This is your guide to when to cut your grass. From the first cut of the year all the way through to the last cut of the year.
I’ll explain how often to mow and how high to cut the grass depending on the season.
When to Mow Your Lawn, Season-by-Season
A typical mowing schedule runs from March to November. That said, the UK weather changes every year. Some years are wetter, drier, hotter and colder than other years.
Your first cut of the year might be earlier or later than last years. Same goes for the last cut of the year. You might even find yourself mowing all 52 weeks if the weather dictates.
The point I’m trying to make is that you should cut your grass as and when it needs it. Not when some arbitrary guide tells you to.
That said, it helps to at least have some idea what to expect during each season. So here’s my handy little season-by-season guide;
Mowing Your Lawn in Spring
During spring, the grass starts to grow as soil and air temperatures rise.
March
You’ll often see the first signs of grass growth during March. Exactly when you see it will depend on how mild the winter has been. If it’s been mild, you’ll see the grass start growing early in the month. If it’s been a cold, hard winter, it’ll be later.
Either way, this is a good time to give your lawn its first cut of the year.
That said, as conditions are still cool in March growth is slow. So make sure you mow;
- On a high setting: You only want to take the top off the grass to tidy it up. Cutting the grass too short now will stress and weaken it. It’ll be harder to outcompete any moss that might spore as a result of the rain we often see in the spring. You could end up creating a yourself problem to deal with it in April and May.
- When it’s dry: Don’t do it when it’s wet. It’s dangerous, you’ll not get a clean cut, it’ll stress the grass and the moisture could cause the onset of disease. Plus, your mower will be a ball ache to clean afterwards.
April
Rising temperatures and plenty of rainfall create ideal growing conditions. You’ll see grass growth speed up.
When mowing in spring;
- Mow at least once every ten days: If growth is rapid you might need to mow every seven days.
- Reduce the mowing height little by little: Never cut off more than a third of the grasses length at a time.
Again, cut the grass on a dry day.
You might also want to tidy up the edges of your lawn while the ground is soft.
May
By the time May rolls around, weather conditions are perfect for contant grass growth.
By now, you should have brought your mowing height down to your preferred length. So now it’s about maintaining your lawn at that length.
You could find yourself mowing twice a week to keep your grass at the height you want. Your preferred mowing height will dictate how often you cut the grass. The shorter you like it, the more often you’ll have to mow.
Remember, you should never remove more than a third of the grass’ height. So if you like you grass at 40mm high, mow it before or when it reaches 60mm.
If you have a formal like lawn and like your grass 20mm high, you’ll need to mow before or when it gets to 30mm high.
Mowing During Summer
UK summers seem to change from year to year. Some are baking hot while others it seems to p!ss down all the time.
So you’ll need to mow according to the weather.
June
June is often a month of two halves with the first couple of weeks being much like May. So keep mowing to keep the grass at your preferred height.
As the weather warms up and the rain rain lessens, you might want to mow a little less often.
July & August
If the weather warms up and it rains less like it should in summer, grass growth will slow down. So mow less often, once a week or even once every ten days.
It’s also a good idea to raise the mowing height by a setting or two. This will mean can store more water and nutrients in it leaves, making it more drought tolerant.
For those with lawn mowers that mulch grass clippings, it’s a good idea to do it during the summer. It recycles moisture and nutrients back into the turf when the grass needs them most.
If there’s plenty of rain during the summer, the grass will keep on growing. In which case, keep on mowing like you would in May and June.
Mowing in Autumn
The autumn rains combined with warm soil create excellent growing conditions.
September
As the autumn rains return, grass growth speeds up again so increase mowing frequency.
While conditions are good, you can bring you mowing height down to your favourite setting. Remember, you should do it bit by bit and the shorter you like it, the more often you’ll need to mow. But it should be at least once a week.
October
Conditions start to cool off during October. Leaf growth start to slows as the grass draws all its nutrients into the roots in preparation for winter.
So mow once evert ten days on a higher setting.
When to Cut Grass in the Winter
Growth should all but stop in the winter as it’s too cold. But this isn’t always the case. Again, it depends what on the weather and how mild it is.
November
Many consider November the month to give your lawn its last cut of the year. But again, this depends on how mild it is. If the grass is still growing, keep mowing.
That said, once or twice a month is enough and keep your mower on a high setting.
December to February
If it’s mild you’ll see the grass still growing although it’ll be slow.
Only mow your lawn as and when it needs a tidy up. Once a month should be fine.
Do it when the ground is dry and avoid cutting the grass 24 hours before or after a frost. If the ground is soft and the wheels of your mower are likely to dig in, don’t bother. Wait until spring.
