Keep mowing and don’t set the mower down – Turfgrass Science at Purdue University

Keep mowing and don’t set the mower down

Many people ask how long to continue mowing into the fall. The answer is to keep mowing as long as the grass continues to grow which is normally into late October or early November. Frequency of mowing can decrease but continue to mow into the fall. Also avoid the urge to set the mower down and scalp your lawn for the final mowing. In years past, publications have recommended mowing low late in the fall and again in the spring.  About the only advantage to this is that the leaves will blow into your neighbor’s yard.  Agronomically, this should be avoided because photosynthesis is very high during the fall even with cool temperatures.  The higher the photosynthesis, the more energy a grass plant will store for winter and next spring, and the healthier a grass plant.  Mowing off leaves reduces photosynthetic capacity of a plant, reducing energy storage, and decreasing turf performance next summer.  Be sure to continue mowing until the grass stops growing in the late fall.  Unmowed grass encourages snow mold which is a damaging turfgrass disease.


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