Here's The Best Time To Mow Your Lawn For Healthy Grass

Maintaining a beautiful lawn takes hard work, and mowing is probably the most time-intensive task of them all. But it's also one of the most important. A consistently mowed lawn doesn't just look nice; it's also healthier, less vulnerable to disease, and more resistant to weeds. Mowing at the right time of day makes a difference, too: The best time to mow your lawn for healthy grass is in the middle of the morning or late in the afternoon.

Many homeowners mow the lawn whenever they can fit it into their busy schedules. At an average length of 45 minutes, it's not exactly a speedy chore, and it's not just an occasional one either. Mowing your lawn more frequently is better for its health — every four to six days is ideal, depending on the growth rate, and this should remain consistent as long as the grass is actively growing (stop mowing your lawn when it's dormant).

While mowing is essential for grass health, the time of day that you mow doesn't directly affect it. So why are mid-morning and late afternoon the best times to mow? It's all about the amount of moisture on the grass.

To make mowing your lawn easier, it's best to mow the lawn when the grass is fully dry. Wet grass poses a number of problems. First, it's messy — the grass clippings clump together on both the mower and the lawn, making it harder to clean up. They may even clog the mower in some cases. Moist clumps of grass can also harbor viruses that cause infections in the lawn. Plus, moisture makes it more difficult to get a clean, even cut, and unevenly clipped grass is more vulnerable to diseases, pests, and sun damage. Finally, there's the risk of compaction and root damage when you mow wet grass.

Obviously, mowing in the rain is a bad idea. But grass also gets wet on a nightly basis from dew. Mid-morning is a safe time of day to mow because the dew has dried by then, and there's plenty of time for the grass to recover before night falls and dew develops again. Similarly, late afternoon is typically a drier time; just remember to leave plenty of time before sunset. By working at these times of day, you can also avoid mowing your lawn during the hottest hours, which can be stressful on the grass when temperatures are high enough.

Conversely, try not to mow your lawn first thing in the morning or after nightfall, when dew is on the grass blades. Don't mow in wet weather if you can avoid it. Stop mowing altogether in the winter when the grass is dormant, during extreme heat, or any other time the grass stops growing.