The When and How of Mowing
There’s more to mowing than cutting down your grass when it gets too tall. Mowing when your lawn gets long is a decent marker for frequency, but choosing the best time of day is just as important for keeping your yard healthy and thriving. Knowing exactly when and how to cut can be tricky, so check out our quick breakdown before it’s time to start up the mower again.
Don’t Even Think About Early Morning.
If you don’t want to make your nice neighbors angry and your grass even madder, leave your lawn mower in the garage from 6am to 8am.
This is the worst time to mow your lawn because it is still wet with morning dew and can clog your mower or leave horrible clumps of grass and mower tracks behind — and you could upset your no-longer-sleeping neighbors.
Mid-Morning is Best
Mid-morning hours — between 8am and 10am — are the best time of day to mow your lawn. By this time, the morning dew and irrigation has dried out, and the hot afternoon sun isn’t scorching yet.
Mid-Day is Okay
If you want to mow between 2pm and 4pm, just know it can be hotter out — which makes it tougher on your mower and your body.
On extremely hot days, wear light clothing, lather on the sunscreen, drink plenty of fluids, and be mindful of heat stroke. Or better yet, just wait until it’s cooler.
Late Afternoon is Next Best
Late afternoon is the second best time of day to mow your lawn. The hot sun has dipped down a bit so there will be less stress on your grass and you. It even gives your grass time to recover from the cut before evening.
Sleep on Early Evening Mowing Sessions
While you can probably finish mowing your lawn just before it gets dark, you should wait until tomorrow.
Cutting your grass in the early evening doesn’t give your yard enough time to recover before nighttime when it’s more susceptible to fungus and diseases.
It Doesn’t Hurt to Wait
If you’ve missed the perfect time to mow, don’t be afraid to fire up the lawn mower on a different day.
Letting grass get a little long isn’t the end of the world and your lawn will be healthier in the long run if you can mow during the best time a day or two late rather than mowing at the worst time of day.
