A beautiful lawn makes your home look polished and complete. But lawn care routines aren’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Every lawn is unique, and every homeowner has their own lawn care routine that works best for their unique needs.

But how do you determine what lawn care routine is best for your lawn? For instance, how do you decide on a lawn mowing frequency? Your mowing frequency is determined by a number of factors, including temperature, how much water your lawn gets, and grass type.

Temperature and the Seasons

Grass mowing season should start after the snow melts and the spring grass comes to life. In a temperate climate like most of the United States, you will likely want to mow every 7-10 days. You shouldn’t start mowing until after you start having nights that stay above 50º Fahrenheit. Grass doesn’t really grow if the temperature is below that point. After spring starts, a grass mowing frequency of 6-7 days should keep your lawn at a healthy, manageable length.

However, when the weather starts to get warm, you have to mow like it’s summer– even if the calendar still says it’s spring! In the summer months, your frequency of lawn mowing will increase to about once every 4-6 days.

Precipitation, Irrigation, and the Weather

If your lawn is irrigated and kept watered with sprinklers, this regimented schedule means that the grass cutting frequency can stay about the same throughout the summer– 5-6 days if it’s hot and dry. However, during times of heavy rainfall, you will want to shorten the frequency of mowing. Lawns that get super saturated grow faster, so you’ll want to mow about every 4 days.

The opposite is true for periods of drought. Drought means that your lawn stops growing temporarily, so if you mow immediately after drought, your lawn will look brown. Instead, wait about 10-12 days after a drought to start mowing again. This gives your grass time to resume growing!

Grass Type

Each type of grass used in lawns has an optimal frequency of lawn mowing based on height. Grasses are either cool-season turf or warm-season turf, depending on their peak growth periods. Cool season turf, like fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass, have active growth during spring and fall. Warm-season turf like Bermuda grass and Zoysia, have their peak growth in summer.

Warm-season turf tends to be a little bit shorter than cool-season turf at its peak, so set your mower blades accordingly and mow at your grass’s peak height.

GrassGrass TypeHeight Range in Inches
Fine FescueCool-Season0.5-3
Kentucky BluegrassCool-Season0.75-3.5
Perennial RyegrassCool-Season0.75-2.5
Tall FescueCool-Season1.5-4
Bermuda GrassWarm-Season0.5-2.5
Buffalo GrassWarm-Season1.5-4
Kikuyu GrassWarm-Season1-1.5
St. Augustine GrassWarm-Season1-3
ZoysiaWarm-Season0.5-2

The Easiest Mowing Frequency Determination

Don’t want to worry about figuring out your optimal cutting grass frequency? For the best results, hire a professional lawn service! They’ll do all the hard work for you, giving you more time to enjoy your beautiful lawn. At Terra Lawn Care, we know exactly how to take care of your grass. Give us a call at 610-275-2170 for a free estimate today!