Tips for Mowing Wet Grass
Mowing wet grass is never ideal for any homeowner or commercial lawn care company. But sometimes mother nature won’t allow you to have any other choice. The ideal mowing condition is when the grass is not too wet but also not too dry, allowing for a healthy cut to encourage the grass to grow again. There are a variety of issues that can arise from mowing a yard when the grass is too dry, but the same can be said for mowing when the grass and underlying turf is wet as well. Sometimes you just have to work with the weather conditions you get, so be sure to check out the following tips and helpful advice for mowing your grass when it’s wet and soggy.
Tips:
There are a variety of issues that can arise whenever you mow wet grass, that can affect both the turf itself as well as the lawn mower. The first major issue that people notice when mowing wet grass is the large clumps of discharged clippings that are from the wet grass. These clumps not only look bad in your lawn, but can also get stuck to the underside of your lawn mower and mower deck and can result in further mowing issues after drying out.
The wet clumps of grass also don’t provide the recycling of nutrients that typically comes from mowing with a side discharge or mulching lawn mower, thus not helping your lawn grow healthy after the mowing is done. Most homeowners discover that mowing in wet grass only creates more of a necessity to mow again just to break up these grass clumps that can happen.
Another major issue that can be caused from mowing wet grass is the spread of lawn diseases. A wet environment is ideal for many lawn and turf diseases to thrive and spread, and by mowing wet grass you can potentially help these lawn diseases to spread across your lawn more quickly. The discharging of grass clippings that contain any variety of lawn and turf disease only helps the unwanted nuisance to infect more of your lawn without you even realizing it.
Just because your lawn is wet doesn’t mean all hope it lost for getting your lawn mowed. Sometimes there is no other choice but to mow – especially when your local weather calls for multiple days in a row of non-stop wet weather. There are some simple tips and advice to follow to help make the most of your wet mowing conditions without doing too much damage to your law.
Raise Your Mower Deck Height
The most important tip to mowing a wet lawn is to raise your mower deck height. By raising your lawn mower deck height, you are allowing only the top of the wet grass to get mowed which in turn will minimize the potential for clumps of grass clippings during the discharge. If you are bagging your grass clippings, this will also minimize the rate in which your bagger is filled which means less time spent emptying the baggers.
Raising your mower deck height when mowing wet grass is also essential to maintaining the healthy integrity of your lawn and turf. Wet grass is naturally weaker due to the excess weight of the water and moisture, so mowing only the top 1/3 or less of the grass will help maintain the structural integrity of the grass itself. Sure you might need to mow again sooner than normal, but chances are your lawn will be healthier and last longer by taking this extra precaution.
Mow at a Slow Speed
Another important step to take when mowing your lawn when it’s wet is to make sure your lawn mower is set at a slow speed. The main goal of mowing at a slower speed is to reduce the amount of excess wet clippings that are discharged during the mowing but also to protect your lawn itself. Mowing at a high speed on wet grass can create a lot of issues that can ruin your beautiful lawn and leave it damaged for many months to follow.
The weight of your lawn mower is naturally going to leave an impression into the turf and subsequently any movement by the mower can leave a mark as well. Taking turns too quickly and sharply with your lawn mower on a wet lawn can quickly damage the turf by pulling up excess grass and mud and also leave tread marks from where you mow. The last thing you want is to mow your lawn and leave a negative lasting effect for months to come afterwards.
Mow with a Clean Mower Deck
The last thing to remember when mowing a wet lawn is try to mow with a clean mower deck whenever possible. By cleaning the underside of your lawn mower’s deck, you can help reduce the chances of wet grass clumps forming by providing a smooth mowing surface. Also, cleaning your mower deck after you are done mowing wet grass will eliminate the build-up of grass clumps that come naturally from mowing wet grass and will make future lawn mowing much easier and cleaner.
Have any advice for mowing wet grass? Let us know!
We want to hear what works and doesn’t work for you and where you live!