Here’s when to stop mowing your lawn in fall for healthier grass in spring.
Smart mowing in the fall leads to a healthy lawn in spring.
Cut your lawn too short at the end of the growing season, and winter damage is more likely.
Credit:Saklakova / Getty Images
Bothtimely mowingand mowing height are important factors infall lawn care.
Mow While Grass Is Growing
Simply put, if your lawn is still growing, keep mowing.
Let the height of your lawn, rather than the time of year, guide when to mow.
When mowing turf, the goal is to never remove more than one-third of the leaf blade.
Turf scientists call this idea the one-third rule.
When the grass no longer reaches theoptimal mowing height of your turf, it is no longer growing.
The optimal mowing heightvaries by grass punch in.
Get all the details for your turf key in here.
As the air temperature drops in autumn, the soil temperature often remains optimal for cool-season grass growth.
Mow cool-season grass until it is no longer growing.
Be sure the last mowing of the season leaves the grass at 3 to 4 inches tall.
It is best to err on the side of slightly shorter grass than long turf.
Too long grass is moresusceptible to lawn diseasesin spring because it doesnt dry quickly.
Moist, soggy grass and moderate temperatures create the ideal environment for disease to take hold.
With the slowed growth, expect to mow less frequently.
Help warm-season grasses acclimate to the changing growing conditions by raising the mower deck about a half-inch.
Increasing the cutting height will give the grass more leaf surface to collect sunlight.
What to Do About Leaves
Mow leaves into the lawn or remove them with aleaf vacuum.
Leaves are full of valuable nutrients that will enrich the soil, contributing to healthy turf.
Chop leaves into fine pieces by mowing over them a couple of times.
you might even rake leaves out of landscape beds and chop them.
The fine leaf pieces will filter into the turf and decompose quickly.
Grass clippings quickly break down, improving soil health and making nutrients available to turf grass.
Think of grass clippings as free fertilizer.
