Hand push lawnmower cuts grass but not daisies

allycavs

Got a hand push manual lawnmower last year. It's a web 18" mower. It cuts grass well but any daisies, sunflowers or Bermuda like grass just go through blades and come out fine on other side. Blade is low enough to capture them. It's been like that from day 1 so doubt it's sharpness of blade..anyone have advice? Or these hand pushed mowers just not good enough?

The Continental Op

Its a cylinder mower so it will only cut grass that is presented to the cutter bar and cylinder in a certain way. Any grass that is too long (particularly the seed heads on "bents" a type of fine grass) or even an odd shape gets pushed over flat and before it can enter the cylinder. I've used lots of different cylinder mowers but never really noticed a problem with daises but perhaps you are referring to taller ox-eye daises?

The long grass thing is a well know issue and anyone with a cylinder mower would also occasionally use "bent" shears, don't bother googling that as the name is so old no one uses it anymore. Bent as is bentgrass and not bent over. These are the things I'm on about

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spear-Jackson-Razorsharp-Lawn-Shears/dp/B0006UF66M/

which you use to cut the bits the cylinder mower can't cut.

Cylinder mowers are sort of graded by the number of cutters on the cylinder. Domestic push machines often have 3 so the wide spacing between each cutter allows for longer grass to get between the cutters. Fine grass machines have over 20 cutters on the cylinder making it impossible to cut grass more than about an inch high however that number of gives a massive number of cuts as the machine moves forward giving a very smooth cut.

allycavs

Hello Continental Op

Thanks for detailed explanation. What you say is exactly what is happening.long weeds are been pushed down so can't get cut

Daisies have grown above grass length. Maybe if I adjust height so no grass will be cut bur some of longer weeds cut a trim.

Thanks for bent sheers they look handy especially for edges

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633106#Comment_120633106

Note those shears cut on the flat you may want edging shears to cut the edges although I suspect your Webb is a "side wheeler" which may not cut well close to the edge. I used to find you could cut on the diagonal and take one side of the cutter just over the edge as you go back and forwards to get the last bits along the edge.

GreeBo

its probably worthwhile borrowing/renting a rotary mower once to get on top of the long stuff, then just cut with the cylinder more frequently.

Its impossible to cut grass too frequently and the more you cut the better it is for the grass and you will avoid this problem.

allycavs

All good advice. Will start the diagonal cut