On Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:01:13 +0000, robind
wrote:

Hi this is my first post here and I am a total novice. I planted a lawn
from seed at the end of August and now the grass is about 2-3inches
high. The problem is its been raining in buckets where I live and I want
to mow it sometime as I believe it will grow better if I cut it when it
reaches about 3-4 inches high.

That's for new grass, once it's been around for a while you can cut it
when it's shorter.

Don't remove more than one third of the grass height.


My questions are,
1. If it carries on raining will it be ok just to leave it til next
Spring?

They'll be some dry days before then, don't worry.

2. Should the grass be cut only if its dry?

Ideally, yes.

Wet grass clogs the mower, tends to tear more, and you shouldn't be
walking on wet lawns anyway.

I have a besom broom in my van that I use to remove surface dew when I
can, but my customers are paying me to keep their grass short so I have
been known to mow wet grass, though I prefer to just strim it.

3. To prepare a new lawn for the Winter what is the best height to leave
the grass, my father in law suggested 3 inches?

That depends on the grass type. I take it we're not talking about an
ornamental lawn?

Around now (late Sept/early Oct) I raise the height to 1 or 1.5 inches
depending on the grass and the ground conditions.

Then depending on the weather during the winter I tend to leave the height
at 1.5 inches. Two cuts in October, then one each in November and December
if the weather has been mild.

January and February are "play it by ear" but if it's snowing then I tend
to not cut anything.

4.Should I fertilise it before the Winter, ie after the last cut?

Did you fertilise the new lawn?

An *established* lawn should have an autumn/winter feed, take a look in
your local garden centre or online (I can recommend garden-goodies.co.uk).

Sorry in advance if these questions seem a bit novice like. I am a bit
frustrated as I spent a lot of time preparing the ground over the Summer
as the previous owner preferred the distressed look!!! Plus buying a new
lawnmower recently means I am good to go...

No problem, we all started somewhere, and it's wet out so I'm not mowing
anything today (^_^)

Steven
--
You're a great friend, but if the zombies chase us I'm tripping you.

www.baldman.org.uk