How Early Can I Mow My Lawn? | How Early is too Early?
There are just some chores, a few that you just can’t get yourself to do. And I don’t know about you, but often mowing the lawn is the one for me.
It is that chore that you try passing off to your partner, siblings, children, the kid across the street, or literally anyone else. And one of the several perfectly valid excuses to put away the task of mowing the lawn is the right time for it.
If the grass is half a millimeter too short to be mowed, put it back into the garage and get back home. However, all jokes aside, there does exist a time which is in fact the perfect time to get your lawn mowed and we’ll be looking into that in this article.
What is the Earliest Time You Can Mow Your Lawn?
The rule of thumb is to avoid early mornings. This can be further supported by the fact that one of the frequently asked lawn mowing questions asks what should be done to an annoying neighbor who mows the lawn too early.
This also means you can’t mow it so late at night that it reverts back to early. The best-case scenario is to mow the lawn at such a time when your neighbors would be away or you could inform them beforehand of the lawn-mowing you have scheduled for in the near future. Makes the most sense if you have a large lawn and mowing it takes you quite a bit of time. For larger lawns mowed using riding lawn mowers, it’s almost guaranteed for the neighbors to take offence if you just start at an odd hour without intimation.
Fun fact, you can be sued for mowing your lawn too early. That’s right. No matter what you say about the lawn is your property, it is not done if you fire up your lawnmower at five in the morning on a Saturday just because you want to get it out of the way for the weekend.
There’s no gain in tipping off your neighbors, you need to live with them for a long time. And depending on where you live, lawn care professionals are not allowed to start working until 7 or 8 in the morning during the week. The timings provided fall under communal ordinances in place that dictates when work may start to avoid creating a ruckus too early in the morning.
What Time Can You Legally Mow Your Lawn?
It is always, I repeat always better to be safe than sorry. Every region has a stipulated period of time in which homeowners or lawn care professionals can do the deed quietly without disturbing anyone. I am talking about the time to mow the lawn, guys.
Depending on the place you live, you could go to the city or town hall and enquire in person. Or the good old-fashioned way of looking it up online on the city’s website. The city usually posts its ordinances online.
What Time is Optimal to Cut Grass? | Weekdays and Weekends
Week Days (Monday to Friday)
The weekdays give you a free pass to start quite a bit early as you’ve got people milling about early, rushing to get to work or school. Legally, the landscapers can start as early as 7 to 8 am, again, depending on the state, and any communal rules that you have to adhere to. It is recommended that the process be started after nine, just to be safe.
Weekends (Saturday and Sunday)
The weekends are to be lounged about. It is sacrilegious to lose sleep just to mow your lawn and even more so if you wind up waking up other innocent people. That is just not done. Imagine a Saturday’s slumber rudely interrupted by your neighbor picking that ungodly hour to mow his lawn. Doesn’t sound appealing, right? Same goes. In most areas, it’s not allowed to mow lawns before 9 am.
What’s the Best Time of the Day to Mow Your Lawn?
| Time | Suitability |
|---|---|
| Early Morning | Worse; dew makes it harder on your mower and neighbors get irritated |
| Mid-Morning | Best; pleasantly warm weather and grass is well-dried |
| Midday | Not Ideal; sun is at it’s peak |
| Mid-Afternoon | Still not suitable; heat might still be a factor |
| Late Afternoon | Appropriate; the heat starts to go down while there’s still enough sunlight |
| Evening | Not recommended; you only want to be using mowers with sharp blades when there’s light |
Early Morning
As an added point as to why you should not be playing around with your lawnmower at six to eight in the morning, is that the presence of morning dew, makes it one of the worst times to give those grass blades a trim.
The damp grass makes it difficult to mow your lawn and causes unwarranted pressure on your mower. And results in uneven terrain. Besides, torn, wet grass also welcomes diseases and fungus’s to infect your grass. So, nope. Besides, no matter you’re using a push mower or a riding mower to trim your lawn, you’re guaranteed to be the reason why your neighbors wake up grumpy!
Mid-Morning
Mid-morning is considered by far, the best time of the day to mow the lawn. This provides sufficient opportunity for the grass to dry off. And the weather is pleasantly warm. And your neighbors are probably not home. This also helps reduce lawn stress, as well as prevent many diseases from spreading across the lawn.
Midday
The period between 10 am and 2 pm is considered to be bad as the sun is at its peak, making the grass highly vulnerable. Therefore. mowing during excessive heat can accelerate moisture loss and weaken the grass.
Mid-Afternoon
Though this might seem like an ideal time to mow the grass, it is suggested to wait a while as the strain on the grass might still be present.
Late Afternoon
Late afternoon is another appropriate time range to get the lawnmowing done once and for all. At least for a brief period of time. The gap between 4 and 6 pm has the temperatures dropping. Mowing is a cause of stress to the lawn, and doing it in the evening will leave enough time for the grass to recover before the night falls.
Evening
Evenings are a no-go for snipping off the grass. This is due to the fact that cutting the grass late in the day makes it prone to turf diseases and damages caused by fungi. Also, the timing does not sit well with the others.
Conclusion
Mowing your lawn is essential to lawn maintenance, but it’s important to understand the right time to do it. Mowing too early can damage your lawn and hinder its growth. It’s crucial to wait until the grass reaches the appropriate height before mowing it. Additionally, proper mowing techniques can help maintain a healthy and beautiful lawn.
Following these above mentioned tips ensures that your lawn stays healthy and well-maintained throughout the growing season. Remember, a well-maintained lawn not only enhances the beauty of your home but also promotes a healthy environment for you and your family.
