As a professional gardener, I get lots of calls asking to cut the grass to a manageable length for the customer to then keep on top of with their lawnmower.

But how can you do this yourself? I mean, us gardeners don’t have specialised lawnmowers made specifically to cut extra long grass, even if our petrol powered machines are more powerful than the domestic electric ones. Providing you have the right tools, it’s definitely worth doing yourself. If it means purchasing new equipment, meaning that it will be more costly in the short run, just keep in mind that it will almost certainly save you money in the long run.

Take a look at the before and after picture below of this overgrown garden. I’ll explain just what we used and what you’ll need to do the same.

The first thing you will need to cut your long grass is a garden strimmer, also known as a grass trimmer. Depending on how long your grass is, a strimmer with interchangeable plastic blades most probably won’t be up to the job either. If possible, you will need a strimmer that uses strimmer line, also known as strimmer cord. Available in different diameters, including but not limited to, 1.6mm, 2.0mm, 2.4mm, 2.7mm and 3.0mm, the thicker your strimmer line, the better it will be at cutting through your thick long grass.

Leaving a bit of a mess, the next thing you will want to do is rake all of the grass trimmings into piles and bag them up. Now, with your grass cut and grass trimmings removed from your garden, use your lawn mower to give it that final finish!

To confirm, the only tools that you will need when your grass is too long to cut with a lawnmower is:

• Strimmer (using strimmer cord)
• Rake
• Lawnmower

In some cases, a garden may be just too overgrown for even a strimmer to attack. If this is the case then a brush cutter or even a hedge cutter may need to be used. If this is the case then it may be best to hire a professional gardener to do the job as he/she will have all of the tools readily available. To give you an idea on an overgrown garden where we used a hedge cutter to cut the grass before strimming it and using a lawnmower, please see the pictures below.

Remember to try and keep on top of your garden in the future to give it the best chance of looking green and fresh all year round. These big cut backs can often leave your grass looking tired and worn out!

If you have any questions then just leave a comment below and I will answer as best I can. Please remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to receive our latest help and advice when it comes to your garden!