Mowing is the #1 lawn care task that homeowners tackle. Other things like fertilizing, watering, and aerating are also important, but mowing is the one you’ll do most often, and that takes the most time throughout the year.
To keep your Texas lawn healthy, it’s important to follow a mowing schedule that matches your region. Different parts of Texas have different weather conditions and can grow different types of lawn grasses, and all of that affects how often you need to mow. The time of year and weather can also affect the best time of day to mow the grass.
When To Start and Stop Mowing
Here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you’ll want to start mowing in March as the grass wakes up from winter dormancy. Hold off on mowing until the grass starts growing. Once it does, you won’t have to mow very often; just once every two weeks for the first month or so.
Mowing every other week as the grass starts to grow will help stimulate new spring growth without cutting the grass so often that it stresses the plants. You’ll probably switch to mowing once a week as the weather warms up, but that partly depends on the type of grass in your lawn.
Most Texas lawns go dormant over the winter, so you can gradually decrease how often you mow as the weather cools and then store the mower over winter. If you have grass that keeps growing in cold weather, though, you might have to mow a few times during the winter.
How Often To Mow Different Grasses
Most lawns in Texas have warm-season grass species. Some lawns, though, grow cool-season grasses like Texas bluegrass. Here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we’re in USDA hardiness zone 8. That puts us in a growing region where Texas bluegrass thrives, and so do warm-season grasses like Bermuda grass, zoysia, Bahia grass, and St. Augustine grass.
Knowing the type of grass in your yard helps you predict when you’ll need to mow. Bluegrass grows faster in cooler weather, so you’ll need to mow it more often in the spring and fall than in the summer. Warm-season grasses grow faster when the weather is hot, so you’ll mow them more often in the summer. Some varieties may even need you to mow them twice a week during the summer, especially if they’re getting plenty of water.
Always follow the 1/3 rule of mowing: when you cut, only take 1/3 of the total height of the grass blades. For example, if you want your grass to be about 2 inches tall, mow when it’s about 3 inches tall. This guideline for healthy lawn mowing can help you determine how often to mow.
Weather’s Effect on Mowing
For warm-season grasses, hot weather makes the grass grow faster. For cool-season grasses, hot weather makes them go dormant. A lawn with warm-season grass like zoysia will need more frequent mowing during hot weather than a cool-season lawn with Texas bluegrass. Conversely, bluegrass needs to be mowed more frequently in the spring and fall than Bermuda grass or zoysia.
Rainfall can also affect mowing. Lawns need about 1 inch of water per week to keep growing. If they’re getting that much water from rain or irrigation, then you’ll need to mow more frequently than you would during a drought. If the lawn is stressed by drought conditions, keep following the 1/3 rule for mowing to make sure you’re not over-mowing the lawn.
In addition to affecting how quickly the grass grows, rainfall might also change which day you mow. It’s not good for the lawn or your mower to mow while the grass is wet. If it rains on a day that you were planning to mow your lawn, you might need to wait until the next day. Mowing wet grass stresses the lawn, leaving it more vulnerable to disease. Wet grass is also going to clog up your mower deck.
Morning vs. Evening Mowing
Once you figure out how often to mow, next you need to decide what time of day to mow. Timing affects lawn health and water retention, especially under summer drought stress. It also influences your personal comfort. Most people don’t want to mow during the heat of the day in a Texas summer. So, is morning or evening mowing better?
Generally, morning is the best time to mow for grass health and comfort. You can start mowing as soon as the overnight dew dries off the grass. Early morning is also the best time to water a lawn. Even during the summer, though, you’ll only need to water once or twice a week. Try to time things so that you’re mowing on a different day than you water.
You’ll want to avoid mowing between 10 am and 4 pm if you can help it, since mowing during the heat of the day can stress the grass and overheat you. Early evening is the second-best time to mow, since the weather is starting to cool but it’s not so late that the grass won’t have time to recover before the night gets cool.
You’ll also need to check if your city has a noise ordinance that would apply to lawnmowers. If you live in an area with an HOA, also check to see if they have any rules about lawn care noise at certain hours of the day, especially on weekends. Some areas restrict loud noises between certain hours. If you really want to mow very early or very late in the day, an electric lawn mower is much quieter than gasoline-powered models.
Here at Richardson Saw, we carry a wide selection of walk-behind and riding mowers, including battery-powered mowers. By purchasing your homeowner mower from a lawn equipment dealer rather than a big-box store, you’ll get a higher-quality mower at competitive pricing. You’ll also get the advantage of expert knowledge and long-term support, and you’ll be supporting a local business. If you’re in the market for a new mower, come visit Richardson Saw & Lawnmower. We’d be happy to help you find a reliable mower that’ll match your lawn cutting needs.
