Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing your mower and your lawn
• Part 2 of 3: Mowing the grass efficiently
• Part 3 of 3: Mowing lawn courts
• Warnings
• Necessities

Many homeowners consider mowing a lawn a tedious chore, while others see it as an opportunity to spruce up their yard. When done properly, mowing will encourage green, healthy grass and reduce weeds and bare patches. With a little practice, you can even cut beautiful patterns in your lawn!

To step

Part 1 of 3: Preparing your mower and your lawn

1. Use the right mower for your lawn. Gasoline lawn mowers are widely used when you have a large lawn around your house, but you actually have several options:
   • Hand lawn mowers are self-powered and are an affordable and eco-friendly choice for very small, flat lawns.
   • Electric lawn mowers are quieter and cheaper than petrol-powered ones, but they are also heavier and more expensive. Corded models are particularly well suited for smaller lawns (0.25 hectares or less).
   • Hand lawn mowers are both push-powered and self-powered. Both are suitable for lawns up to about 0.5 hectares.
   • Ride-on mowers run more expensive than the ones you walk behind, but save you time with most lawns over 0.5 acres. However, they are not safe for use on steep slopes.
2. Keep your mower blades sharp and free of debris. Blunt mower blades cause jagged cutting edges in the grass, resulting in brown edges and grass diseases. If your lawn looks frayed after mowing, you probably need to sharpen the blades.
   • You can assume that you have to sharpen the knives 1-2 times a year.
   • You can remove and sharpen the blades yourself with a few tools and some technical knowledge, or you can search online for "sharpening lawn mower blades" to find professionals near you.
   • Even if your blades don't seem to need sharpening, check them for damage after every 3-4 mows, brushing and rinsing collected grass and soil on the blades and underside of the mower.
3. Adjust the height of the lawn mower according to the type of grass and the climate. Many people cut their lawns too short in an attempt to cut the lawn less often. However, this leads to brown lawns and more weeds. The ideal cutting height depends on several factors, but is usually within the 5-8 cm range.
   • Measure from the ground to the bottom of the mower housing and from there to the blades. This total is equal to the cutting height.
   • Refer to the manual specific to your lawn type, such as https://www.lowes.com/projects/lawn-and-garden/mow-your-lawn-correctly/project.
   • You can also contact garden centers and similar specialists for advice.
4. Check the fuel and oil levels before you start mowing. It is unsafe to add fuel to a warm lawn mower engine, so fill up the mower before you start mowing. In addition, check the oil level after every 2-3 mows and add oil if necessary before starting the machine.
   • You should also occasionally change the oil and clean the fuel lines, or have this maintenance done by an expert. Service your mower once a year, at the beginning of spring.
5. Mow your lawn according to the grass schedule, not your schedule. Some people mow their lawn very regularly, eg every Saturday afternoon, but it is better to cut the grass to height. Use the "1/3 rule" and do not cut more than a third of the total height of your grass at each cut.
   • So if you want to keep the lawn five inches high, wait to mow until the grass is about three inches high before mowing it.
   • Check the forecast for dry weather. Wet grass can clog your mower, create irregularities in your yard and make it too slippery to mow safely.
   • It is better to mow in the evening after a dry day. This reduces clumping, lawn damage and heat stress in the grass (and your own). So, plan accordingly.
6. Make sure there are no debris, pets, and children nearby before mowing. Walk around your lawn and pick up branches, rocks, toys, pet waste, or other obstacles that could damage or mess up your mower. More importantly, keep pets and children indoors, or at least a safe distance from where you are going to mow.
   • Some lawn mowers can blast rocks or other debris at dangerous speeds, so it is always best to keep other people and pets away.
7. Put on protective glasses, hearing protection and clothing. Wear safety glasses to protect yourself from flying debris, and hearing protection to muffle the lawn mower's noise. In addition, it is wise to wear sturdy, closed shoes and long pants to protect your feet and legs.
   • Apply sunscreen and put on a hat, even on cloudy days or early or late in the day.
   • Make sure you drink enough water.
   • Take breaks if you are mowing a large lawn, feel overheated, or find yourself getting tired.

