The first grass cut: when should I mow?

You’ll never forget your first mow. That’s what they say – if you don’t do it properly!

"When should I mow" is a common question we often hear

You should allow your lawn to grow to a specific height before your first grass cut of the season. By doing so, you won't damage it, and you won't stunt its growth.

Allowing your grass seed to grow to the ideal height before mowing is essential to aid its future growth. Why? Because if you mow it too short, you might damage it, and it might take a long time to grow back properly.

For this reason, it's crucial to know when your first grass cut of the year should be!

Everything else will be easier if you know your grass mixture's first mowing height and its recommended cutting height. Mowing and grass-cutting are easy but remember not to mow your lawn if frost is forecast in the colder months and feeding your lawn with fertiliser will also boost its growth all year round.

4 First Grass Cut / Mow Tips

Wait until your grass lawn is it is 5-7cm before mowing
Take away the cuttings (why not add them to a compost heap)
Let the grass settle for a week or two after your first cut
Going forward, mow at the recommended height (per product)

What height should your lawns first grass cut be?

We recommend that the ideal height of your grass should be around 5 – 7cm before you cut it, and this goes for all our grass seed mixtures. This is simply because if the grass has reached this height, it is viable, growing well and can be cut. If it isn’t reaching this height, it either isn’t established, or something is stunting its growth.

5-7cm is the perfect height for your garden's first mow

If your new lawn or overseeded lawn has reached the golden heights of 5-7cm then it’s time to give it its first mow. Set your lawn mower to the highest setting. The aim is to give the grass a trim and not cut too far down the grass blades.

Tidy up after cutting to enhance growth

Ensure to remove all the clippings after you have mown your lawn. If you leave them on a newly seeded lawn, you could contribute to thatch which would undo all your hard work. In addition, dead grass sitting dormant on top of your lawn stops much-needed sunlight from getting to your new grass.

Most grass types have different tolerances for mowing height

Now, going forward, your recommended mowing height will change. Different types of grass seeds have varying tolerances for how close they can be mowed.

For example, the fescues in our STATEMENT: Front Lawn mix will tolerate close mowing because they are of a finer-leafed variety, and close mowing helps to achieve the ornamental look that fescues are known for. The recommended mowing height for STATEMENT: Front Lawn is 10-20mm.

The recommended mowing height is 20-40mm for our ever-popular SUPERSTAR: Back Lawn. This height is double the recommended mowing height for STATEMENT: Front Lawn. Whilst this doesn’t entirely mean that the mix won’t withstand closer mowing, it shows that it is not intended for an ornamental lawn. But likewise, it will perform well at a slightly higher height.

We have recommended mowing heights for all our grass seed mixes which can be easily found in the ‘Usage guide’ tab of each of our products (see the example below). And if you haven’t got a ruler handy, each of our grass seed mixtures comes with an instructional card that already has a ruler on it!

The links to the guides on this usage guide page can be found below for your convenience:

So contrary to popular belief, the first grass cut isn’t the deepest; it might just be the easiest!

However, if you have any questions on this, or maybe even a query relating to your garden - please drop us an email, and we will be happy to help.