Mowing your lawn around lawn treatments

I am often asked about mowing your lawn around lawn treatments. I am flexible as to when I visit to apply a treatment and will always be able to work around your mowing schedule, if needed.

Mowing around your lawn treatments can be a little complicated. It depends on the condition of the lawn and treatments which are being applied.

For regular treatments, leave your lawn for 3-4 days before mowing.

Here are the most common scenarios on lawn mowing and regular lawn treatments.

1. The lawn has a lot of weeds.

This might be the situation with your first lawn treatment.

In this case it is best to not mow the lawn before treating. This will mean the leaves of the weeds are long. Longer weed leaves will absorb more herbicide and will bring about a better kill of the plant. You can then mow after 4 days, when the chemical will have made its way into the plant.

2. It is spring and the lawn is in good condition, with a few spring weeds.

This is usual after a couple of treatments or the first treatment of a new season.

In this case I recommend not mowing your lawn at least three days either side of your treatment. This will help the feed to travel down into the soil and also enable a good weed control.

3. The lawn does not have a lot of weeds, but is very long and needs mowing.

This might happen is it has been wet or you have been away, not being able to mow your lawn.

In this case I recommend mowing your lawn first. This will help the treatment move down to the roots of the grass, aiding quick recovery of the grass. In this case, try not to cut more than one third of the grass leaves at any one time, to prevent mowing scars.

4. It is summer, the lawn is mown on a regular basis and is in good condition.

This is usually the case for the majority of lawns which are maintained professionally.

In this case I also recommend mowing straight before a spring or summer treatment. This will allow the longest time between mowing. It also prevents accidental feed removal by mowing. Some people like to cut their grass up to twice a week, so this method of treating does not interrupt that schedule.

5. It is autumn or winter and the lawn is in good condition.

This is usually the case for the majority of lawns in the winter months which are maintained professionally.

In these times, moss is more of an issue and I recommend not mowing at least three days either side of your treatment. This is to enable the moss control to work well. Many customers do still mow their lawn through the winter, if needed.

In all these cases if a granular fertiliser is used it is be activated by watering. If you need to cut your lawn very soon after a treatment (i.e. you have to leave), give the a good watering first. This will start the break down process of the fertiliser so it becomes sticky. It is then unlikely to be mown up.

Mowing your lawn around lawn treatments – additional services

Mowing the lawn in autumn — Mowing a lawn

Fungicide treatments

A Fungicide treatment will treat a lawn disease such as red thread.

I recommend not mowing for three days before and at least four days after a fungicide treatment. If you book a fungicide I will be in touch with you in good time.

All aeration treatments

Hollow tine and solid tine aeration treatments have no mowing requirements.

An aeration treatment on it’s own does not impact mowing your lawn in any way. I may ask you to mow your lawn beforehand, but this is only to make the treatment easier for me. Hollow-tine core removal in long grass is difficult and may not be possible.

Often aeration is provided with a granular fertilisation treatment. If this is the case, follow guidance for the appropriate situation above.

Scarification and overseeding treatments

After scarifying, I recommend leaving your lawn as long as possible before mowing. These are very aggressive treatments and the lawn may not need mowing for some time anyway. Leave it at least two weeks. If in doubt, get in touch.

If overseeding your lawn the grass will need a long time to establish. Mowing is not a priority while grass is very young.

Lawn repairs

If your lawn has undergone repairs for any reason, it is best to avoid mowing that area until it needs cutting. This may be up to a month depending on the time of year and type of repair.

New lawns

If your lawn is brand new it is best to leave it as long as possible before mowing. The first cut on a new lawn should always be on the highest setting of your mower. It should only be mown when the grass is strong enough to cope with it. If in any doubt at all about this, get in touch.

If you are not sure how I should work around your mowing schedule, please get in touch. I am always happy to do what is right for your lawn. My scheduling systems allow for postponing treatments when it is necessary to do so. I will always be happy to return on a better day for you and your mowing schedule. This is one of the reasons why I do not give you a date of treatment months in advance.

A lawn previously maintained by The Lawn Man — A photo of a lawn taken in summer.