Part 2 of 3: Mowing the grass efficiently

1. First, mow along the edge and around any obstacles. Unless you already have a square or rectangular lawn, your first goal is to create a rectangular space. Work around trees or along circular flower beds, then create straight lines and angles in those spots. Make one or more rectangles from the remaining lawn to make it easier to mow.
   • Mowing around the perimeter first divides the lawn into rectangles and gives you room to turn when mowing back and forth in rows.
   • You may need to go around the edges twice to create an even bigger turning point.
2. Mow side to side on sloping terrain. Take sloping terrain into account when creating your rectangular mowing areas. You should never mow up and down a slope that is even slightly more than a gentle slope. Instead, you work in straight lines perpendicular to the slope.
   • If it is difficult to walk up or down the slope on wet grass, do not mow the grass up or down, even when it is dry.
   • Walk behind mowers are less dangerous on slopes than larger and heavier powered models, but you can still be injured from a slip and fall.
   • Instead of mowing a slope, you can also prune with a trimmer, or consider other plantings on that slope, or at least something other than grass.
3. Mow back and forth in straight lines with a slight overlap. In each rectangular area you created, start from one side and go in a straight line from end to end. Then turn your mower and mow along an adjacent strip in the opposite direction. Repeat this procedure until you have mowed the entire area.
   • The amount of overlap required will depend on your mower setting. In general, the wheels (on one side) should be placed just a bit wider than the cutting line you made in the previous strip.
   • Turning to go back and forth is a bit easier with a zero turn mower. Otherwise you can also turn on the rear wheel closest to the next track, and adjust the position of the machine where necessary, to achieve the desired position.
4. Discard clippings in the previous lane. Finely clipped clippings can feed your lawn, so spread this over your lawn if possible. If you have a mower that disposes of clippings sideways, make sure it is spread over the previously cut lane. A mulching mower will chop and scatter the clippings.
   • Do not leave clumps of cut grass on your lawn - this will especially occur if the blades are dull or if the grass is damp. Put the clippings in a bag or spread it with a rake.
   • If you want to reduce your straw, you can attach a bag to some lawn mowers to collect clippings. You can add the clippings to your compost, use it as mulch, or put it in the green bin.
5. Change the mowing direction of your lanes regularly. For example, make sure that you do not always mow your square lawn in the same north-south direction. Doing this will cause the grass to slope permanently in the direction of the track, creating tracks from the lawn mower wheels in the grass.
   • It is better to alternate direction during each consecutive mowing session.
6. Use a trimmer and / or edger after you have finished mowing. Grass trimmers or edgers are not as fast and efficient as mowers, so rely on your lawn mower to cut as much of the lawn as possible. Then use the other tools to get to the remaining grass that the mower could not reach.
   • Some people prefer to trim / trim first so that the remaining clumps of grass that result from this can be cut and spread by the mower. This is a viable option, but you will spend more time trimming and / or edging than necessary, and these methods are often harder on your grass than mowing - for example, it is easier to cut grass far too short in certain areas.

Part 3 of 3: Mowing lawn courts

1. Cut simple jobs back and forth for standard lawn jobs. The lighter and darker lanes on manicured lawns or sports fields are simply created by bending the grass in the direction of mowing. Grass that curves away from where you are looking appears lighter in color, while grass that curves toward you appears darker.
   • Therefore, a traditional back and forth cutting sequence will create straight lines that alternate between light and darker shades (depending on your viewing angle).
   • To increase the track effect by bending the grass more completely, you can buy a lawn roller and use it by repeating the pattern you just mowed.
2. Make checkerboard stripes by mowing in perpendicular lines. If you want to create a checkerboard pattern of alternating light and dark quadrants in the grass, just mow over the same area twice. First, you mow standard back and forth lanes - for example, from north to south. Then mow back and forth across the same area from east to west. When you're done, you should see the signature checkerboard pattern emerge.
   • Finish the job by taking a good look at the yard at the end to correct any irregularities caused by your curves.
3. Make it even more interesting with diamond or zigzag patterns. A checkerboard pattern is actually not much more difficult than the checkerboard pattern. All you have to do is turn your alternating mowing lanes 45 degrees so that you essentially mow from corner to corner within your square cutting area.
   • For a zigzag pattern you must first make a diamond pattern. You then make a repeating series of alternating 90-degree turns each time you mow across three panes (either light-dark-light or dark-light-dark). This pattern takes a little practice, and may be easier if you draw a picture first.

Warnings

• To make starting simple and safe, only start the lawn mower on a sidewalk, driveway or other solid surface.
• Keep pets and children away from the mowing area and away from the lawn mower.
• Choose your hearing protection carefully. While it's good to protect yourself from the noise of a gasoline lawn mower, don't be so cut off from the noise that you aren't aware of your surroundings. Quality earplugs, which provide protection but allow warning sounds (such as a car horn or someone yelling) to pass through, are ideal.
• Lawn mowers with an engine are life-threatening. When used incorrectly, they can cause serious injury or even death.
• Read the manufacturer's instructions. Understand the power, functions and limitations of the machine. Get to know the safety systems, how they work and how they should be enforced. Understand the difference between safe and unsafe use.
• Be especially careful when pulling a lawn mower towards you so that you do not trip or fall and the mower lands on top of you. Instead of pulling the mower towards you, stand to the side (where there is no clippings outlet) and walk with you pulling the mower next to you.
• Always wear hearing and eye protection and sturdy shoes when mowing. Professional gardeners wear long work trousers and light long-sleeved shirts to protect them from electrical installations, debris, sun exposure, and insects.
• If the blades become clogged with grass clippings or other debris, get this one not away with your hands. Instead, turn off the mower and spray with a garden hose to clean the blades of a gasoline mower. Even if the mower is switched off, the blade can start to rotate once the debris is removed. This is due to torque built up in the motor.
• Use goggles to protect your eyes from flying debris. Glasses that also protect the side of your eyes are ideal. While modern mowers are designed to keep this to a minimum, there's always the chance that things can go wrong.
• Listening to a portable music player, such as an iPod, while mowing is a bad idea. While the earphones can block out sound, listening to music is a dangerous distraction at a time when total focus is needed to control such dangerous, powerful machines.

Necessities

• Hearing and eye protection
• Lawn trimmer
• Lawn mower and equipment, including sufficient fuel if necessary