Common winter lawn care mistake that could be 'malnourishing your grass'

During the winter months, many of us might hang up our gloves, but keeping your lawn in tip-top shape is still achievable.

While you won't be mowing as frequently as in the summer, the odd trim might still be on the cards. However, Nick Ee, product and training manager at , has flagged a common blunder that gardeners often fall foul of when it comes to grass cutting.

He strongly advises against cutting the blades "too short" which could harm both the grass and the soil beneath. He said: "In winter mowing the grass isn't usually necessary, unless the is mild, and grass is still growing excessively. "If this is the case, I would recommend cutting the grass occasionally on a high cut setting.

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"Mowing the grass too short is one of the biggest lawn care mistakes to make especially in winter. Shorter grass can look more uniform but when the blades are cut too short it can leave plants malnourished and open to diseases.

"Longer blades of grass help shade the soil underneath which means it takes a lot longer for moisture to evaporate." The Royal Horticultural Society suggests maintaining your lawn at up to four centimetres long during autumn and spring, but trimming it down to 2.5cm in the hotter months. They also advise as a general rule to "never" remove more than a third of the grass's height in a single mow, reports .

Nick also warned that cutting the grass when it's wet, soft, or frozen can do more harm than good. "You should never cut the grass when it's wet, soft, or frozen as this increases the spread of weeds and fungal diseases that can occur in excessive rainfall," he explained.

"Wet grass also tends to accumulate around the lawn mower's moving parts, which leads to clogging and poor engine performance." He recommended waiting until spring when the grass is drier.