How Early Can I Mow My Lawn When Winter Is Over?

It’s winter now, but when early summer comes, and your grass is starting to grow thanks to a wet spring and warm days. Somehow, you have to find time to mow that fast-growing lawn despite a full work schedule and other obligations.

 

Many busy homeowners are forced to mow their lawn in the early morning hours before work. But how early is too early to mow your lawn?

 

This article will look at the many factors that determine the best time to mow your lawn during the day to help you decide if a dawn lawn mowing is really such a good idea.

What Time Is Ok to Start Mowing In the Morning?

 

In general, the earliest you’ll want to begin mowing your lawn is 8 am. Not only will mowing at this hour help avoid disturbing sleeping neighbors, but it will also give your grass time to dry, so it doesn’t get ripped and bruised by your mower blades.

 

Of course, the exact time you should begin mowing depends on a host of variable factors, including the day of the week, your climate, what type of mower you have, and more.

 

If you have your hearts set on starting early, then tools like battery powered weed eaters are much quieter than their gas counterparts.

Considerations for Timing Your Lawn Mowing

 

Before you settle on 8 am as your earliest start point for mowing, you should consider a few more things.

 

Wet Grass

 

Even during dry spells, cool summer mornings will cause dew to form on your lawn. This phenomenon, caused by atmospheric condensation, is one of the biggest logistical reasons you don’t want to begin mowing too early.

 

Wet grass tends to slump over and clump together. Mower blades struggle to cut clean through these clumps, resulting in some grass blades being ripped out of the ground and others being bruised but left uncut.

 

This leaves you with a less healthy lawn, but the final product isn’t likely to look great. Lawn mowed while wet usually looks clumpy, scarred by tire tacks, and covered in thick piles of clippings.

 

If you wait until your lawn has dried, your grass will be easier to deal with. The grass blades will stand tall for even cutting and won’t clump and bind up the mower blade. In the summer, grass will usually dry out two or three hours after sunrise, but this can vary by climate.

 

Check out the video below for more lawn mowing and lawn care tips to support grass health.

 

 

Neighbors

 

The health of your grass isn’t the only consideration when it comes to firing up your lawnmower early in the morning; you also must be considerate of your neighbors.

 

On a weekday, you should be okay to begin mowing as early as 8 am, as most traditional 9 to 5 workers will be up and getting ready for their day. Of course, if you know your neighbors work odd hours, the neighborly thing to do would be to ask them what time they would prefer you mow in the mornings.

 

If you plan to mow on the weekend, consider that many people may be starting their days later. On Saturday or Sunday, 9 am is the more appropriate starting time.

 

Of course, these times are all based on the idea that you are mowing with a traditional gas-powered lawnmower. If you have quieter lawn tools like a push lawnmower or an electric mower, you can likely get away with starting earlier.

 

Heat and Ozone

 

If you’re considering putting off lawn mowing until later in the day to avoid negative neighborly karma, just keep in mind that mowing when it is too hot outside can also be detrimental to your lawn.

 

During the heat of the day, your grass is already likely to be under a lot of stress. By mowing it during this time, you increase that stress and accelerate water loss. Instead of mowing during the heat of the day, wait until early evening when the sun is low.

 

If you’re using a gas-powered mower, you also need to be aware of ozone warnings that are common during hot summer days. When these warnings are in effect, you’ll need to mow early or wait until after 5 pm.

 

Bottom Line: How Early Can You Mow Your Lawn?

 

If you want to mow your lawn in the morning, wait until after your grass has dried and your neighbors have had a chance to wake up. On weekdays, 8 am is usually a safe time to begin, but you should wait until at least 9 am on weekends.

 

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