When Is The Best Time To Mow Your Lawn

When is the best time to mow your grass? Ask any gardener, and they will have an opinion of when is the best time of day for lawn mowing. Some say it doesn’t matter as long as you you have a lawn care routine. Others are adamant a specific time of day is the best time for a healthy lawn. 

When is the optimal time of day to mow your lawn – before sunrise, morning, afternoon, or nighttime? Are there times you shouldn’t mow your lawn? 

Although one of the routine yard jobs during warm seasons, there are good times and bad times to cut the grass. We discovered two optimum times for lawn mowing and the reasons why homeowners prefer it as the best time to mow your lawn. There are many opinions on when to use the lawn-mower, but these two times are the best for a lush lawn and a healthy root system. 

The Best Time of Day To Mow Your Lawn: Mid – Morning

Mid-morning, from 8 am to 10 am, is the ideal time of day to mow your lawn; the sun isn’t too hot, the grass too wet, or you too tired.

Many gardeners irrigate their lawns early in the morning. By mid-morning, the grass is no longer wet from irrigation or early morning dew. The grass is dry enough for cutting without exposure to heat stress from higher temperatures later in the day. The lawn has plenty of time to heal if you cut the grass in the morning. 

A north-facing lawn could be the exception for mowing later in the day instead of mid-morning. Your lawn could be too wet for mid-morning mowing. Moisture takes longer to evaporate when the lawn is in the shade caused by surrounding buildings. 

The Next Best Time of Day To Mow Grass: Late Afternoon

Late afternoon, between 4 pm to 6 pm, is the second-best time for mowing your lawn. If you work during the day, your mowing schedule has to be after work hours; the late afternoon is better than over the weekend when you want to relax. Late afternoon is a convenient time for a working homeowner and the grass too. Temperatures are cooling down; it is no longer too hot for the grass, and you don’t have to push a mower in the heat of the day. 

You won’t disturb the neighbors with the noise; most neighbors are still outdoors in their yard, probably with lawnmowers and lawn care equipment.

Avoid Mowing Your Lawn During These Times Of Day:

No matter how often you think need to mow the lawn, there are certain times of day and weather conditions you have to avoid cutting your grass. At the least, it’ll make cutting the lawn a nightmare; at worst, you could damage your lawn or even yourself.

Mowing Wet Grass

One of the worst times of day to cut the grass is when the grass is wet from morning dew, irrigation, or rain.

• If the yard is too wet, the lawn-mower leaves tracks that are unsightly and can damage the lawn.
• The mower deck clogs up faster from wet lawn clippings and clumps of grass.
• You have a higher chance of leaving uncut blades of grass in your lawn.
• Lawn disease spreads easier; wet grass is the perfect entryway for disease.
• Soil compacts faster.
• Mowing wet grass with electric lawn mowers is dangerous.
• A wet lawn increases the chances of slipping and hurting yourself.  

Early In The Early Morning

Mid-morning is the best time to mow the lawn and early morning is the worst. The ground is still wet from morning dew, and your neighbors won’t appreciate mowing noise at the crack of dawn. 

If you cut the grass while damp, you can tear the grass blades. Torn blades of grass are more prone to mold, fungus growth, and disease than healthy grass blades. You risk cutting uneven mowing patterns, grass clogs, and sticks to the lawnmower; cleaning wet clippings from the mower deck is more tedious than wiping away dry grass clippings.  

The only way you can cut the grass so early in the morning is if you work long hours and you live in a dry climate where there is no morning dew moisture early in the morning. However, make sure your neighbors don’t mind the early morning lawn-mower noise.  

Mid-Day, The Worst Time Of Day To Mow Lawn

Mid-day is probably the worst time of day to cut grass or to water the garden. Water evaporates faster in the hot sun, and mowing during the day places the grass and you under stress during the hottest time of the day. It is physically tiring to people, causing excessive sweating, running the risk of heatstroke, and the lawn loses moisture it needs for healthy growth. It’s not suitable for the mower either; your lawn-mower may overheat, causing damage and unnecessary repair expenses. 

During the hottest part of the day, the grass protects its water supply, and it is the best time of day for photosynthesis. Mowing the lawn at the peak of day will deprive the grass of gathering beneficial nutrients and energy, vital for healthy grass blades and root systems. 

Mid-Afternoon

Although not the best time of day to mow the lawn, it is a better option than the middle of the day or at nighttime. Although a wrong time, mid-afternoon is better than early morning or nighttime. The temperature is dropping; it’s not hot under the midday sun anymore, but mowing between 2 pm and 4 pm may cause lawn stress. A good thing to cut grass in the mid-afternoon is the neighbors aren’t home from work yet; you won’t disturb them with a loud mower.

Early Evening

Mowing the lawn from 6 pm to 8 pm might be convenient to you but not to your neighbors or your yard. People are having dinner and relaxing after a long workday and don’t want noisy disturbances while watching TV or conversing with loved ones.

If you cut the grass too late in the day, you may jeopardize the lawn health; the cut grass blade is more susceptible to infections. The lawn won’t have enough time to heal and protect itself against nighttime mold and fungal diseases. 

The Best Time To Mow Lawn Is When The Weather Allows It

The air temperature and weather conditions can change a regular mowing pattern without much concern for convenience. The fact of the matter is that mowing turf and home lawns are necessary but are invasive to the grass and can be damaging. To minimize the stress, try and mow the lawn when it is the best time for the grass. One way of preventing disaster is following these lawn maintenance tips concerning weather conditions.

• Avoid cutting grass during a rainstorm; you can’t cut wet grass evenly, and the chances for injuries increase.
• For your health and the lawn’s avoid cutting grass in a heatwave or midday in the heat of summer; wait for the ground to cool down.
• One good reason to cut the grass in the middle of the day is to mow a dry lawn on an overcast or cool day.

Irrespective of why you mow the grass at a particular time of day, always ensure the lawn-mower blade is sharp for a clean cut. A dull mower blade can do as much damage as mowing at the wrong times. Most blades cutting edge angle is 45 degrees, the same angle you sharpen the mower blade.

Always respect the “One-Third” rule, irrespective of the types of grasses, mowers, or mowing taller grass.

What mowing pattern tips do you recommend to keep a beautiful lawn healthy, and when is the best time of day to mow grass?