First cut of the season

I am based on the North Manchester / Lancashire border where the soil is still quite cold and lawns almost saturated yet I have seen 4 different so called gardeners mowing this week. The one finished job I have seen looks more like its been ploughed than mown.

Is anyone else in the north of England mowing yet? I usually pencil in 3rd Monday in March to start mowing but have started as late as early April due to everywhere being too wet.

Just wondering if I am being too cautious and missing out on an extra couple of weeks money out of the grass cutting season ?

I have also seen numerous times this year our friendly local lawn treatment franchise scarifying in January either on frosted lawns or gardens where you would have more chance of growing rice than grass its that wet. Again I plan to hire a scarifier for a week for those customers who appreciate a healthy looking lawn but this is usually late April early May. I would appreciate anyone else's thoughts and advice on this.

Replies

PRO

Richard Gadsby March 4, 2015 at 5:55pm

I started cutting 2 weeks ago but it's fairly dry here in lincoln and they were starting to look scruffy!
Quite a high cut though. Only you can know if it's too wet. I'm quite a reluctant started when it comes to first cuts as I know once you start you don't stop again until November.( in Lincoln anyway December last year) it's going to be a long season again I think :)
I'm sure there was a thread on here about scarifying in the snow not long ago
Graham Wright March 4, 2015 at 7:21pm

Nothing really growing on the Sheffield side of the pennines yet. I think it will be a couple of weeks yet here. Been a nice day today though, got me out sorting my own grass out ready for overseeding.

My honeysuckle has started growing leafs though.
David Cox March 4, 2015 at 7:25pm

South facing slopes in Leeds took their first cuts this week, a fair few will get it next week as theyre growing away like the clappers on sheltered south facing sites, North facing gardens are all going slow, and the most exposed sites havent started growing yet.

Every gardens different, Every year I have about a 4 week difference between the first gardens that need cutting and the last ones to come on stream
- PRO
  
  Richard Gadsby > David Cox March 4, 2015 at 8:10pm
  
  Also depends on how well the customer looks after lawn. Ie treatments or not. I have quite a few mow and go gardens and they won't be ready for 3 or 4 weeks yet as they won't pay for treatments so they are rubbish. Up to them though really mow and go is easy money as long as it's not too many(gets a bit boring)
Rory March 4, 2015 at 8:05pm

I did my first cut of the year today on a few select sites just to get a head start. Can't say the ground was wet and the grass had defiantly grown. I just ran a 1/2" higher cut than i normally would and ill bring it down in the next few months
Gavin Gray March 4, 2015 at 8:18pm

Cut, scarfied, aerated and over seeded my own grass today but my company doesn't normally start till next month

Some of our sites should have been on the go since last month...

In the glasgow area
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  Richard Gadsby > Gavin Gray March 4, 2015 at 8:46pm
  
  That surprises me for Scotland even southern. I would have though mid to late April. Just shows what I know:-)
  - Gavin Gray > Richard Gadsby March 5, 2015 at 4:15pm
    
    we are going to be behind this year again :(
    
    our bigger sites are way by their first cut but some of our machinery only went away today to get serviced....
Philip Blair March 4, 2015 at 8:28pm

I started last year on the 20th March and plan to do the same this year. Did mow some of my own a couple of weeks ago but that was just to try a new ride on mower i have bought. Still plenty of other stuff to get cleared up so i'm putting it off as long as possible. This is in Northern Ireland.
David March 4, 2015 at 9:17pm

I've cut every month except Feb for the past 12 months. I do mainly commercial sites.
I cut a supermarket on the 2nd Jan and it will get cut again next week when I go.
I wish the grass would stop growing over winter. We've also had it quite dry.

I'm based near Newcastle (north east)