realising they have abused their mower so badly they don’t actually have one that works. If you are one of these people… never mind. Come and look at our pages for the best deals on the best range you can get online – all with FREE delivery) If you are the caring kind you will have looked after your mower over winter – cleaned it, taken the fuel out to stop it going stale (it only takes 30 days or so for this to happen) kept it wrapped up and dry and away from rain or other weather.

Check it

So take a good look at the mower, make sure all the nuts, bolts, rivets and so on are secure and clean. check the spark plugs, check the carburetor, If anything is missing or damaged, keep a note of it so you can order parts. If it’s electric check the cable, if it’s battery powered check the connections and see how much charge there is left (with lithium-ion batteries 90+ % of the charge you left in it should still be there. )

 

Oil It

Oil/lubricate all your moving parts as they may have seized up over the winter. Do this with bearings, folding handle hinges, any joints and so on.

Swab It

If you didn’t do it before the big freeze, in fact even if you did, give your faithful bi-bladed friend a wipe-down. check that the blades are clean, give it a friendly spit and polish. That way you know you starting clean and fresh.

Fill It

If it’s a petrol mower, hopefully you emptied your tank before the winter set it. Old fuel can cause problems and doesn’t last months. Assuming you did empty it, make sure it’s topped up properly now.

Change It

Assuming it’s a petrol machine, the oil, if you left it in the machine, will definitely need changing now. Drain the tank properly if you didn’t do it before. Use good quality oil (if you buy a new petrol mower from us we will give you free oil)

Keen it

See if your blades need sharpening and, if they do, making sure the machine is unplugged/switched off/battery removed, sharpen the blades. This can be carried out by a service engineer if you prefer.

Clear It

Nothing to do with the mower, except making sure it doesn’t end up in a smoking heap. Just make sure there is nothing lurking in the long grass that could cause problems to your mower, you bank balance or tyou peace of mind, tin cans, bottles, toys, stray pets, whatever.

Cut It

When you finally make the first cut remember…

1. Don’t do it while the lawn is wet
2. The grass needs to be at least 2 inches high to start with so you don’t damage it
3. Make the first cut high. it shouldn’t be cut too short on the first go.
4. In fact, in general when mowing, you should remove about a third of a blade’s length length, no more

And that’s it from me. PLEASE remember if you need any advice, guidance or information on new mowers, scarifiers, aerators or anything else garden machinery related you can call us on 0345 4588 905 and speak to one of our lovely, knowledgable team. No. They really are, look at what people are saying on TrustPilot

“THEY GO THE FULL ROAD TO MAKE SURE YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT”, 

“The lovely lady in the office sorted out all the paperwork, gave me advice on servicing and made sure I had the free petrol can advertised. Altogether a great customer experience, thank you, I’ll be back!”,

“The very nice men in the warehouse were happy to get both out the boxes and set them up for me.”,

“Friendly knowledgeable and courteous service @great prices”

See? Or we have more information on products and what to do and when to do it here, on MowHow, our knowledge base.

So go on. get cutting and enjoy your garden.  Drew Hardy