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Mitch's Mowing & Landscaping guide

How Often to Mow Your Lawn in Melbourne's West

Most lawns in Melbourne's west want a cut every week or fortnight through spring and summer, and roughly monthly over autumn and winter. The right gap depends on the grass, the weather and how much sun the lawn gets. Here is how we set the routine for yards in Sunshine, St Albans and Caroline Springs, season by season.

Spring: weekly cuts once growth takes off

Spring is when the lawn wakes up. Grass that barely moved in winter picks up fast, and a lawn left for three weeks in October can be much taller than you expect. Most lawns across Sunshine, St Albans and Caroline Springs want a cut every week through the main spring flush.

Weekly cuts keep each mow light, which is easier on the grass and leaves a cleaner finish. They also stop heavy clippings lying in clumps and smothering the lawn underneath.

If weekly sounds like too much, fortnightly works for lawns that are not growing hard, such as shaded ones or lawns that have gone thin. Watch the lawn over a couple of cuts and adjust from there.

Summer: height matters as much as frequency

In the heat the question is how short you cut as well as how often. Cut a lawn too short in summer and it burns off. So we lift the deck when the weather turns hot and leave the grass a little longer. The extra length shades the soil and helps the lawn hold on through a dry stretch.

A weekly or fortnightly cut suits most lawns through summer. If you are watering well and the grass keeps pushing, stay weekly. If it has slowed in a dry spell, fortnightly is enough and a weekly visit would be money spent on nothing.

When the growth slows, we drop the deck back down again. That seasonal adjustment is the main thing a regular run does for you.

Autumn: ease off as the growth slows

Autumn is the shoulder season. Early on, many lawns in Deer Park, Taylors Lakes and Hillside still grow fast enough to need a fortnightly cut. By the end of the season the growth has dropped away and monthly is usually plenty.

A good rule is to let the lawn tell you. If the clippings are thin and the grass has barely moved since the last visit, stretch the gap. If you are cutting a lot off each time, keep the gap short.

Winter: monthly is usually enough

Over the cold months the grass barely moves, which is why most people go fortnightly or monthly. Monthly covers the majority of lawns, including those in Albion, Ardeer and Derrimut. A sunny, well-fed lawn that keeps growing may want a fortnightly cut.

Skipping winter completely is a mistake. A lawn left for months needs a heavy first cut in spring, and the long grass makes it harder to see where weeds and bare patches have crept in. A light monthly visit keeps the lawn tidy and keeps the edges under control.

Edging is part of every cut

A lawn that is cut but not edged still looks scruffy from the street. On every visit we run a line trimmer along paths, driveways, fence lines and garden beds so the grass stops in a straight line instead of creeping over the concrete.

Clippings then get blown off the paths, the driveway and the porch, and the catcher goes in the trailer. Nothing gets left in a pile behind the shed.

Setting up a regular run

Most of our customers are on a regular run. You pick weekly, fortnightly or monthly and we come back on the same day each time. You can leave the gate unlocked and the dog inside, and you do not need to be home.

If the lawn is badly overgrown when we first look at it, we quote that first cut separately and the regular rate starts from the second visit. Our lawn mowing and edging service covers homes, schools and council grounds across the west, and we will tell you what your lawn needs when we come out rather than selling you visits you do not need. Call us on 0406 740 655 for a free quote.

More on this service: Mitch's Mowing & Landscaping service page.

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