To mow or not to mow
 

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.

"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

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

If I mowed any later then very early November here in northern CT they'd be
taking me away to the funny farm lol... We'll start back up mi April or so.
Then again I mow only as needed anyways, I'm not the strict once a week mower
type person... The front gets mowd usually 3 times to the back once or maybe
two times :o) I keep mine longer mostly to encourage the birds to come in for
natural insect control :o)
Colleen
Zone 5 CT

Pam - gardengal wrote:
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!


One more thing to consider, winter and early spring are often very
rainy. Mowing in the rain isn't a good idea for many reasons, but if it
doesn't stop raining anytime you're able to mow for any period of time,
the lawn is going to get away from you. You may not be able to mow it
back to ideal height without cutting off more than 1/3 the blade, and
you may not be able to space two mowings to bring it back, either. This
would even be more of a problem if you left the lawn close to it's
maximum desirable height to begin with.

During the summer, longer grass helps shade the roots, lowering watering
needs, and lessening the ability of annual weed seeds to germinate.
Those aren't objectives in the winter. But as Pam noted, fungal problems
are. Of course this doesn't mean you should scalp the lawn for the
winter, but you'll want to keep it trimmer. And anytime the weather
allows, mow.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: What does a new kitchen need?
http://www.holzemville.com/community...hen/index.html

In article ,
"snafu" wrote:

- 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.

I was told by an "expert" (landscaper) to mow short so that the
grass can go dormant in the winter. (Apparently this makes for a
healthier lawn.) If the grass is too high I guess it doesn't go
dormant.
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
***Revelation 22:12*** ICQ: 349878998

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 06:49:44 -0400, "snafu"
wrote:

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.



Keep your lawn mowed. Remove the leaves and add them to the compost
pile. Test your soil and add lime if needed. Aerate if your soil is
compacted. Overseed. Use a slow release fertilizer. Fall is the
busiest season for lawn care, and you will see results next spring for
the work done now.

Suzie-Q wrote:
I was told by an "expert" (landscaper) to mow short so that the
grass can go dormant in the winter. (Apparently this makes for a
healthier lawn.) If the grass is too high I guess it doesn't go
dormant.

Cool season grasses may go dormant in the summer if not watered. They
continue to grow in cold weather, generally with slower growth as it
gets colder. Don't mistake slow growth for dormancy.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: What does a new kitchen need?
http://www.holzemville.com/community...hen/index.html

wrote:

Fall has arrived which means the lawn mowing season is coming to
an end. 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??

Recommended mowing heights for the four species of turfgrasses are 2.5-3
inches for Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue, and
2.5-4 inches for tall fescue. In areas with prolonged periods of snow
cover where snow mold is a problem, the last mowing of the season should
be 20-30% lower than normal to discourage fungal diseases in winter.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

OK, the consensus seems to be keep mowing until the grass growth slows to a
stop. Even mow shorter than usual the last time. Thanks to all for the
advice, but around here I'll probably mow one day and be running the snow
blower the next ;-)


"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.

Hurry up and mow already.

Do it before another hurricane comes or worse yet you suffer the wrath of
your spouse!!!


"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.