Scorching temperatures and a dry spell have played havoc with gardens across Nottinghamshire, but those looking to rescue their grass have been warned that a viral TikTok hack is not the way to save their lawn. In fact, one expert is calling the tip 'highly dangerous'.
In the video, the poster, who goes by the name @roamwildwitholiver, says the gardening hack was learnt from his dad. He's shown mowing the lawn with the grass box removed and a stick propping up the guard. He says the grass being distributed from the back of the mower "is really good for enhancing grass growth".
While he begins the video saying: "This gardening hack is so simple and it works perfectly every time." But lawn maintenance experts at Toolstation warn this action could be dangerous.
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The experts say that while the action does allow the cuttings to be redistributed across the lawn, fertilising any dry, patchy areas caused by the hot weather and lack of rain, "we wouldn’t recommend it". Adding: “Without a lawnmower's rear cover or grass box in place, there's a chance rocks and other dangerous objects could be picked up and ejected at speed.
"These fast-moving, heavy projectiles could be highly dangerous and could cause serious injury to anybody nearby - including pets. In particular, it could cause a lot of harm if it were to hit the face or eyes. We all want a lush, green lawn, but it certainly isn’t worth losing an eye over!"
The TikTok has been liked by nearly 71k people and has 2,213 comments. However, social media users have also pointed out the dangers of the action.
One person said: "I don’t mean to rain on your garden hack but guards on any piece of moving machinery are there for a good reason. Be safe." Another agreed: "For starters that flap at the back is to stop stones and other objects shooting out and damaging things like your shins, windows." And a third said simply: "Until a rock hits your legs at the speed of light."
The comments continued: "Ye but what about when you run over a rock in your garden it's going to hit you hard." However, another, throwing caution to the wind said: "I’m gonna try it. But with wellies on, and shin pads. But I’m definitely going to try it."
The experts at Toolstation jumped in with an alternative to the hack. Rather than using a stick to prop open the rear cover they said: “A mulch mower is a much better option... this type of lawnmower is designed to spit out 'mulched' grass as your lawn is trimmed - leaving behind clippings that'll keep your garden well fed with rich nutrients. Unlike with this hack, mulching mowers are designed for this purpose, so you’ll avoid any issues with flying rocks!”
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