Learning Center / Timing and seasons
Should you mow your lawn shorter before winter?
Yes, a little. We drop the mower to about 3 to 3 1/2 inches for the last mows of the season. A long lawn going into winter traps leaves and debris, and that is what causes trouble. We never scalp it.
- By David Obeid, founder
- Reviewed
- 4 min read
The short answer
Why mow a little shorter at the end of the season?
Because a long lawn traps leaves and other debris going into winter. Leaves work down into tall grass instead of sitting on top where they can be blown and raked off, and whatever stays trapped holds moisture against the grass all winter.
Long grass also flops over and mats down under wet leaves and winter weather, which is a good place for disease to start. A slightly shorter lawn stays upright, dries out faster and makes every leaf cleanup more effective.
How much
How short is too short?
About 3 to 3 1/2 inches is the right range for the last mows. During the season we keep tall fescue at 3.5 to 4 inches or taller, so this is a lower setting, not a short cut. And we never take off more than a third of the blade at once.
Scalping is the mistake to avoid. Fescue still grows in the fall and stores energy for winter in its leaves, and a hard cut exposes the soil and the crowns of the plants. Lower, not short.
When
When should you stop mowing for the year?
Keep mowing until the grass stops growing. In Northern Virginia, tall fescue keeps growing well into the fall, which is why our mowing season runs from late March to mid-November.
After that, the job shifts to keeping the leaves off it. Here is why leaf cleanup matters so much over winter.
Before winter
What else should you do before winter?
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Keep the leaves off
Clear them through December so they never mat down on the grass.
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Finish the fall feeding
October and November are prime feeding windows for fescue, and that feeding shows up as a thicker lawn next spring.
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Lime in winter
Winter lime helps balance the soil so the lawn can use what it is fed in spring.
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Plan next fall's seeding now
If the lawn came out of summer thin, early fall aeration and overseeding is when it gets rebuilt.
Related questions
What people also ask
What height should tall fescue be mowed during the season?
About 3.5 to 4 inches, and even taller through summer heat. A taller canopy shades the soil, keeps the plant cool, drives deeper roots and helps crowd out crabgrass.
When does your mowing season end?
We mow from late March to mid-November. After that, we transition to fall leaf cleanup, which is a separate service you sign up for.
Can I just leave the grass long over winter?
We would not recommend it. Long grass traps leaves and debris, then flops over and mats down under wet leaves and winter weather, which holds moisture against the plants and invites disease. Mowing the last few cuts at about 3 to 3 1/2 inches, without scalping, is the better approach.
Keep reading
More from the Learning Center
- What should you do for your lawn each season in Northern Virginia? A season-by-season lawn calendar for tall fescue: what happens in winter, spring, summer and fall, and which season matters most. Timing and seasons · 6 min read
- Why shouldn't you leave leaves on your lawn all winter? What a wet mat of leaves does to a fescue lawn, why beds and walkways need clearing too, and why one cleanup in November is not enough here. Timing and seasons · 5 min read
- What happens to your lawn in the winter? Why fescue slows down and dulls in winter, what frost, snow, salt and leaves do to it, and the few things worth doing before spring. Timing and seasons · 5 min read
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