I often see potentially beautiful green lawns ruined by poor mower maintenance. The importance of keeping your mower blades sharp were highlighted by I lawn I was on today which was very poorly mowed. The lawn owner has had her lawn cut by her gardener, who really should know better and is making a shocking job of maintaining their equipment. I also receive questions about ripped grass when mowing.
In this first picture you can see that the lawn looks really brown and untidy, but this is not due to any fungal issues or compaction problems or drought, it is simply down to poor cutting.
Getting in a little closer you can see that the grass blades have been literally ripped rather than cut, leaving a wispy, cotton-like ends to the grass leaves all over the lawn. This effect, multiplied thousands of times really dulls the look of the lawn.
Closer still, you can see the effect on the individual blades of grass. Very damaged, and in a poor state. This grass will now be susceptible to fungal diseases which can enter the grass plant through the damaged tissue.
Keep your mower blades nice and sharp
This problem is so easily avoided by keeping your mower blades nice and sharp. Preferably knife-sharp. You will see a massive difference in the look of your grass.
If you need to buy a new lawn mower, have a look at our Tips for buying a new lawn mower.
If you have any other issues or concerns about your lawn don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Kris Lord
Thanks for the article. I have same issue. Will the grass recover itself? What to do now?
Yes, it should recover in time. give it a feed and keep it well watered and new leaves will come through.
Nice description with snap shot. You have well explained about mower blades. It’s true that
Your lawn will be beautiful and healthy by keeping your mower blades nice and sharp.