If you want to keep your lawn healthy and green all year round, you must understand how often you should mow for each season. Mowing during the correct times with the appropriate techniques can help eliminate weeds and other problems, give your yard a neat appearance and create lush grass.
Whether you’re a homeowner or responsible for managing large-scale lawn care maintenance in an industrial setting, this blog post will explain the frequency of regular mowing during fall, summer and winter. Keep reading to learn everything there is to know about keeping your lawn looking great throughout every season.
How Often Should You Mow Your Lawn In The Summer?
During this season, grass grows quickly and can become overgrown if left unchecked. Regular mowing will help prevent weed growth and maintain an even, healthy appearance. However, you may need to mow more often during extreme temperatures or low rainfall as the grass can grow faster than usual.
Maintaining a well-manicured and beautiful lawn requires careful attention and effort. Depending on the complexity of the landscape, it’s best to mow your lawn for 1 to 2 weeks during the summer months. This frequency can be adjusted depending on how quickly your grass grows and how frequently you want to trim it.
How Often Should You Mow Your Lawn In The Fall?
In the fall, you can mow your lawn once per week. Grass growth slows as temperatures cool down and can be maintained less frequently. However, it’s still essential to keep up with regular mowing to prevent weed growth and ensure the overall health of your lawn.
How Often To Mow Your Lawn In Winter?
In winter, you won’t need to mow your lawn at all. During this season, grass growth will come to a standstill, so mowing has no benefit. You may choose to do so occasionally for aesthetic reasons, but it is optional for maintaining a healthy lawn.
By understanding how often you should mow your lawn during each season, you can keep your yard looking great all year round. Regular mowing will help prevent weed growth and ensure your lawn is healthy and green for years.
How Often to Mow a Lawn in the Spring
Spring is a crucial time to start paying attention to your lawn’s growth and mowing it accordingly. You don’t want to cut it too early while it’s still recovering from winter, but you also want to keep it from growing too much before tackling it. The best time to start mowing is a few weeks after April when the growing season begins.
During spring, you should mow your lawn at least once a week. With the early warm temperatures, you may need to mow more often, depending on how quickly your grass grows. It would help if you kept your blades sharp and at the correct height for optimal performance and a healthy-looking lawn.
BENEFITS OF MAINTAINING A HEALTHY MOWING SCHEDULE
There are many advantages to maintaining a healthy mowing schedule! Some of those benefits include:
- A neater yard
- Prevention of weeds from growing
- Healthier plants and grass
- Preparing your yard for winter
When to Stop Cutting Grass
There are two types of grass found in lawns. Each type grows better in different climates:
- Cool-season grasses: These are commonly found in colder temperatures in the northern United States
- Warm-season grasses: These are commonly found in warmer climates in the southern United States.
For cool-season grasses, you should stop mowing your lawn around mid-October when temperatures drop, and the grass starts to go dormant.
For warm-season grasses, you can keep mowing until late November or December when the weather gets too cold for the grass to grow.
No matter what type of grass you have, keeping up with regular mowing throughout the year is essential. Doing so will ensure your lawn stays healthy and looks great all season long!
Maintaining a well-manicured lawn can be tricky, but with the proper knowledge and dedication, it doesn’t have to be.
Some most common grass types of which are listed below:
Warm Season Grasses
- Bermuda Grass
- Bahia Grass
- St. Augustine Grass
- Centipede Grass
- Zoysia Grass
- Carpet Grass
- Buffalo Grass
Cold Season Grasses
- Kentucky Blue Grass
- Creeping Bent Grass
- Perennial Ryegrass
- Creeping Red Fescue Grass
The ideal height for mowing the lawn for each season (spring, summer, fall)
It is dependent upon the grass type and climate. Generally, keeping your lawn between 2-4 inches in height is best for most grass types.
Grass Name |
Ideal Height in Inches | Mow When Grass Reaches This Height |
Bahia | 3-4 | 4-5¼ |
Common bermuda grass | 1-2 | 1¼ -2½ |
Centipede | 1-2 | 1¼ -2½ |
Hybrid bermuda | 1-1 ½ | 1¼ -2 |
St. Augustine | 2-3 | 2½ -4 |
Zoysia | 1-2 | 1¼ -2½ |
Fine fescues | 2½ -3 | 3¼ -4 |
Kentucky bluegrass | 2½ -3½ | 3¼ -4½ |
Perennial ryegrass | 1½ -2½ | 2-3¼ |
3-4 |
4-5¼ |
How short to cut grass in spring
In spring, it is recommended to cut cool-season grasses to a height of 3+ inches and warm-season grasses as low as half an inch and up to 1.5 inches. If the grass is shorter than this, it will be more prone to weeds, disease and drought stress.
How short to cut grass in summer
In the summer, you will want to keep your grass height between 2-4 inches. If the grass is too short, it can cause damage to the lawn and dry out quickly. This can lead to weed growth and even brown spots on the lawn.
How short to cut grass in the fall
In the fall, you should start to lower the height of your grass as the weather cools down. Reduce the mowing size to about 2-2.5 inches for cool-season grasses. You can go as low as 1 inch in height for warm-season grasses.
Grass Mowing Heights by Season | Mackalies Garden | |||
Types of Grass | Spring | Summer | Fall |
Cool-Season Grasses (bluegrass, fescue) |
2.5-3.5″ (Lower end of the range recommended)
|
2.5-3.5″ (Upper end of the range recommended)
|
2.-2.5″
|
Warm-Season Grasses
(zoysiagrass, bermudagrass) |
1.5-2.5″
(Lower end of the range recommended) |
1.5-2.5″
(Upper end of the range recommended) |
2-2.5″ |
Final Words:
Maintaining a healthy mowing schedule throughout the year ensures your lawn looks great and stays healthy. Adjust your mowing height as the seasons change, and you can enjoy a lush, green lawn all year.
Douglas Mackalie is a Founder of Mackalies Garden. He is one of the most exciting people you’ll ever meet. He has 25 years of experience in horticulture and gardening, most of which he’s spent outdoors getting his hands dirty.