Mowing your Q Lawn
The grass leaves will continue to grow once the turf has been laid, despite the fact that there is very little root to supply water and nutrients. This growth will contribute to the loss of water from the turf surface and to the depletion of nutrients from the turf.
Generally it is not good practice to let the grass get too long as this leads to weak growth which in turn invites attack by fungal diseases and allows weeds to establish.
Mowing Heights
The old adage - a little and often - can be applied to grass mowing. The more you mow the more individual grass leaves will grow and therefore your lawn will have a denser sward and conversely, the more infrequently you mow the thinner the sward and the more mossy, disease ridden and weedy it will become.
When to give it its first mow
The best type of mower for the very first mowing is a sharp bladed rotary mower. These types of mower perform well when the grass is a bit longer - the situation we have when the first mowing is needed. Obviously you cannot mow the lawn if the turves have not rooted sufficiently to be held in place, otherwise the turf may be sucked up and chopped up by the mower.
The first mow can be done when the turf has rooted to your soil.
Mowing can be done at any time of the year, so long as there is not a risk to frost/snow as this can "whiten" the lawn.
Mower Adjustments
Make sure that the blades of the mower are as sharp as possible, otherwise you will either tear up the turf or pull the grass out by its' roots. Adjust the height of cut. The rule of thumb is to never remove more than 1/3rd of the grass blade length at one time. Measure the average grass blade length and set cutting height accordingly.
Eg. If it has grown as much as 2" (50mm) then set your mowing height to 1 ¼ " (35mm) but preferably slightly higher. The minimum height of cut for Q Lawn turf is 1" (25mm). Mowing closer than this will damage your lawn.
Once the lawn has received its' first cut, then the next mowing and subsequent mowings will be needed in rapid succession. Keep the height of cut at 33mm for about two weeks, this will help to establish a good root system. After this period, you can safely lower the mowing height by a notch to around 1" (25mm).
During long periods without rainfall, it is a good idea to raise the height of cut and allow the grass to grow a little longer and when the conditions are moist and growth is fast, you can afford to mow at or near the minimum height of cut. During autumn and early winter, if conditions are mild and the grass is still growing, it will be necessary to keep topping the grass until growth ceases, but at a height of 1 ¼" (33mm).
Generally try to mow the lawn when the leaves are dry, this way less leaf drops into the sward. Do not mow if the lawn is waterlogged or frosted, both conditions will damage the soil or grass.
