'I'm a gardener and this is when you should not mow your lawn, no matter how much you want to'

Freshly mown lawn / woman cutting grass

Britons often start mowing their lawns in spring

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Sarra Gray

By Sarra Gray


Published: 19/05/2024

- 08:00

With rain expected in parts of the UK this weekend, experts share how mowing your lawn should change depending on the weather

Britons tend to start mowing their lawns in the spring and carry this task through to the autumn months.

However, experts shared what you should do when trying to care for your grass during wet or cloudy conditions.


Experts at Gazeboshop shared spring gardening tips for Britons to follow depending on the weather. They advised against mowing the grass when it is wet.

They said: "No matter how desperately you might want to cut your grass, make sure you’re not mowing your lawn when showers hit - or immediately after.

Man mowing lawn

Britons were advised about mowing the lawn when it is wet

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"Mowing the lawn when it’s wet can result in an uneven cut because some of the grass will be weighed down by moisture, meaning these blades of grass will get missed by the lawn mower.

"You might also find that your mower will struggle to cut wet grass, especially if it’s long in length after months of not being cut. Be aware that this can create hazard risks such as causing your mower to overheat and that will be a costly mistake.

"Ideally, wait until your grass is at least 95 per cent dry before mowing. As a rough guide, this is typically between two and five hours after a light shower, but this drying period will be longer if there’s been a downpour like we’ve been experiencing recently.

"You can test whether your grass is dry enough to mow but walking down the lawn in flip flops - if your feet are damp by the end then hold off. When you go to mow your lawn, the grass blades should snap easily when bent."

If the weather is sunny, it can be tempting to cut the grass first thing in the morning. However, this is not always the best thing to do.

“It’s actually best to avoid mowing your lawn this early in the morning," garden gazebo expert Samantha Richards explained.

"[Do this] not only to avoid any fallouts with your neighbours after you wake them up - but doing so can cause damage to the grass by exposing it to disease and fungal infections.

“When it comes to the best time of the day to mow your lawn, the sweet spot is generally mid-morning from around 8am to 10am.

A cut grass and a wheelbarrow filled with cuttings

Now is the time to mow the lawn regularly

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“Also do not mow at all if temperatures consistently drop below 10ºC. When temperatures drop below this for a long period of time, your grass will enter its dormant stage and stop growing.”

This comes as Monty Don shares an "important" gardening task to do this month for "fast growth" and "long-lasting" flowers.

He said mid-May is a great time to plant annuals such as sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos and tobacco plants.

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