Lawns that are thick, lush and green can be a homeowner’s pride, but it takes more than just mowing and watering to maintain it. 

Many people make mistakes which can cause harm to their lawn’s health and appearance.

Even gardeners with good intentions can negatively impact their lawn’s health if they’re not careful.

Luckily gardening experts have shared a few of the worst mistakes to avoid – one of them can even “kill your grass”.

Incorrect watering

One of the most common mistakes lawn owners make is both underwatering and overwatering their lawn. 

The experts at Lawn Master warned that too much water can lead to shallow root growth, making the grass “more susceptible to disease and weed growth”. 

It is recommended to water your lawn deeply and infrequently, allowing the soil to dry out between watering.

However, with warmer weather set to hit the UK, most people also don’t water their lawns enough at the relevant time of year.

Cutting the grass when wet

Although gardeners may prefer to mow first thing in the morning, this usually means that the grass will still be damp from morning dew.

However, wet grass simply doesn’t cut as well as dry grass, which means you’re “more likely to cause damage”. 

The experts at Lawnmowers Direct explained: “Some of the cuttings will stick to the machine, whilst others will clump up on the lawn itself, blocking out the light that which “will kill the grass beneath”.

While the experts recognise that it’s often unavoidable to cut the grass when wet, they noted that gardeners will find their grass is “much healthier and thicker than ever”, as well as easier to cut, if they do so.

Fertilising too soon

The purpose of fertiliser is to help your grass grow green, thick and healthy. 

However, before fertiliser is applied to your garden, you want your grass to have awoken from its dormant season and greened up a bit. 

The experts at NutriLawn warned that if you fertilise before the soil and the grass is ready, you may be wasting fertiliser or worse, “helping the weeds to grow faster than they already do”.