"snafu" wrote in message
...
Fall has arrived which means the lawn mowing season is (finally) coming to
an end. The question I have is what is better for a lawn - to mow one last
time and leave the grass short through the winter or not to mow and leave
longer blades for the grass to get started with next spring??

TIA for any advice.

You want to continue mowing through winter (as weather permits) anytime the
lawn grows more than a third higher than your normal mowing height. Letting
the lawn grow long during the fall and winter months will allow the grass
blades to bend over on themselves, which can promote fungal problems and
patches of dieout. In colder climates, cool season grasses put on a burst of
new growth in the fall - specially if you do fall fertilizing - and will
continue to grow, albeit slowly, throughout the winter months and the last
mowing is generally targeted towards the end of October/beginning of
November. In my climate, it is not unusual to need to mow the lawn once or
twice in December and January, so don't put away that mower yet!

pam - gardengal