Lawn advice needed

mrs_slapshot

Hi, I am fairly new to the gardening game, having recently separated from my husband who used to do the gardening before. I've bought a lovely new home with a well stocked garden, but I think I am killing the lawn! I couldn't mow it for weeks after moving in due to the rain, so the grass was very long when I did first mow it. As part of my share of household goods I got a lawnmower (we had two and I think my ex had the best one...) but I think it's pretty ancient and maybe not that good - its a Qualcast (electric) with rotating blades and a bucket to collect - that might be a standard type of mower, I really don;t know! Anyway, I've now cut it a further 2/3 times and it is looking very brown in patches (burnt looking) and also has patches of mud where I seem to have torn off the top grass. The lawn is very bumpy and not at all flat which I'm sure isn't helping. Anyone have any advice? Is it the mower, my technique, something else or a combination? Thanks in advance

Fay

Hi, I didn't want to read and run, but really I have very little knowledge of lawn mowing..sorry. Your lawn mower sounds quite standard though, but I wonder if you have the blades set a little low? You can alter the height at which the mower will cut your grass and it sounds like you could be scalping it perhaps? I found this website which has some advice on it http://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/novice/lawn-mowing-for-novices. Do you have any friendly new neighbours whose lawns look healthy, you could ask them for a little advice and could help in getting to know them too?

sammyroser

Alys Fowler did a recent article on lawns.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/08/alys-fowler-lawns

But one problem I think you had is you should never use a lawnmower on really long grass as it tends to rip it up. Instead go over it as much as you can with a strimmer first, That's what we've done today, then you can neaten it up with the mower.

tanith

I'd agree with strimming first then mow later you could always reseed the bare patches.

mrs_slapshot

Thanks all for advice, I think you are right about the height. I did think about a strimmer but I am watching the pennies and didn't want to go to unnecessary expense. Any recommendations as to reasonably priced but good strimmers?