Rover Domestic Rotary Lawnmower MULCH MOWING INFORMATION continued, Benefits To Your Lawn

Figure 12. Grass height

MULCH MOWING INFORMATION (continued)

BENEFITS TO YOUR LAWN

Research has shown that lawns are usually cut too short,

Grass, like any other plant life, relies on photosynthesis to regenerate and survive. Reduced leaf size (from cutting too low) can seriously effect a lawn by:

∙Making it easy prey for disease.

∙Encouraging weeds to take hold.

∙Exposing the soil to:

-greater evaporation

-temperature extremes; and

-erosion

Raising the cut height and using mulch mowing follows the best practice for nurturing a healthier more attractive lawn with less water usage.

BENEFITS FOR YOU

Because you mulch as you mow the time and cost savings are also significant:

∙Eliminating raking of leaves before mowing (Mulch mowing picks up and converts fallen leaves into mulch).

∙Eliminating raking of cut grass

∙Saves time spent emptying the catcher.

∙Automatically disposing of grass clippings.

∙Eliminating the need to dispose of clippings at the refuse tip.

USEFUL MULCH MOWING TIPS

Mulch mowing is an art form and to produce the best results consistently, follow these useful hints:

∙Do not attempt to mulch if the grass is too wet.

Wet grass tends to clump together and does not evenly spread out. It also clogs up the underside of the base.

∙Do not mulch mow on too low a cutting height.

Remember the maximum cut should be 25mm off the top of the grass, or 1/3rd the grass (blade) height, whichever is the lesser amount . Refer to figure 12.

∙Do not push the mower too fast.

To obtain the best finish it may be necessary to regulate the ground speed.

∙Run the engine at full throttle.

Running the engine at low speed does not allow the blades to mulch the grass efficiently.

∙Keep the mulch blades sharp.

The mulch blades are designed to cut and re- cut the blades of grass.

If the mulch blades are not kept sharp,

mulching performance will be reduced.

∙ Keep the underside of the mower and mulch plug clean.

Build-up of grass under the mower base blocks the airflow created by the mulch blade and reduces the mulching performance.

If the conditions for mulch mowing are not ideal and some clipping trails are visible after cutting it may be necessary to:

1.Fit the grass catcher and catch mow.

2.Re-mow over the visible clippings

3.Raise the cut height.

4.Rake the clippings up after mowing.

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