Our grass reinforcement mesh is ideal for laying on grassed areas to protect shoots from regular foot traffic, wheelchair users and vehicle damage. With lite, standard, and heavy-duty grass reinforcement mesh options, our products cater for every need and supplement optimal grass growth.
You might be wondering how you will be able to maintain your lawn or grass space after installing grass protection mesh. This guide explains everything you need to know to keep your lawn healthy and well-trimmed.
Can I Mow My Lawn?
The short answer is: yes, you can. There are, however, a few changes that will need to be made to your mowing routine before you start, concerning height, timing and technique.
One thing to keep in mind is that you should avoid mowing your lawn immediately after installation. Instead, wait until the grass has grown 5-8 cm through the mesh. This is because the grass root structure needs time to grow around the mesh strands. Additionally, if the grass blades themselves aren’t given enough time to lift above the plastic mesh grid, there is a good chance that the mower will snag and potentially damage the mesh.
Depending on the time of year, this amount of growth should take between 2-4 weeks.
Mowing Techniques for Grass Reinforcement Mesh
With the following techniques, not only will your grass growth be maintained before it gets out of hand, but your grass reinforcement mesh will be free to work its magic, encouraging healthy grass growth and offering protection from foot traffic to the ground below.
Raise the Mower Height
There are a number of reasons why raising the mower blades before cutting your grass matters. They include:
- Preventing the mower blade from making contact with the mesh.
- Enabling the grass to grow tall enough to weave through the mesh grid.
- Protecting young shoots from stress.
- Promoting root strength, which is important for mesh integration.
- Reducing shock to the turf while the lawn is temporarily uneven.
If the deck of your mower is set too low, the blades can skim or nick the mesh. Alternatively, the mesh edges can get caught or lifted, or vibrations from blade contact can pull fixing solutions like ground pegs loose, disturbing the stability of the reinforcement mesh. Raising the deck higher reduces the risk of your plastic mesh becoming damaged, ensuring maximum ground protection and a vibrant lawn.
Avoid Scalping
Scalping occurs when the mower removes too much leaf blade and cuts into the crown (growing point) of the grass, the stolons or rhizomes (horizontal stems that help grasses reproduce), and sometimes even the soil or thatch layer. Doing this exposes brown stems and can weaken the grass. Following the installation of grass protection mesh, if scalping occurs it can expose the mesh and slow the turf knitting process for a time.
To reduce the risk of scalping, the best pre-emptive measure is to raise the mowing height, as the likelihood decreases significantly if the grass is allowed to grow taller. You can also adhere to the one-third rule and only cut a third of your grass at a time. This ensures the crowns remain shaded and protected, and the plants themselves are able to recover faster.
There is also the option of levelling your lawn surface. Scalping typically occurs on the higher points of grassed areas, such as bumps, ridges, or tree roots. Adding a light topdressing of soil to fill in any dips, as well as rolling your lawn to settle minor bumps will make your grassed area more level, leading to less scalping.
Watch for Danger Zones
If you decide against levelling your grassed area, you will need to watch out for ‘danger zones,’ where the possibility of scalping your ground reinforcement mesh is considerably higher. The most common scalping points include humps or ridges, areas where the mower deck ‘rides up’ and heavy traffic lanes where people or vehicles travel. In the latter, soil compaction from traffic erosion may have reduced grass height in some areas, which leads to the mower cutting deeper and potentially scalping the ground.
To ensure you are aware of these problem areas, always walk the length and width of the area you will be mowing and scan for humps, dips, or thin places.
When you first begin to mow over your grass protection mesh, no matter if you have a golf course, an overflow car park, or are mowing around climbing frames, use a higher setting and a slower speed. It is also advisable to avoid the danger zones until you have a firm grasp of the health of your lawn. If you encounter any troublesome spots, you can mark them with small stones or turf paint. This can be especially useful in the first few months of mesh installation. When you are well-acquainted with your problem areas, ensure you mow them carefully, especially on slopes.
Gradually Resume Normal Mowing
Following the installation of grass protection mesh, your grassed area is undergoing three changes at once. It is recovering from installation stress, the turf height is likely becoming slightly irregular, and the mesh has yet to become embedded in the grass root structure.
Gradually returning to mowing instead of immediately jumping back in helps to prevent scalping, avoids catching the mesh, and facilitates the grass growing dense enough to conceal the reinforcement mesh. It can be done in the following stages:
Stage 1 – First 2 Weeks:
In the first two weeks after installation you should raise your mower to its maximum height and mow slowly, avoiding tight turns. At this stage, your grass needs height in order to capture available sunlight and push grass roots further down so that they can integrate with the plastic mesh.
Stage 2 – Weeks 2-6:
At this point, the roots are beginning to weave through the mesh, while the soil settles into micro-voids underneath. Now is the time to reduce the height on your mower by one notch only, and continue following the one-third rule to avoid scalping. Continue to mow at a slow pace, and if the wheels cause the grass to dip, raise the mower height again.
Stage 3 – Weeks 6-10
Your grass reinforcement mesh should now be less visible. You will be able to drop your mower height by another notch and speed up slightly. If your grassed area includes slopes, ensure you mow these safely (across rather than up and down) to avoid scalping. If the lawn is to be used for grass parking spaces, take extra care as the area will also be more susceptible to vehicle damage.
Stage 4 – Weeks 10-14
This is the full integration stage. The shoots should fully conceal the grass reinforcement mesh, and the turf should feel firm and stable underfoot. You can now lower your mower to your preferred height, provided there is no scalping, your soil moisture levels are adequate, and the turf is thick enough to cushion the mower deck.
Beginning to mow your lawn post-installation may appear a daunting task, but in reality only a few small changes are required to keep your lawn fresh and healthy without incurring any damage.
For information and advice regarding our high-quality mesh products, get in touch with our friendly team today.
