Do you know there is a special timing to mow the grass so it can regrow healthily, to look greenest? So What is the Best Time of Day to Mow the Lawn? Read here!
Almost all of us, having a passion for gardening, must be aware of how often we should mow our lawn, what is the best time of a year to mow the lawn, and how to mow the lawn without deteriorating its health? But do you know that in addition to these things, you also have to be sure about the best time of the day to mow the lawn?
Understandably, most people prefer to get the lawn mowing job done during the early morning, before going to offices, or in the late evenings but according to the gardening experts, both these timings are highly harmful to slice the grass. As a general rule of thumb, the best time is when the grass gets enough time to dry and when the temperature is neither too low nor too high.
To know more about the ideal and the worst time of the day to mow the lawn, read the article further.
Table of Contents
What is the Best Time of Day to Mow the Lawn?
Early Morning: 6 am – 8 am
As mentioned before, early morning is one of the worst times of the day to cut the grass (good news for the one who is not a morning person). Why? Because of dew! Even if your lawn has not been subjected to heavy dewing, you should strictly avoid mowing your lawn right after sunrise.
Due to dewing, the grass gets wet and most of the grass blades bend down. In this way, when you pass the mower over the lawn, it cuts only a few grass blades standing upward while leaving others behind. When the grass gets dried up, those bent blades rise upward and create an unpleasant and highly uneven turf surface.
Not only this, but the wet grass blades are more likely to stick around and inside the mower. These wet grass clippings, when reaching the fuel compartment or engine of your lawnmower, cause corrosion. In other words, mowing the lawn in the early morning won’t only destroy your lawn’s visuals but also deteriorate the machine heavily.
Another reason why experts prohibit mowing the grass during early hours is that your mower won’t cut but tear the wet grass blades which, in turn, weaken the root system. Also, the torn apart sections of damp grass provide the best growing medium to fungi and mould. Remember that even if a small or unnoticeable section of your lawn gets infected by fungal infections or similar diseases, it will cover your whole garden in a few days.
Mid Morning: 9 am – 11 am
Almost all the gardening experts and horticulturists agree with the statement that the best time of the day to mow a lawn is mid-morning. Why? Because that’s the time when your lawn is present in the most ideal conditions; optimum temperature and moisture level.
During the mid-morning, the temperature is quite pleasant for both you and the grass. It’s neither too high to burn the grass nor too low to numb your hands. Also, after mowing, your grass should get enough daytime to dry completely to prevent fungal and mould infestation. If you mow the lawn during mid-morning, it may get healed properly during the mid-day.
Also, till 9 am, all the dewdrops evaporate and all the grass blades will be straightened uprightly. In this state, if you pass the mower over the lawn, grass on all the sections will be chopped to an equal length, without being torn apart. All these things ensure that the grass will regrow healthily, with more resilience against diseases and its root system remains as strong as before.
For crisper cuts, make sure the blades of the lawnmower are sharp enough. The only exception here is that if your lawn is facing towards the north, it won’t get enough sunshine to get dry optimally till mid-morning. In this case, you might have to till the late afternoon to mow the lawn.
Mid Afternoon: 12 pm – 4 pm
Midday is also one of the worst parts of the day to mow a lawn since the temperature is highest at this time. This high temperature not only stresses your lawn grass but also makes you suffer as well. Would it be comfortable to push a heavy mower all across the yard when the sun is throwing its skin-burning heatwaves? Of course NOT!
Similarly, during the mid-day, all the vegetation of your yard is busy preparing its food from photosynthesis. If you chop the grass down during the process, it will retard the food supply and let the excessive byproducts remain within the plant bodies which, in turn, unbalance the entire metabolism.
Whether you use an electric mower or a heavy-duty gas or petrol powered one, both types of devices would get overheated which will not only burn the grass beneath it but also reduce the life of the machine. Also, don’t forget that your lawn contains so many tiny plants and seedlings and exposing them under the ruthless sun by trimming their heads will be the worst thing you can do to them.
Early Evening: 4 pm – 6 pm
Late afternoon is also a good time to mow your lawn since during these hours, the temperature is optimal; neither too low nor too high. Even during the mid-summer, the heat intensity gets reduced till the late afternoon so your grass won’t have to suffer heat stress or similar situations.
Also, most of the grass blades are standing straight and also being dry so they won’t choke the mower and cut down smoothly and evenly. Especially if your lawn is facing north, you can mow it during the mid-morning since almost all the grass will be covered with shade from your house. In this case, it would be best to mow the grass during the early evening since even after mowing, the lawn will get enough time to get healed and ready for the next morning’s dew.
Late Evening: 7 pm – Early morning
Mowing the lawn in the late evening and night is also not a good idea since doing so will neither give your grass enough time to heal nor the temperature will be ideal during these hours.
If you cut your grass in or after late evening, it will stay as damp as before, throughout the night. And as mentioned before, freshly trimmed grass is more prone to fungal and mould diseases in wet conditions. Besides this, mowing your lawn using roaring machinery during the tiring hours of the night will also disturb your neighbours.
While chopping grass during the night, you also have to face the same negative consequences as you have to encounter while mowing your yard in the early morning. As soon as the evening sets in, the dew also starts to fall off and trimming the wet grass will not only clog your machine but also weaken the entire root system.
Conclusion
The best time of the day to mow the lawn is mid-morning when the temperature is ideal; neither too hot, nor too low, and the lawn gets enough time to dry and heal. The second best time to mow the lawn is early evening especially when your lawn faces north.
However, you should also use common sense before concluding and consider the weather conditions as well. For example, if you live in a high cold region, mowing the lawn during the mid-morning is nothing I would recommend since, in colder regions, the grass won’t dry out till the mid-afternoon. Thus, you better wait and pull your mower out of the garage in mid-afternoon, in this case.
Likewise, if you have planned to mow your lawn in the mid-morning of next Sunday but it starts raining on Saturday night, you won’t be able to mow the wet lawn at any cost. In this case, you also have to wait until all the moisture would evaporate from your yard so you could run your mower across it.
Similarly, the weather conditions may change from time to time, throughout the year and from one place to another. Thus don’t forget to consider them before getting started.
Lastly, keep your mower’s blades sharp, clean, and in an accurate shape all the time so it can deliver the crispiest cuts, without stopping. You might be surprised to know but the dull blades do more harm to your lawn than mowing grass during the worst time of the day could do. Not-so-sharp blades won’t be able to trim the grass but tear it apart. That’s not so good.
Also, don’t forget to follow the basic lawn etiquettes according to which, you shouldn’t mow your garden before 9 am and after 8 pm, especially on weekends. Similarly, if you have a huge lawn, don’t try to mow the entire area on a single day as it will ruin your neighbour’s whole day.