Who doesn’t love the lush green forest and freshly mowed lawns? Bygone are the days of actually having a gardener manually cut grass and manage lawns. Nowadays, people have a variety of options for lawn mowers! Let’s look into lawn mower use, how Australians do mowing, and what things you must consider while mowing.
What is a lawn mower?
A lawn mower is a machine used to cut plants or grass. You can use lawn mowers to clean up gardens and remove weeds. Because lawn mowers are comprised of an incredibly thin, firm, and sharp cutting blade, they can readily cut the grass. Lawn mowing trims help in the proper growth of the grass along with numerous benefits. The benefits of routinely using a lawn mower include helping the growth of the healthiest grass shoots, preventing debris buildup, and helping your grasses replenish nutrients in the soil.
What is the scenario of lawn Mowers use in Australia?
Lawns still act as one of the significant possession or status symbol in Australian society. Australian people just love the green happiness on the ground. Thus, this shows some amazing figures in terms of lawn possession and use of lawn mowers. In fact, Australia Lawn Mowers Market Overview shows that the lawn mower market for the Australian region will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.45% during the future years of 2022F-2027F. This growth can be attributed to:
- Recent advancements in technologies. This further indicates to increased adoption of robotic lawn mowers.
- The trend of adopting environmentally friendly options to eradicate environmental concerns.
- Increase in taking mowing as a sporting activity. People opt for it as a means of their recreation.
- There are some good export opportunities through trade expos.
Types of Lawn Mower
On the basis of categories: type, end-user, fuel type and region, you can choose your lawn mower.
By type
- Ride-on Mower
A ride-on mower/riding mower/tractor mower/lawn tractor, is a type of lawn mower on which the operator is seated and mowing is done with ease.
- Push Mower
A push-behind mower, also known as a walk-behind mower, has an engine and requires your assistance to move. It is great for small flat lawns.
- Robotic Mower
Here, an automatic robot is used to mow lawns. The mulching principle is really used by a robotic mower to cut the lawn.
On the Basis of Fuel Type
- Electronic Lawn Mower
The electric lawn mower uses electricity to power it, making it ecologically friendly and having low operating and potential maintenance costs.
- Gas Lawn Mowers
They need fuel and maintenance. Despite being strong mowers, many people dislike as they are messier to operate and use.
On the Basis of end-user
- Residential Lawn Mower
Homeowners utilise residential lawn mowers for their lawns. They have fewer controls and smaller construction. These are only used once at most each week.
- Commercial Lawn Mower
These are employed by businesses. They are designed for continuous use and are heavily utilised every day, often up to six or seven days a week.
What you must know about when using a lawn mower?
There are numerous things you must know while using a lawn mower. Some of them are as follows.
- Know the height of mowing
A mower allows you to adjust and change the height you can mow at. You must select the proper mowing height for your lawn. For this, you can measure the grass plants after mowing a minimal area, then adjust your mower as necessary. You can shift the cutting deck higher in drought conditions and allow grass to grow longer. To be precise, the mowing height also depends on the grass type. It can be such like:
- Green couch( 5 to 30mm)
- Zoysia matrella (Sir Grange; 5 to unmown)
- Queensland blue couch( 5 to 30mm)
- Hybrid Bermuda (TifTuf;5 to 30mm)
- Buffalo grass (Sir Walter; 30 to 50mm)
- Kikuyu(30 to 50mm)
- Broadleaf carpet grass( 30 to 50mm)
- Fescue(30 to 50mm)
- Know the time for mowing
People often ask, when should I mow my lawn? For this, the answer is checking the time. The local weather affects the mowing time. You will need to mow more frequently, for instance, if you live in a warmer region where the grass grows quicker than if you live in a colder one where the grass grows more slowly. The ideal solution would involve removing only a third of the grass under both conditions.
- Check the mower blade.
To achieve a clean cut, you must ensure your mower’s blades are sharp. A dull blade shreds the grass, leaving a jagged, uneven edge, openings for insects, illnesses to enter the grass blades, and discoloured tips on the lawn. Therefore, you must sharpen blades at least a few times throughout the mowing season or at the beginning of each growing season. The simplest solution is to have a professional inspect your mower blades.
- Know the Correct mowing technique
Mowing could appear simple, but you must always use a decent approach. If you mow your grass incorrectly, it will struggle to survive. Another common mistake is cutting the grass too short and mowing between less frequent intervals. A properly mowed lawn will be aesthetically beautiful, drought-tolerant, and thick enough to smother weeds.
- Get the right type and right pattern.
Identifying healthy and unhealthy grass can be helpful. You must be gentle with the damaged grass or get it out of the lawn. Talking about the pattern, you can try not to mow your lawn in the same direction every time. Moreover, you can opt for lawn mowing patterns which can be in rows, circles, spirals and stripes.
- Time to Water the lawn.
Hydrated skin and hydrated lawn always appear attractive. As crucial as mowing your grass is watering it. You need to make sure your grass has access to enough moisture for it to live. Your location and the weather conditions determine how much and how long you water.
- Put fertilisers on the lawn.
For the proper growth of your lawn, you will need to give proper nutrition. Some granular fertilisers with the right nutrients can help your lawn grow well. You can manually throw the fertilisers or use a dedicated fertiliser spreading device to ensure uniform fertiliser application.
- Aerate the lawn.
In order to prevent soil compaction and allow air, water, and nutrients to reach grass roots, aeration i.e. making holes deep inside the soil, is crucial. Even a single aeration session can help oxygen, water, and nutrients get to where they need to go. You can choose between a steel spike or a core aerator for aeration. So, you must avoid letting your lawn die from lack of aeration.
- Getting rid of weeds.
Weeds can be annoying to your lawns. The size and shape of weeds can vary greatly. Thus, you can identify the weed and choose your preferred method of control. For weed management, you can use herbicides. Remember that you can also weed by hand if you’re not comfortable using chemicals.
Conclusion
By understanding the above-mentioned ways of using a lawn mower, you can enjoy a well-maintained, healthy, and pleasant-looking lawn. Make sure to have a routine to take care of your lawn otherwise, there will be chances of your lawn looking absolutely horrible. In fact, be cautious about lawn care and maintenance in different seasons.
Now, the temperature is set to rise in Australia. You might be set to enjoy your suntan, and your lawn might be anticipating growth and the arrival of weeds, diseases, and pests. To eliminate all unnecessary vegetative members on the lawn, you can opt for the best lawn mowers. To buy your best lawn mower, you can read our checkout 10 best electric lawn mowers for summer in Australia in 2023.