The first cut of spring decides what the lawn looks like at midsummer. Too early, or too hard, and you get a yellow patch that will not recover the same week.
When is the first cut?
When the grass has clearly started growing and the ground holds, not the moment the snow melts. If your shoe sinks, the machine sinks more. The tracks stay all summer, and the roots suffer more than the grass gains. Do not mow the moment the first green shows. Wait until growth is even and the surface has dried a little. A shaded yard dries more slowly than a south wall, so the same calendar day does not fit the whole plot.
How short should it be?
A little at a time. If the blade is long after winter, do not cut it in half in one go. After winter the grass is pale at the base, and a cut that is too short exposes the part that is not green yet. A yellow lawn is usually a first cut that was too hard. Raise the blade, take a little, and come back in a week. Do not try to reach midsummer condition in one pass. A yellow patch is not a lack of fertiliser. It is a cutting mistake.
Does the grit need to be gone before mowing?
Yes, off the paths and off the lawn, and while it is dry. Grit in the blades tears the machine and leaves the lawn uneven. Mowing over grit does not tidy the yard. It spreads the grit more evenly into the grass, and the clippings turn grey. Collect the grit first. Winter grit in spring comes before mowing, not after. If the grit has already sunk in, a broom is no longer enough, and the mower suffers all summer.
Is one spring cut enough?
No. After May the growth speeds up, especially after rain. If the next cut is at midsummer, the yard has already grown too long, and you end up cutting too much at once again. The spring interval is tighter than in July. One successful cut is not a season. It is a start.
When is a season wiser than an occasional visit?
When the yard is large, sloping, or nobody mows at the same time each week. In a housing company a resident's evening is not enough for the shared yard. Lawn care keeps the interval steady from the moment growth starts, not from midsummer. The agreement should name when the first cut happens, not only that the season starts sometime.
What can wait?
Fertiliser, heavy watering, and the hedges. In the first weeks the cutting height matters, and the grit should not stay in the grass. Fertiliser on a yellow lawn that was cut too short does not fix the cutting mistake. It can burn grass that is already stressed. Hedges and gutters can wait until the next week. One proper cut is better than a Saturday where everything is done halfway.