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.
Researchers reported a threefold increase in bee species diversity and a fivefold increase in the number of bees in no-mow yards compared with neighboring yards that were mowed as usual.
If you must mow your lawn after a frost, the best practices are to ensure that your lawn does not have a lot of moisture from snow or ice and make sure to not mow the lawn when the temperatures are below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mowing too soon, before the turf grass has begun to grow and thicken up, exposes the soil and over-wintering weed seeds to sunlight. Warmed by the sun, weeds germinate and grow rapidly, invading otherwise weed-free turf and resulting in a what can be a weed control problem for months.
'When it comes to mowing your lawn, to minimize disturbance and maximize efficiency, the best time is in the morning, around 8am to 10am,' says Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO of Lawn Love. 'This way, it's not too hot for physical exertion and not too early to wake everyone up.
It could even produce clumps and unsightly tracks, and it could also be damaged when a larger portion of the clumpy grass gets stuck in it. Most gardeners will agree that the earliest time you can safely mow your lawn is around 8-9 AM.
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.
Mowing a lawn in the middle of a summer heatwave is one of the worst things you can do to it. When temperatures reach around 85 degrees, grass, like many other green plants, begins to suffer – especially cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescues.
However, be mindful that mowing too close to nightfall (between 6 and 8 p.m.) will not give your grass enough time to recover, making your lawn more susceptible to fungus and turf disease. It's recommended to avoid cutting your grass in the early morning and midday.
Mowing wet lawns increases the risk of rut damage, since the soil is softer and more slippery for mowers, and the grass roots can more easily be torn out by the mower tires.
Clumps of wet grass not only hurt your lawn. They also clog your mower blades, slowing them down and making the engine work harder to turn them. Electric lawn mowers, which have less torque than gas mowers, often can't cut through wet grass at all for this reason.
While participating in “No Mow May” won't provide a quality food source to pollinators, it will provide cover for unwanted pests, such as rodents, ticks, and mosquitoes, all of which are known to carry harmful diseases that can be transmitted to humans and pets.
Mow at a slow speed
Mowing too fast prevents your lawnmower blades from being able to cut each grass blade, leaving some grass blades more intact than others. What's worse is that mowing fast could cause some of the grass blades to tear.
According to Prairie Nursery, not mowing the lawn at all will result in a turf with leaves that grow to about 6 inches in height and drape over one another.
When it comes to lawn care, the best times to cut grass are during the evening hours. The Grounds Guys, a full-service grounds care, lawn care, and landscaping company, suggests cutting grass in the evening because the temperatures tend to be cooler and the roots will retain moisture.
Once temperatures reach 77 degrees, it becomes too hot for root growth, and root growth ceases. When temperatures reach 90 degrees, it becomes too hot for shoot growth and the grasses stop growing and begin to fall dormant, with the surface grass turning a brown hue.
Cutting grass in hot weather is a chancy business and runs the risk of causing long term lawn damage. While it may seem tempting to mow when the weather is dry, experts say it can lead to unsightly brown patches appearing and – even worse – complete die back.
AVOID MOWING DURING EXTREME HEAT When your lawn is particularly stressed from heat or drought, it can be limited in its ability to recover from mowing and can be damaged even more. Instead, mow the grass after a rainfall or after irrigation day.
The rate of grass growth and desired height of your lawn determine how often you need to mow. Typically, mowing once a week during the growing season should suffice to keep your lawn healthy. The rest of the time, you can reduce the frequency of cutting to every other week, as necessary.
Healthier Grass
A longer lawn means that the individual grass blades (the leaves) have more surface area for photosynthesis to occur.
When grass is too dry. There's nothing wrong with mowing your turf in a drought, but there are some changes that need to be made to minimize the chance of damage. Raise your mower's deck height by a half of an inch when grass is drought stressed, as thirsty grass will grow at a slower rate.
To minimize disturbance and maximize efficiency, the best time to mow your lawn is in the morning, around 8am to 10am. This way, it's not too hot for physical exertion, and it's late enough that the morning dew has dried.
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.
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.