If you love gardening and most of the time do mow the lawn yourself, here are some tips and safety precautions on how to mow a lawn safely.
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How to mow a lawn
- Do not cut too much. Cut less than 1/3 of the grass height at each pass. If you need to cut more, do it in more passes.
- Mow frequently and slowly. The slower and more frequently you mow, the more finely you cut the grass and the faster it decomposes.
- Mow in the morning or early evening, not to expose your grass to heat stress.
- Mow dry grass. Mowing wet grass will encourage lawn weeds, clumps and fungus.
- Change mowing paths. You will reduce ruts and strengthen uniform growth.
- Buy a rear roller for a striped-effect lawn. While the mower moves forward, the roller pushes the grass in one direction, resulting in a stripy effect.
- Compost your clippings or use a mulching mower. Clipping bags sent to the landfill are a major source of waste and pollution (CO2 transportation impact).
How to mow a lawn safely
- Read, understand and follow the operator’s directives before using any mower.
- Electric Mawn Mowers: use only in dry weather, check and test RCD protections on any power outlet and keep the trailing cable away from the cutting path.
- Keep the mowing area clear from children and animals and remove stones, sticks or other dangerous debris that could be thrown out by the mower blades.
- NC-12 and NC-16: No child below 12 should use walk-behind mowers and child below 16 small tractors (American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations).
- Turn off and unplug mowers and check the mower blades are stopped before lifting the mower, removing stuck grass or emptying the grass box.
- Safety equipment: choose mowers supplied with “dead man’s switches” to disable blade rotation when not used and wear protective boots.
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