Does your lawn urgently need a cut, but the weather isn't cooperating? It rains every now and then, so the lawn doesn't have time to dry and you're now starting to ask yourself, can you mow wet lawns? Don't worry, a long period of rain or dew is no reason to let your ornamental lawn grow longer. After all, the longer it is, the more difficult it is to shorten and the growth is further stimulated by the rain. So grab your lawnmower and get started! But keep the following things in mind:
Why long periods of rain don't rule out mowing the lawn
The ideal lawn height is 4 cm and there is still the 1/3 rule. This states that the lawn should not be shortened by more than a third per mowing. In order to maintain the said ideal height, the blades of grass must not be longer than 6 cm. As already mentioned, with more moisture these grow faster, so that every missed mowing causes the lawn to grow further up. Getting it back to 4 cm will take some time. For this reasonyou should mow the lawnDon't neglect it and also mow a wet lawn if there is no other option.
Let the lawn rest beforehand
You may not currently be walking on the ornamental lawn anyway, but it should be noted that you should certainly not do so if you want to mow a wet lawn. If the stalks are wet, they stick to each other. So if you stepped on it, the stalks wouldn't be able to stand up again quickly enough, but of course they should in order to be shortened.
Mowing the lawn wet or dry – what difference is there in terms of the collecting basket?
For one thing, when mowing wet lawns, you shouldn't let the basket get full every time before teaching it for the next load. Because it is heavier and that of course also makes the lawnmower heavier and gardening more effort-intensive. So dispose of the lawn clippings more often than usual and make sure that they are really firmly anchored. And if you now think you could just leave the basket out instead and mulch the lawn straight away by leaving the clippings there, as usual, let me tell you: under no circumstances do this.
In contrast to dry grass clippings, wet grass not only blocks light, which means it cannot reach the lawn. Moisture also builds up underneath it, which can quickly lead to rot if there are further rainy days (since the cut cannot dry). And that ruins your beautiful, well-kept lawn.
Clean the knives
Something you may not be used to with regular lawn mowing is that if the grass is wet, you will most likely have to clean the blades every now and then. This is again because the blades of grass stick tighter than when they are dry. If large amounts accumulate on the blades, they cannot do their job and the grass will not be cut evenly.
A notice:If you have never cleaned the blades before, keep in mind that to do this, a gasoline lawn mower must be turned right side up to prevent fuel from leaking out.
Mow the lawn at the same height as usual when the grass is wet?
When grass is dry, it stands straight up. But if it is wet, the weight of the water drops causes the stalks to bend more or less downwards depending on their length. Accordingly, it may well happen that the usual height adjustment doesn't quite work. So it would be a good idea to try a higher setting first instead of a lower one. This also makes it easier for the lawnmower and the blades are shaken a little dryer on the first pass.
Particular caution applies to electric lawnmowers
The cable itself is not sensitive to moisture, provided it is intact and not damaged anywhere. However, this type of lawn mower of course also has its weak points and these are the connections and the plug. And you should protect them from moisture to avoid short circuits. It goes without saying that you should not mow while it is raining. After you have finished mowing, it is important to clean and dry the mower well before storing it away again.
Bonus tip: When was the last time you mowed the lawn?
Such periods of rain are of course not uncommon, especially now in autumn. This also raises the question of when a final lawn cut would be appropriate in the fall. This of course depends on the weather, but in our latitudes this is the casethe autumn, this around the end of October. If autumn is milder at this time, you can prune again later, but not later than mid-November.
