Gardening enthusiasts eager to fire up their lawn mowers this spring are being warned against a common mistake that could damage their grass. According to gardening expert Michael Griffiths, 'scalping' the lawn—cutting it very short to stimulate growth—can leave turf vulnerable to drought, weeds, and moss.
Griffiths, who posts on TikTok as @themediterraneangardener, advises keeping grass at a consistent height of about 4cm during spring. For shaded areas, he recommends a slightly longer cut of 5-6cm. 'Spring's here, but don't start scalping your lawn,' he cautioned, noting that mowing too short makes grass more susceptible to problems.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) echoes this advice, suggesting grass be maintained at around 4cm in spring, autumn, and winter, and at 2.5cm in summer. For finer lawns, the RHS recommends keeping the grass even shorter, between 6mm and 13mm.
Griffiths also recommends switching from autumn lawn feed, high in phosphates, to a nitrogen-rich feed to encourage top growth. Nitrogen is essential for vibrant green grass, as it aids protein formation in grass cells.
Additional spring tasks include feeding and pruning roses for better blooms, transplanting forced blooms into borders, potting summer-flowering bulbs, and tackling weeds early. One follower commented on seeing a neighbour 'sculpting' a lush lawn to the ground, to which Griffiths replied: 'Eeeshh - not good. Really common though.'
