Mowing the right way

With Wimbledon, Euro 2008, Royal Ascot and the British Open all taking place this summer, the quality of grass has been an essential, if inconspicuous, part of events.

Professional ground-staff and green-keepers work tirelessly to make sure that the worlds top sportsmen and women have the best underfoot conditions possible.

Gardeners should also apply a degree of care to their lawn, which is easily forgotten when tending to other parts of the garden.

Lawntender.co.uk says that as well as providing your lawn with a good feed, mowing it properly can be key in obtaining high quality green grass.

"To create a thick, lush lawn, the ideal length for grass is 1 inch to 1.5 inches. Cut no more than one third off the current height of the grass," it advises.

"Cutting more than a third can harm the grass, causing brown patches, as will cutting the lawn when it is wet or if the blade needs sharpening."

The site also recommends removing any fallen leaves from a lawn as they will damage the grass.

A good way of doing this, it says, is to run a lawnmower set to a raised height over the lawn so as to suck up the leaves without cutting the grass.