Learn our expert lawn mowing Brisbane tips to get the most professional looking lawn in your neighbourhood.
Brisbane has a lot of things going for it. Year-round sunshine is usually top of the list. But in recent months, it’s been rain (rain, and more rain)! The plant-friendly combo of sunshine and rain means we might find our Brisbane lawns getting a little too long and unruly.
Getting your lawn under control is going to take a little extra know how, time and care, particularly if you’d love a professional look. But an untidy lawn can definitely let down the overall appearance of your home (and be a bit of a menace as well!). Read on for our expert lawn mowing Brisbane tips and get the best, most professional looking lawn in your neighbourhood.
Lawn Mowing Brisbane – How to Mow Your Lawn for a Professional Look
With our Top 5 Lawn Care Tips under your belt, you know how to care for your lawn. Knowing how to mow your lawn is the other half to the lawn mowing equation.
Creating a professional-looking lawn at home is a goal worth striving for. Whether you just like an immaculate look, or want to try something special by learning how to mow stripes, a professional-looking lawn will elevate the look of your entire home.
It’s all about length
The starting point is to determine the length of lawn you currently have. If your lawn is a little out of control now don’t be tempted to go all out and mow it all down at once! Each blade of grass is the ‘leaf’ through which nutrients are produced via photosynthesis. So a little length is essential so your lawn can feed itself.
Use a double-cut approach
Each type of turf has it’s own preferences, but the general rule of thumb is that your lawn should stay at around 3cm in summer and around 6cm in winter. When your lawn is a little long, it’s a good idea to use the double-cut approach. First aim to follow the golden one-third rule, and mow it first to two-third of its current height. Then give it a few days to rest, before mowing again to take another one-third off its height.
Yes, it takes a little more time and effort mowing it this way but going slow to get it to a healthy length is a much better option than cutting it too short and then trying to repair it.
Sharpen those blades
Sharp blades are essential to maintain the good health of your turf – whether you have buffalo or couch – and give you a good, professional finish. Just like hairdressers only cut with sharp scissors, lawns should only be cut with sharp blades. Sharp blades mean a cleaner cut and a greatly reduced chance of shredding leaves or tearing them out from the root. This means less stress on your grass and a reduced risk of any bacteria and mould spores taking hold.
Taking the times to sharpen your mower every four months through the year – or switching them out for new blades – is a key part of lawn mowing Brisbane.
Change directions
When you mow your lawn, chances are you start and finish in the same place every time and follow the same route in between. For a professional finish, change your mowing routine! When you mow every time in the same direction, the grass leaves will follow the same angle of growth. It’s better if they grow upright, for best even access to sunlight.
Don’t cut wet grass!
Finally, please don’t cut wet grass! Mowing your lawn when its wet doesn’t of itself damage your lawn. However, it creates a few situations that can cause you extra work and even put you in a little danger. It can:
- Create wheel ruts in your lawn.
- Cause wet grass clippings to clump underneath your mower, which creates extra maintenance work for you.
- Put you in danger if mowing slopes, hills and even flat lawns if you find yourself slipping.
How to mow stripes
Creating lawn stripes seems like the Holy Grail of a perfect lawn. Stripes aren’t only for professional groundskeepers and the Gabba. The ‘magic’ of stripes is all about the way light reflects off grass leaves, and whether they’re bending towards you (dark) or away from you (light).
Of course, to get good striping you have to start with a lush lawn – so be sure that you’re feeding it a good all-purpose fertiliser like ECO 88 Lawn Food – every six to eight weeks. Then you want to leave your lawn a little longer as a softer grass will bend over more easily. And if you’re just getting started, be sure to choose a grass that’s best suited for this kind of look – the
Empire Zoysia Turf is a great option because of its deep emerald hue.
If you’re very keen to get your grass looking like your favourite sporting arena, consider getting a cylinder mower. A cylinder mower is heavier and has an in-built roller that allows it to create the look more easily. You can get the same effect with a rotary mower if you continually cut the grass in the exact same pattern each time. Be sure to push down firmly as you go. This encourages the grass to grow at the angle of the stripes and follow the below tips.