Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Ask Lynne’ for the Western Mail. 12th March 2016
My husband went to mow our grass last week and the mower wouldn’t start; we are currently in conflict as he wants to fix this one and I want him to get a new one. I have heard that you can get a robotic one that cuts the grass by itself. Is that true?
Yes, robotic mowers have been around since the nineties but they are predicted to be to be the largest growing sector in the British lawn mower market in the next couple of years.
They vary hugely in price from around £800 to around £4,000 and capabilities, so it is important to do your research!
You will need to set up a border wire around your lawns perimeter, and there are models available that can be set up to mow more than one lawn. To be honest I have very little experience of them other than seeing them being demonstrated at various landscaping shows. My first thought is that they would drive my dog nuts!
Unlike traditional lawn mowers (and their operators), mowing a lawn in the hot sun is not an issue for robotic lawn mowers, and rainy days are taken care of as well. With rain sensors included in most, the units will return to the charging dock to safely wait for humidity levels to drop before they return to their routine.
The ability to program the mower is a key feature to look for if you want to schedule it to run on a particular day and time. If it is programmable, consider how you program it and what you want to program it to do. Some units are directly programmed at the robot mower base, but others may include the ability to remotely access it via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or even your smartphone. All of which is way beyond my comprehension!
What type of power the robotic lawn mower needs to operate is apparently one of the most crucial factors. This will allow you to determine where the mower needs to be stored and give you an idea on how much it will cost to use. How long it holds a charge is also an important factor. As for how it is powered, your options are solar, battery (replacing every few years depending on usage) or charging it through an electrical source.
My lawn looks like a burst pillow because the birds are pulling all the moss out of it. Are they using it to nest with? How can I stop them?
It is a common problem at this time of year. Undoubtedly some of the moss will be going for nest-building projects but the biggest incentive for the mass moss removal is to get to the chafer grubs, (the larvae of the chafer beetle) just under the surface of the grass.
Birds, particularly of the crow family (jays, magpies, rooks and crows), and even badgers and foxes will tear up turf in order to access the grubs to feed on the grubs, which have stout white bodies curved in a C shape, light brown heads, with three pairs of legs at the head end.
You can buy pathogenic nematodes, usually Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, which attack the larvae by infecting them with a fatal bacterial disease. These microscopic animals can be watered into the lawn when the ground is moist and soil temperature range between 12-20ºC (55-68ºF). This biological control is available by mail order from some biological control suppliers or some garden centres. The turf around the edge of affected areas should be targeted to deal with larvae spreading out from infestation “hot spots”. However, by the time areas of infestation become apparent, the soil may be too cold for nematodes to be effective. As a preventive measure, apply nematodes in July to September. Nematodes should be applied as soon as possible after purchase, following the suppliers’ instructions. It may be necessary to water the lawn before and after application to ensure the soil is sufficiently moist for nematode activity and survival.
When can I start cutting my grass? There are still frosts forecast randomly but does that matter?
Don’t cut the grass whilst there is a frost on it but other than that, no it doesn’t matter and I would get on with it sooner rather than later. Grass only stops growing when the temperature falls below 4 degrees, so it has kept growing for most of the winter. Most lawns are looking quite shaggy now!
Raise the blades a bit for the first cut so you don’t ‘shock’ the grass (or the person cutting it).
Don’t leave the first cut until Easter. A lot of people leave it until this break to venture out and start work in the garden. The chances are your mower won’t start or the weather will be wet which will delay things further. If you check the mower now, if it needs any TLC you can get it done before the holiday and avoid the rush!
Leave a Reply