As winter sets in, the background hum of lawnmowers fades into the echoes of fireworks and carol singers. Occasionally, however, you might be surprised to hear a neighbour mowing their lawn in November. This begs the question: should you cut your grass in November?
Can I Mow the Lawn in Autumn?
If you’ve got a working lawnmower, you can mow your lawn at any time of year. The real question is whether you should, and the answer to that is a little more complex.
What you should do is pay attention to how long your grass is, and the general health of your lawn, and then make a decision on whether the grass needs cutting.
Over autumn, ideally during September and October, you should prepare your lawn for winter. Be sure to mow your lawn every 10-14 days, and as winter sets in, try and ensure it gets to between 0.75 and 1.5 inches in length. You can then leave it alone.
However, if the temperature stays mild, your grass may continue to grow. If you do not want an unruly jungle by the time spring blooms, this is when you should cut your grass.
How to Mow Your Lawn in November
It is possible to mow the lawn in winter without damaging the grass.
Firstly, avoid cutting wet grass. Doing so will result in a bad cut from those blades of grass that have bent under the weight of the rainwater. Mower blades can dig deeper into soft lawns, so you may also end up killing new sprouts.
You should also raise your mower blades to avoid scalping your lawn. By raising your blades, you’ll be cutting off less of the leaves of grass, leaving more behind to harvest what energy it can get from the winter sunshine.
Lastly, make sure you take away the grass clippings. In summer, you might be able to get away with leaving the clippings on your lawn to mulch down. Doing this in winter will prevent the sunlight from getting to the roots, and can also help lawn diseases flourish, neither of which is ideal for your lawn.
If you are planning to turn November into mow-vember, make sure you follow the tips in this blog post – your lawn will thank you!
If you have any further questions about lawn care in autumn, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
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