'The least acceptable times are before 8am and after 8pm when most people are seeking rest and relaxation,' says expert gardener Diana Cox, founder of The Gardening Talk.
Check your HOA and/or city noise ordinances. Usually before 7–8 in the morning is to early. Unless you don't like having good relationships with your neighbors. Then any time is a good time to mow lawns.
6 To 8 A.M.
All these lead to further problems like leaving your lawn out for the reaping by mold and fungus. For your neighbors, lawn, and mower, before 8 a.m. is probably not the most preferred time for lawn mowing.
As a general guide, the latest time to finish the lawn mowing activity is 8:30 pm. Though, during the winter season, you should think about finishing up before dark to avoid any potential conflict with your neighbors. If that's the case, talk to your neighbors and see what's best for all parties.
If mid-morning isn't doable, your next-best option is late afternoon, when temperatures are starting to cool down and many neighbors will still be out of the house. Mowing much later than 6pm is a bad idea, as your lawn is most susceptible to fungus and other diseases.
Anywhere from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. is generally the second-best time after the mid-morning time slot. At this time, you avoid the highest temperatures of the day while making sure your grass is also thoroughly dry before mowing.
Don't Mow Too Early or Too Late – Mind the Noise
Avoid mowing the yard when the vast majority of people could be sleeping. This means that you should avoid mowing before breakfast or after dinner.
If you use a push mower (not powered), there is no problem. If you use an electric mower, evaluate the noise. The answer is “maybe”. If you use a gas powered mower, then Yes, it is bad etiquette at 6 am.
Mowing at midday is not ideal.
At this time of day, grass starts to become limp from the heat, potentially leading to unevenly trimmed turf. Mowing the lawn in the heat of the day also requires manual labor in the sun, putting you at risk of sunburn, heat exhaustion, and worse.
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.
To understand when quiet hours take place exactly, you'll have to check with your local ordinances but roughly speaking, quiet hours are usually after the 7 am to 9 pm bracket during weekdays and on weekends, after the 8 am to 9 pm bracket. But again, we emphasize that this varies depending on where you live!
Mid-Day (10 AM–2 PM)
Even if your neighbors aren't bothered by it, this is by far the worst time to cut your grass. Plus you most likely don't want to be out there at that time of day, anyway.
Evening. Cutting your lawn too late in the day is just as bad as mowing to early. This is because as night settles in, so does this dew. Just like in the AM, you risk exposing your freshly cut lawn to disease and fungal infections.
In Germany, raising a ruckus on Sundays, on holidays, and during late hours is a big no-no. Noise levels are kept to a minimum by law on Sundays and holidays from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. That means no lawn-mowing, no drilling, hammering, sawing, or even heavy trucks on the roads.
Mowing every two weeks — instead of weekly — and not dousing grass with chemical herbicides and fertilizers, helps the environment and supports the health of bees, which are among the world's most important pollinators.
How often should you mow? Normally, weekly mowing is the rule, but some lawns need cutting more often. Other lawns will grow more slowly and might need cutting only once every ten days or two weeks. Generally, don't cut off more than one third of the grass blade.
Mowing your lawn isn't per se illegal, but running a horrendously loud lawnmower late at night or in the wee hours of the morning is not something your neighbors would appreciate, which could lead to police intervention.
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.
Mowing too soon, before the turf grass has begun to grow and thicken up, exposes the soil and over-wintering weed seeds to sunlight.
The best time to start mowing is in the mid-morning, or between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. At that time the sun is higher in the sky and the grass has dried out a bit from the early morning dew and any irrigation.
'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.
Top Tip To Mowing The Lawn When It's Hot
One valuable tip is that mowing during the hottest time of day on a drought-stressed lawn is one of the worst things you can do. A mower is a heavy piece of equipment, and its constant movement across your lawn causes the wheels to administer mass damage.
It is always better to mow before rain if possible. If your grass is dry, but you see rain on the way, it is a good idea to mow the yard before the rain arrives. Otherwise, the next best time to mow is when your grass has completely dried after rainfall.