Keep the mower in good condition

Before you start mowing, look for obstacles in the blade area of ​​the sod cutter, especially if you have just purchased the sod cutter. If the moving parts feel tight, add a little oil to them. If the sod cutter has been used for more than a year, you may need to sharpen its blades, otherwise the lawn will look clothed after mowing. A little-known fact is that the blades of the new sod cutter are not particularly sharp. If the blade is sharpened before the first use, the performance of the new sod cutter will be better.

Some people worry about the idea of ​​using a sharp lawnmower blade, but in fact, a sharp blade is more efficient in cutting and therefore actually safer than a dull blade. It is easy to learn how to sharpen a sod cutter blade, but if you are not sure, your local hardware store may provide this service or can recommend a commercial sharpening service.

Please clear the paddock before mowing

For safety, remove objects and mark obstacles before you start mowing. Use a rake to pick up branches, loose rocks, dog bones, small toys, bottles, cans or other similar objects. Any object lying on the ground can be pushed out of the discharge chute of the sod cutter at a very high speed, reaching a speed of 200 miles per hour. If there are low-lying objects (such as pipes) that cannot be moved, mark their locations to avoid accidentally touching them.

Cut early

In order to get the best lawn effect, mowing as early as possible (in the morning, after the dew has dried on the grass), and mowing as much as possible. If you are looking for a schedule, owners of healthy (i.e. vigorously growing) grass should prune on average once a week (however, if you are busy, prune once every two weeks). In very humid, warm weather, you may need to prune more frequently than weekly. However, it is best to be guided by the height of the grass, not according to the established schedule.

From the standpoint of a healthy lawn, it is best to mow frequently. As with other perennials, as long as no more than one-third of the newly grown grass is removed at any given time, the grass can remain healthy. Therefore, it is necessary to trim frequently so that the length of the blade of grass does not exceed one-third of its length.

Use the correct mowing pattern

Correct trimming involves coming and going patterns-it cannot be trimmed in a spiral pattern. Move at a brisk pace; if you walk too slowly, the grass will grab and block the leaves. Consider mowing the lawn as an exercise. If you are using a sod cutter, you should use a similar back-and-forth pattern, with neat, even line spacing. To trim a flower bed or tree, circle the obstacle twice, first in one direction and then in the other direction.

If you cut the grass in a half-circle cut-the new cut overlaps the previous cut by half, the mower width will achieve the best results. Although this may seem to require more work, it takes less time and effort because the mowing movement is smoother (less mowing per pass). It also ensures that you cut out everything you missed during the first pass, and you don’t have to trim any rough or hairy patches later.

Change this mode every time you mow the grass. If you mow in exactly the same way every time, the wheels of the mower may end up forming small ruts on the lawn. Changing the pattern can also prevent the mower blade from cutting grass in the same direction every time. If you change the direction of mowing, the grass will stand upright.