When should I stop my robotic mower in winter?

When should I stop my robotic mower in winter? This a common question for many of our Belrobotic robot mower users. Knowing exactly when to stop mowing in winter can prove difficult with the ever-changing weather patterns. This article explains how Belrobotic robot mowers can help determine when to continue or stop mowing your lawn or green space during the winter months.

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The short answer

The short answer to when to put your robot away for winter storage is when the grass has stopped growing. This tends to happen when the nights become frosty, however, when this will occur all depends on where in the UK you’re located. Those further north, for instance, will stop cutting their grass a little earlier than those in the south. Generally, the advice is to stop mowing in October and start again in March, but this isn’t set in stone. 

Automate your mowing schedule

Belrobotics commercial robotic mowers BigMow and ParcMow provide an automated turf care solution for areas up to 75,000m2. With the Belrobotics smartphone app, a mowing schedule can be set.

In more adverse weather conditions with the exception of snow, you simply reduce the time the robot is out working, resulting in the grass being cut to two or three times a week. This benefits the overall turf health as the robotic mowers cut a very small amount each time.

It’s lightweight in comparison to traditional mowers

Often when traditional mowing methods are used, the grass over winter gets limited management, and in many cases, cutting is not an option due to the weight of the machinery. However, this is not the case with robotic mowers.

The BigMow’s and ParcMow’s lightweight design imposes no stress on the grass minimising the risk of soil compaction usually associated with heavy traditional ride-on mowers. In less wet weather conditions, you can keep the mower running continuously, enabling the green space to be mowed up to five times per week.

Regular mowing improves turf health

This manicure-style mulching technique results in the tiny grass clippings fertilising the soil in a 100% ecological way, allowing the sward to stay thick and healthy throughout the colder months, ready for spring.

Once the warmer weather does start, a regular mowing period of a few weeks will result in a denser sward, better soil anchoring and strengthened sowing ability. Along with a decrease in the development of weeds, moss and the need for chemical fertilisers in the long term. These are all factors that help in the overall turf’s defence against the cold and wet winter weather.

Robot mower detects the grass height

There’s no need to wait till spring to begin using a robotic mower. Beginning your robotic mowing during the winter season is arguably the best way to get ahead of the curve, in improving your overall turf health.

One of the key benefits is the robotic mowers ability to detect grass height. With unpredictable growth patterns due to warmer winters, it can be difficult for grounds care staff to determine when to continue or stop cutting the grass.

With the AMS robotic mowing system, the mower will go out but if the grass has not grown to the programmed cutting height, it simply won’t be cut. Therefore, once the bad weather does set in, the turf quality and the ground beneath it will already be on it’s way to improved health, with no damage from heavy machinery.

Advantages of automated mowing in winter

• Only cuts the grass if it grows to the programmed cutting height.
• Lightweight design imposes no stress to the grass
• Smartphone app to programme mowing schedules
• Improved grass health, more resilient in the harsher winter weather

Whether you want to combat unpredictable growth rates of the milder winter weather or you want to get in good preparation for the spring. The earlier you make the switch to robotic mowing during the winter season, the sooner you can reap the benefits.

If you want to get ahead of the game and see results like this with your turf contact our sales team on: 01462 676 222 or send us a message to set up your FREE no-obligation demonstration