When to Stop Mowing Your Lawn in Fall, According to Gardening Pros

Important Points
Keep mowing until the grass stops growing, which usually happens when the temperature drops below 50°F.
Keep the height of your lawn mower between 2.5 and 3 inches. Cutting it too short will stress it out.
Stop mowing when the grass goes dormant in the winter; it will start growing again on its own in the spring.

It’s fall now, which means that taking care of your lawn and garden will be very different from how you did it in the spring and summer. As the weather gets colder, you might want to stop doing some gardening tasks and start doing others, like mowing your lawn.

Fortunately, gardening experts are here to tell you when you should stop mowing your lawn for good. Read on for more information.

Why You Should Mow Your Lawn

You shouldn’t mow your lawn just to make it look better or to be the best-looking lawn on the block. Mowing your lawn often and correctly will help keep the grass at the right height so that it can take in nutrients and grow deep roots. It also keeps your yard free of diseases and insect damage.

Also, mowing your lawn is a great way to keep weeds from taking over your yard in the spring and summer.

But do you have to keep mowing your lawn when the weather gets colder? And when exactly will that happen?

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Why You Shouldn’t Mow Your Lawn

Most experts agree that your lawn should be kept at a height of 2 ½ to 3 inches all year long.

But many lawn experts agree that mowing your lawn isn’t necessary because grass and other plants grow much more slowly when the leaves start to fall and the temperature drops from 70°F to around 50°F.

The Best Timeline

So now let’s get to the bigger question: when should you stop taking care of your grass and when is the best time to mow your lawn? Experts say that you should keep mowing your grass until you notice that it isn’t growing as quickly. There is no “perfect” timeline.

This will probably happen in late October or early November, when the temperature drops below 50°F. But it all depends on where you live. You can keep mowing your lawn until early December in some places.

In the past, people have said that mowing your lawn before the temperature drops can help keep snow molds and voles from damaging your lawn in the spring. But cutting your grass too short will stress it out more than diseases or animals will.

Experts at the University of Minnesota say that if you usually mow your lawn to a height of 2.5 to 3 inches, you should keep it at that height. But if you want your lawn to be 3 inches or taller, they suggest cutting it down to 3 inches before winter (this could be late October or early December, depending on where you live).

When it gets too cold, your lawn will go dormant, but don’t worry—your lawn and nature know what they’re doing. In the spring, when the air and soil get warmer, it will wake up.