Grass cutting
Find out about our grass cutting schedule.
Here you can find our most popular FAQs.
We aim to cut all amenity grass areas every 4 weeks between March and
October (on average 10 cuts per annum). We are unable to provide an exact
date for when the grass in your area will be cut but can provide an
approximate guide if you email us on recycling@stroud.gov.uk or call 01453 754424
Variable factors such as prolonged periods of rain (with increased growth
rates and soft ground conditions) or machinery breakdown can cause a delay
to the schedule. Cutting frequency may also be reduced during prolonged
periods of hot, dry weather when the grass stops growing.
The first few grass cuts can sometimes leave a more messy finish as the
grass will have been longer than usual and often wetter. We adjust our height
of cut to be slightly longer for the first few cuts to reduce this problem and
avoid “scalping” the grass.
Our mowing machines often work in teams and different areas of grass may
be cut with different machinery types. Due to variations in size and speed of
these different machines, mowing may be out of sequence but in due course
the whole area will be cut.
Bulb planted areas are left uncut for a period of at least 8 weeks after
flowering to allow the bulbs to recover before the areas are returned to the
normal cutting frequency.
Variable factors such as prolonged periods of rain (with increased growth
rates and soft ground conditions) or machinery breakdown can cause a delay
to the schedule. Cutting frequency may also be reduced during prolonged
periods of hot, dry weather when the grass stops to grow and may also be
delayed during, or immediately after, periods of heavy rainfall when ground
conditions are unsuitable and are likely to be damaged by our machinery.
The council has never included the removal of grass cuttings as part of this
service. Unfortunately it is not feasible to include the removal of grass cuttings
as it is not economically viable as a district-wide operation.
Unfortunately it is difficult and costly to get wild flowers to establish on our
estate verges and small open space areas. Many years of regular grass
cutting have created very fertile soils in which wildflowers rarely flourish but
other “weed” species along with long grass can often become an eyesore and
trap litter. Such areas still need to be managed and the cutting / removal of
cuttings are more costly than regular mowing. However we do have a number
of sites around the district, for example Selsley Common, where we protect and conserve wild flower areas .
Parking on grass verges does cause significant damage, particularly in wet
weather. It can also damage underground utility services such as gas or water
supplies and can also cause safety and visibility problems for pedestrians and
other road users, especially in areas where there is heavy traffic. Please do
not park vehicles on grass verges as badly damaged areas cannot be cut.
We carry out a mixed programme of strimming and weedkilling of obstacles and street furniture however due to wet weather conditions this is not always effective.
Our drivers are equipped with blowing machines to clear any major
accumulation of cuttings from footpaths which represent a safety / slip hazard
to pedestrians or are likely to cause blocked drains. Unfortunately it is not
economically viable to sweep or remove all cuttings from the footpath.
There are a number of reasons that can impact on the quality of cut but
unfortunately we are unable to send our staff back to remedy these situations.
Uneven ground levels or slopes may cause scalping. These are not
Intentional and the grass will regenerate.
You may see tufts or ridges of longer grass left after cutting. This is due to
the wheels of the machine pushing the long grass flat as they pass over.
Once pushed flat, the grass may be missed by the blades. Unfortunately
this cannot be prevented when dealing with long grass caused by the
specified frequency of cut i.e. every 4 weeks.
Several times during the mowing season, grass will often produce flower /
seed heads which are not easily cut with our cylinder mowers. To address
this problem we have a number of rotary mowers which we use across all
the rounds over a number of cycles.