When Should You Stop Mowing Your WA Lawn in the Fall?

The Wenatchee Irrigation Canal will shut down this Friday, October 10th. As the fall leaves turn yellow and orange, the way you take care of your yard also needs to adjust.

When Should You Stop Mowing Your Lawn In Washington?

Mow weekly during the growing season: During the growing season in Washington, which typically runs from April to November, mowing your lawn weekly is essential to keep it healthy and looking its best.

Waiting to mow every two weeks means that the grass will become too long, and you may end up cutting too much off at once, weakening its structure in the process.

mowing in the fall via Canva

Gradually reduce mowing frequency in the fall: Between October and November, experts in lawn care suggest you gradually reduce how often you mow.

This is because the grass growth slows down as the temperature drops, and you don't want to cut it too short before it goes dormant for the winter.

LAWN TIP: Never cut your grass down by more than a third of its height at one time.

Stop mowing when the temperature consistently stays below 50-60 degrees.

Once the air temperature consistently stays below 60 degrees around warm-season grasses and 50 degrees around cool-season grasses, it's a good time to stop mowing for the year.

Proper lawn care in October and November is crucial for winter hibernation

Don't stop mowing too early: If you stop mowing your lawn while it's still growing in autumn - then you risk exposing your yard to the worst winter lawn problems:

Mold

Lawn fungus growth

Infestation of insects, rodents, and other pests

Reduced flow of air and nutrients

Keep in mind that you also should refrain from mowing your grass super-short all at once. Learn from my mistake - keep the wheel/blade height from getting too low. Why? The grass in your yard makes most of its food in the uppermost part, which gets cut by the blade.

How To Get Your Lawn Ready For Fall

You keep up with it all summer long; the watering, the seeding, fertilizing, mowing, raking - it seems like a never ending chore that's thankless at its core. Maybe that's why at the first sign of colored leaves on the trees and falling temperatures, many quickly give up the task of lawn care.

And who could blame those who abandon lawn care right after Labor Day and the start of school; cutting the grass isn't really fun to begin with and those extra steps needed to ensure a green and lush lawn (fertilizer, thatching) are just more work than many care to put in.

But totally ignoring your lawn during the fall isn't the best choice of action - especially if you want a nice looking one come spring.

Thankfully, fall lawn care isn't all that much different from what you've been doing all summer long. Here are some good tips to get your lawn ready for to hibernate during winter and press back into shape once springtime rolls around.

Gallery Credit: Steve Tanko

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