Monty Don shares the exact time to mow your lawn before summer for ‘lusher’ grass
There is one chore you can put off this June. Monty Don has advised to stop mowing the lawn and wait as there is a better day to cut grass before summer.
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Lawns can sometimes need a little more maintenance to get thicker grass, and it can be difficult to know the best time to mow to ensure healthier growth.
However, lawn owners will be thrilled to learn that Monty Don, the horticulturist best known from Gardener’s World, is recommending that you do not mow your lawn in the next few weeks to help the local environment before summer fully arrives.
He said: “At Longmeadow, we restrict this to paths and try and let as much grass as possible grow long and planted up with spring bulbs and wildflowers.
“This looks beautiful and is so much better for insects and all forms of wildlife than a neatly mown lawn.”
Not only that, but Monty has shared that waiting until the longest day of the year has passed this June will also help gardens become healthier and grass grow stronger.
The longest day of the year is June 20, which means you should wait until after this date to begin mowing your lawn for the summer.
Monty said: “This gives the foliage of the bulbs time to die back and feed next year’s bulb and subsequent flowering.
“The grass can then be cut if it has been hot and dry although sometimes I leave this as late as mid-August.”
Grass begins to grow more vigorously as summer approaches as the temperature rises and there are more daylight hours.
Waiting until this peak growth period has passed will allow the grass to utilise its energy reserves, which means you get thicker and healthier turf.
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Summer can also be a time when grass can suffer from heat stress which can result in a discoloured and patchy lawn.
Allowing the grass to grow longer beforehand will help it retain moisture and lead to a more resilient lawn.
Once you mow your lawn, make sure to save all the grass clipping for your compost as it will be nutrient-rich in nitrogen, which is essential for flower production, and will also have a high moisture content to help prevent plants from drying out this summer.
Leaving grass clippings on the ground can also cause high levels of nitrogen in your garden which has not been broken down, which can lead to an imbalance in nearby flowers and stop them from growing.
Monty said: “Whenever you make this first cut of the long grass, you must collect it all up and take it to the compost heap to stop it from adding nutrition to the ground which would encourage lusher, coarser grasses at the expense of the flowers.”
