Gardening expert warns people to avoid making 'one mistake' when mowing grass

It's spring and it's time to start mowing your grass again, according to an expert.

While the weather hasn't been great lately, getting prepared for the sunnier months can help the wet days seem less grey. And to help, one gardening pro has taken to TikTok revealing how tall your grass should be.

Michael - also known as @themediterraneangardener - is a gardening pro and a brand ambassador for Dobbies. Regularly taking to the social media app to share his top tips, he has said there is one mistake you should avoid - and that's cutting it too short.

In the video he stressed that while spring is now here, you should not start scalping your lawn. He explains: "Try and keep your grass the same height throughout spring and avoid mowing it too short as that can make the it more susceptible to drought and weeds and moss can take hold.

"For most lawns the ideal height would be around 4cm. If you've laid a new lawn this spring, wait until the grass is at least 5cm tall before mowing.

"You want to stop applying your autumn lawn feed which is rich in potassium and move onto a nitrogen rich feed which will support top growth."

If you need to cut your grass however, you might want to wait. It comes as people have been warned not to mow their lawn this week - or risk five major issues.

This is because of the recent wet weather with experts stressing that mowing wet grass has "disastrous consequences not just for the health of lawns, but the machinery used to cut it."

According to data from MyBuilder.com, which specialises in tradespeople, the wet weather has been extremely damaging to gardens across the UK and cutting it could result in five issues that will cost you money.

Problems caused by mowing of wet grass include:

• Uneven cuts due to weight on the grass blade

• Damage to grass blade health due to tearing

• Vulnerability to fungal infections due to torn grass blades

• Lawn mower damage due to clumps of grass blocking mower blades

• Damage to yourself caused by slipping on wet ground or danger from electric mowers should damaged cords meet water

You can read about how to avoid damage to your lawn here - and how to cut when wet if you need to.

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