Starting lawn from scratch

Apparently it firms the soil that's lifted after germination and it also encourages the seedlings to grow new shoots.

I'm going to use my roller mower with the blade at the highest setting, so probably too high to cut any grass.

 

Tbh i never did that, i just mowed the grass after it reached the right height and then over seeded when required…….for me rolling just adds compaction which doesnt help with drainage and growth. Cause next year you will probably be scarifying and aerating after a year of use and winter of rain.

if you get what i mean

 

To be honest rolling is seen more on sports pitches rather than domestic lawns. If it’s prepared ok it should be ok but sports pitches tend to be made up for smooth surfaces which impact the performance they are designed for.
I think I would leave it and let the grass develop if it’s nice and flat and firm.

 

I gave it a gentle roll yesterday evening as it looked dry enough, the advice came from the lawn expert book by D.G. Hessayon. I have read so many conflicting views on line, roll/don't roll, so I just took my choice. Anyway, lawn looks well for it. Was it helpful or harmful? Probably a bit of both.

 

First mow this evening with the blade set to around 70mm. It's still a bit patchy but pretty good I think for 15 days since germination. If anything it looks to be growing too fast. My roller rotary mower made a bit of a mess when trying to turn at the end of each run, so I think I might have to look at getting hold of one without a roller on it, maybe invest in a decent battery operated one.

 

Do you not stop cutting and then lift the mower for the return run, or did you just swing round and keep cutting???

 

I was as careful as I could be but the mower is pretty heavy and difficult to manoeuvre. I had to lift onto the front wheels then inch it round a bit at a time and the surface of the soil was still wet even though it's been a warm day today and also dry and warm yesterday.

 

Thats were the lightness of a cylinder mower comes in……give you a better cut of the grass too and way cheaper than Elec/petrol

 

Grass is way too long for my cylinder mower. Highest it will cut is about 35mm which would mean taking 50% or more of the length off and besides, I think the front roller would just lay the grass flat and then the blade would take nothing off.

 

Yeh i been using mine regular now to train the cut, got it set at 35mm and is looking sharp now.

 

that’s the drawback on some of the push mowers. I’ve a little Wolf one and its fine if you cut twice a week. Allett do a range of battery cylinder mowers if you want to go battery powered.

 

Hows it all looking @hoofy ?..

 

The turning skids made with the roller mower have made a bit of a mess at the ends of each run, some of the grass has gone brown which ruins the overall look of the lawn. It does look pretty good overall, although it looks to have just lost its virgin glow where every blade of grass was new, green and perfect. I knew it would, there's no way it could carry on looking as good as it did, even if it was a bit patchy.

I bought a new mower so I don't have to use my roller mower again, I got a battery powered Honda rotary but I'm really unsure when I should mow again for the best. Should I allow the grass to grow in order to help the roots or should I mow every 2 or 3 days and keep the grass at around 2 inches for the next month or so before raising the cut for the winter?

 

I would mow it around 50mm regulary as then your not taking more than a 3rd of the grass away……im mowing every 3 days at the moment to keep it looking fresh and nice. Then its just nipping the top and not really cutting of large amounts.