Wet grass can lead to clumping and an uneven cut, leaving your lawn looking disorganized. Additionally, it may cause plant fungal diseases and damage your mower.
Before cutting wet grass, whether its early morning dew or after an overnight rainstorm, here are a few key things to keep in mind: 1. A sharp blade is key.
Mowing wet grass should not be taken lightly; it can be slippery and cause the spread of fungi. But if working to a schedule requires it, cutting lawn in these conditions may become essential.
As always, we are here to make the process easier on both yourself and your lawn. First of all, select a lightweight mower - extra weight can compact soil, leaving tramlines on your lawn that require constant mowing - cordless mowers are a good choice here as well.
Take your time mowing round corners instead of square ones to reduce grassy air that gets stuck to clothing and shoes (and your electric model if using one). Damp clippings may stick to the underside of your mower deck and develop mold over time, so be sure to scrape down the deck regularly to remove moldy clippings that have settled there. Wet grass tends to stain more easily than its dry counterpart; however, warm season grasses like Sir Walter Buffalo and Kikuyu can quickly recover from any damages caused by wet conditions mowing.
Soggy grass tends to clump more frequently, adhering to the underside of your mower and potentially clogging it. Not only can this make cutting difficult but it may lead to uneven results in your lawn.
As long as wet grass clippings remain on the lawn and don't receive enough airflow for drying out, they may become breeding grounds for fungal diseases like Brown Patch Disease if left on their own. Many lawn care professionals prefer not mowing wet grass if possible for this reason.
However, sometimes it's unavoidable; for instance if your work involves regularly maintaining large landscapes or you reside in an area prone to frequent rain. If this situation arises and you must cut wet grass, here are a few tips to make it more efficient: first ensure your blades are sharp as wet grass is much harder to cut than dry grass!
Wet grass clumps together more easily, making it more difficult for your mower to evenly disperse clippings across your lawn and creating an undesirable finish. As such, more often than not you'll need to stop your mower frequently and clean out its discharge chute before continuing its journey.
Wet clumps of grass often adhere to hard landscaping features like pathways and driveways, leaving unsightly grass stains behind. Clogs in your mower's discharge chute also cause frustration and waste time.
Wet grass blades can easily bend over, missing taller grass blades and creating an uneven cut that damages it as it dries. Furthermore, their weight can compress the soil, restricting water absorption and air circulation to roots as well as restricting growth potential resulting in brown patches or other turf diseases if conditions don't allow for mowing at that moment. Therefore it may be wiser to wait until conditions improve before beginning your next mow session.
Fungi flourish in damp environments, making it no surprise that diseases like brown patches and powdery mildew thrive when freshly cut lawns are cut immediately following rainstorms. If this cannot be avoided, delaying mowing until after the ground has dried can minimize potential damage to your yard.
Liesing damp clumps of grass clippings on your lawn reduces airflow and sunlight, encouraging fungal growth. Clumps of damp matted clippings attached to the mower deck may become damp over time, creating the ideal conditions for mildew growth that spreads to other parts of your yard as you mow.
Mowing wet grass often results in tears that make recovery harder for grass, thus encouraging lawn diseases. Furthermore, the wet clippings that result are especially sticky and need extra cleanup - including scraping off the underside of mower deck and wiping down its body so as to avoid mold or mildew growth.
