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When to mow and fertilise a new lawn
As your new grass begins to establish and grow, it can be tempting to get ahead with fertilising and mowing it. However, timing is everything and whilst it may appear to be lush and fully grown, the grass seed is still establishing its root system beneath the soil. So, in this guide, get to know the best time to fertilise and mow your new lawn to ensure proper growth and grass health!
Should you mow or fertilise first?
It’s important to mow before fertilising as this helps the fertiliser reach the soil more directly and ensures more even coverage.
When should I mow a new lawn?
Whether you’ve overseeded or sown a new lawn from scratch, we can understand the itch to get mowing, as once grass starts growing – it grows fast! This can make it appear that your lawn is ready to be mown. Yet, if you were to look at your lawn from a bird’s eye view – you may notice some spots you have missed or some patches that are taking a little longer to grow.
Wait 6-8 weeks before mowing a new lawn
We would recommend waiting 6-8 weeks after sowing grass seed before mowing your new lawn. This is the amount of time it normally takes grass seed to establish, otherwise wait until the sward has reached a uniform height of 5-7cm.
Mow with a high setting
When mowing your new lawn for the first time, make sure to mow first on the highest setting on your lawn mower, gradually dropping down to the recommended mowing height for your grass seed mixture/species.
You can find the recommended mowing heights for all our grass seed mixtures in our guide on mowing your lawn or the ‘usage guide’ tab on our grass seed product pages.
It’s important to stick to the recommended mowing height for your grass variety as some species such as perennial ryegrass, don’t tolerate close mowing.
Next, when should I fertilise a new lawn?
When your new grass grows, it will be undeniably green and lush and most likely stay this way for the first few months post-sowing. However, a lawn is a living thing and requires nutrients to keep it looking its very best - and the best way to do this is to fertilise it!
It’s best to either fertilise before sowing any new grass seed and allow the granules to fully dissolve before sowing OR wait until the grass is fully established (6-8 weeks) before then applying a fertiliser. If you’re unsure what is the best fertiliser to use for your lawn, check out our blog: ‘Finding the right fertiliser’.
Adopt a regular fertilising routine for the best lawn
A regular fertilising routine is a good habit to get into and can also keep your lawn protected against drought in summer and frost and winter-borne diseases in the colder months. Considering many lawns in the UK go without a feed for years, a regular fertilising routine can mean as little as two applications of seasonal slow-release fertiliser per year or four applications of a seasonal quick-release fertiliser per year.
If you’re still pondering whether to add fertiliser to your lawn, read our blog on why using lawn feed is important. If you have applied any type of fertiliser to your lawn prior to sowing, make sure to wait the allotted time (the instructions will suggest a waiting period) before applying any more fertiliser.
Remember...
If you have any before & after photos of your lawn from using our products, we’d love to see them! As a thanks for sending them in, we will offer you a 20% discount code for use with your next order. Send them to us at [email protected]