Lawn care: The best time to mulch your grass for a luscious summer lawn
MULCHING your lawn is one of the most important steps in any grass care routine, but when exactly is the best time to do it?
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Caring for your lawn is a year-round process, and mulching is just one of the key stages you should never skip. This simple task can be done using just a few basic tools, though the most important thing to get right is the time that you do it. To find out exactly when to mulch your lawn, Express.co.uk spoke to Jonathan Hill, Sales Director at Rolawn, who revealed his expert guide to help you get it right this summer.
When to mulch your lawn
Mulching is one of the most natural ways to enrich your garden grass, and the ingredients you need can be found in the lawn itself.
This simple task recycles grass clippings by cutting them down finely and putting them back into the soil.
Timing is crucial to get the best results, and Rolawn’s Jonathan Hill says now is the perfect time to get started.
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Speaking to Express.co.uk, Jonathan said: “Mulching helps to feed the lawn because as the clippings break down, they release nutrients which help to maintain higher soil temperatures and aid root development.
“The best period to mulch is from late spring through to late summer when the grass is actively growing."
While May is the ideal month for mulching fast-growing grass, the exact time you should do it to your own lawn will depend on the height of the green blades growing in your garden.
Jonathan explained: “The time to mulch your lawn is when you’re a few cuts into your mowing season and the grass is not too long.
“You don’t want the grass clippings to be any more than 25 percent of the length of the grass.”
How to mulch your lawn
While mulching is very easy to do, diving straight into it without preparing your grass first could leave you with undesirable results.
Remove all weeds
Mulching will be ineffective if your grass is competing with unwanted weeds, so make sure you give your lawn a thorough treatment beforehand.
You can treat the weeds using specialised lawn-weed treatments though the most effective method is to hand-dig them up from the root yourself.
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Use your lawnmower
The simplest way to gather the mulch from your lawn is to use a mower with a mulching function, though conventional machines will work too.
Jonathan said: “You can also use a conventional mower and allow the grass clippings to fall directly onto the lawn as you mow, by taking the grass box off.
“If you have a mower where you can’t remove the grass box, you can empty your grass clippings over the lawn and brush them in.”
No matter what type of mower you use, it is crucial that you ensure the blade is sharp and clean.
Rake the clippings
One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make is allowing dense, clumpy clippings to fall onto the lawn.
According to Jonathan, this should be avoided as it will prevent light from getting to the grass and harm the quality of your lawn, so you should brush them in if needed.
He recommended using a brush to evenly distribute the clippings over the lawn in order to achieve a seamless and even finish.
Mulch again in a few weeks
Mulching can be done throughout the warm season, though it shouldn’t be done every week.
In fact, you will get better results when you mulch only every third or fourth mow.