It's best to wait for wet grass to dry before mowing. Wet grass clippings can clog your mower, causing it to choke and spit out clumps of wet grass that could smother and kill your lawn if left unraked. It's best to wait for wet grass to dry before mowing.
Ideally, you should wait until the grass is dry enough so that you can walk through the lawn and not have wet shoes. Since this is not always possible, especially in spring or in wetter regions of the country, you might simply need to mow grass that is partially wet from time to time.
How soon can you cut grass after rain? Wait until the grass is dry, which will usually take at least a few hours. Walk through the lawn before mowing, and if your shoes or feet come away wet, don't mow yet. If they're mostly dry, you should be good to go.
If the grass is too wet, you shouldn't mow and if it's too dry you shouldn't either. Remember, mowing is a stressful event for your lawn. If you mow when it's already under stress, such as during dry spell or drought, then it will become even more stressed. You don't like to be stressed and neither does your poor lawn.
'As long as your blades are sharpened, and the grass isn't not soaking wet, mowing in the early morning dew is totally fine,' says Douglas Dedrick.
However, most professional gardeners would agree that between 8 AM and 10 AM is the best time of day to cut your grass. The reason for that is that lawns need time to heal before evening. Grass needs the benefit of the day to dry and heal before dusk settles.
If the engine and blades must work harder, more wear and tear will shorten the lifetime of your mower. Along with the harder engine work, if the wet grass isn't properly cleaned out from under the mower deck, the moisture will cause the blades and other metal to rust.
Lawn mowing basics
Never mow too low. You may think you're getting the jump on growth, but the grass will most probably grow back faster, may develop patchiness and ultimately you'll damage your lawn. Avoid watering immediately before or after mowing. Mow the lawn in the morning or afternoon.
It's also a lot easier to remove fresh, moist grass than to try and pry out dead dry grass and weeds in hard dry soil.
The resulting uneven look would be bad enough, but when you try to cut damp grass—the result is a tear rather than a clean cut. These tears open the door for fungus and moisture provides a medium for fungus to spread, so when you mow a lawn that's wet, you're creating a perfect storm for fungal infestations.
The short answer: No. Mowing wet grass can be problematic for your lawn, your lawn mower and you. If you do mow wet grass, you risk leaving clumps of clippings that could smother the grass beneath. Wet grass can clog the mower, causing it to overheat, and stick to the mower's underside, which is difficult to clean.
The simplest strategy you can try if there are parts of your yard that stay wet too long is to aerate your lawn. Aerating reduces compaction in the soil so that water can percolate through it faster.
Cutting wet grass can dull the blade more quickly. Clean blades thoroughly before and after mowing a lawn when wet to keep the cut as sharp as possible. Stop and turn off the mower to check your blades as you go along, to clear any clogs that may form on the underside or at the side discharge.
Mid-morning (between 8 and 10 a.m.) tends to be the best time of day for mowing your lawn. It allows enough time for dew to dry, resulting in strong, perky blades of grades, while avoiding the hottest periods of the day.
While it might be tempting to mow your lawn as soon as the rain clears, you're better off waiting until the grass is dry. Cutting wet grass can lead to plant fungal diseases, soil damage, and even mower operator injury—all of which are preventable with a little patience.
Cool-season grasses should typically be cut to about 3 to 4 inches high. Warm-season grasses should typically be cut to about 2 to 2 ½ inches high. The common cool-season grasses include fine and tall fescue grass, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass.
The Royal Horticultural Society says “never mow wet grass” . It says this can damage the turf and compact the soil. Its advice is to wait until it dries up.
Mowing actually helps make your grass grow thicker because the tip of each blade contains hormones that suppress horizontal growth. When you cut the lawn, you remove these tips allowing the grass to spread and grow thicker near the roots.
For this reason, some people prefer to mow at 3 or 3.5 inches. For the healthiest and most sustainable approach, Michigan State University Extension says 3.5 to 4 inches is most desirable. Lawns mowed at 3.5 or 4 inches out-compete weeds, tolerate grubs and look just as good as lawns mowed at 2.5 inches.
When the sky is clear or mostly clear overnight, the ground cools, and the warm air radiates away from the ground, up toward the sky. If the ground cools enough, dew then forms on the grass. When it's cloudy overnight, the ground retains more of its heat, and not as much heat is radiated up to the sky.
No Mow May was first popularized by Plantlife, an organization based in the United Kingdom, but is now gaining traction across North America. The goal of No Mow May is to pause mowing during the month of May, allowing flowers to bloom in your lawn to help early season pollinators.
Cutting wet grass
If you own an electric lawnmower that uses a wire to draw its power then it's important to know that you should never mow your lawn when the grass is wet. When water is exposed to electricity, you run a serious risk of electrocution.
– Use Plants To Absorb The Water
Another method how to soak up water in backyard spaces is to use plants, especially when the soil is bare. One of the best ways to fix waterlogged spots is to use grass turf, sod, and grass seeds.