So you want to maintain the lawn and mow it, but you don’t know which time is the best and how late can you mow the lawn. The timing of mowing is very crucial as it can make or break the lawn very easily.
There are two types of timing you need to consider. First is the timing of the day and the other is late in the year. So how late can you mow in a day and the year?
The last time of the day up to when you can mow the lawn without harming your lawn is around 6’oclock or until sunset as after this the dew comes makes the grass wet and it makes the mowing difficult and can harm and also your neighbour won’t be able to complain about it. In the year the last you can mow is in early November before the last frost so that the lawn is prepared and ready for dormancy.
So this is the last you can mow the lawn, but what is the best time you can mow and what are the different times of mowing to your lawn, and can mow your lawn late at night legally. Let’s talk about this in detail.
Is it illegal to mow your lawn at night?
No, it is not illegal to mow your lawn at night or 10 pm, but it is not on the code of conduct with your neighbor and not recommended. There are no federal laws to stop you but there are several noise ordinances that put barriers to making noise in the neighborhood after a certain time of the night. There are other issues as well which can involve the police department and can be fined up to 1000$, so it is better to mow your lawn in the day or early in the evening. This will also be on good terms with your neighbors.
How to mow your lawn at night
There are some ways you can mow the lawn at night without making any noise or disturbing your neighbors. Either you can use a manual mower which doesn’t make any noise or just little noise which won’t disturb the neighbors.
If you don’t want to do the hard work of pushing the manual mower but have to mow the lawn at night then the other option is to use an electric mower which is silent and does the work for you.
These two are the only options to mow the lawn at night. The cleaning of the lawn can wait or you can do it during the day as cleaning can make noise and cause issues.
Different times of day for mowing and its effect on the lawn
From 6 am to 8 am
To mow the lawn in the early morning when the sun is not fully out and the grass is also wet due to dew is very difficult and harmful for the lawn. As mowing wet grass makes it very difficult to cut evenly and also the clippings of the grass will also stick to the mower and make the mower work harder. Also, the dew or moisture in the grass can cause diseases and fungus to the exposed areas of the grass and can ruin the whole lawn.
From 8 am to 10 am
The morning time of 8 am to 10 am is the best time to mow the lawn as the sun is out and all the moisture is dried out from it. The grass is lush and dry and will cut through easily and diseases and fungus will also not be an issue. After mowing the cleaning of the lawn will also be easy as clipping will not stick to anything and picking it up will be easy. After the mowing, the grass will have plenty of sunlight and time to recover before the night comes and the lawn will be healthy and thick due to that.
From 10 am to 2 pm
This range of time is toughest for your lawn as well as for you as the heat is highest of the day so if you are going to mow the lawn at this time, it will very tiresome as well as it will make the exposed part of the grass to dry out very quickly and can damage the lawn.
From 2 pm to 4 pm
This time is also very hard to mow the lawn because of the sun but it is usually better than mowing your lawn early in the morning or in the evening when the grass is moist because of dew.
From 4 pm to 6 pm
This is the second-best time to mow the lawn in a day as the sun is not that hard on the lawn and you as well. And the temperature is moderate enough to help the grass to recover afterward. Just the downside is that the lawn won’t have enough time to recover before the sunsets and the dew comes.
From 6 pm to 8 pm
This is what I would suggest mowing the lawn as after this if you mow the lawn, there are several problems. And first of these problems is your neighbors who won’t be happy from the sound of the neighbors and the second problem would be the threat of diseases to the lawn as the cooler temperature and new cut leaves with exposed tips can give way for diseases like red thread and fungus.
After 8 pm
After 8 o’clock, if you are going to mow the lawn, although it isn’t illegal and you can do it, it is not a best practice and also can make your neighbors unhappy from the loud sound of the mower or noise of a blower, etc. Some areas also have sound restrictions after 10 o’clock and you can face a fine for making the noise. So although it’s not illegal to mow your lawn at night, it is not recommended and also not healthy for your lawn too.
How late can you mow in a year?
The last in the year you can mow is in early November before the last frost as you want to prepare the lawn for dormancy. After this you don’t need to mow the lawn as the lawn won’t grow as much after this and there is a threat that you will stress it and the lawn will have difficulties coming out from dormancy in the spring. After early November, you won’t mow the lawn until the spring comes up and the lawn is again growing rapidly.
How late can you mow in a day?
You can mow as late as 8 to 10 pm if you want and if your neighbors are happy about it. But this is not the best time to mow your lawn if you want to keep the lawn healthy and thick as grass becomes wet due to dew in the evening and it is very difficult to mow wet grass.
Conclusion
So in general, you should mow your lawn after 8 am on weekdays and after 9 am on weekends to keep your lawn healthy and if you are late then you should wrap up your mowing before 8 pm on the weekdays and before 7 pm on weekends. This is as late as you should mow your lawn but try to mow the lawn early in the evening as dew or moisture can ruin the grass and can cause fungus and diseases. Another thing you should do to mow late at night or to know where to mow the lawn is to communicate with the neighbors at what time they are comfortable and at what time they don’t want you to mow. This will help you find out the best time and the worst time to mow your lawn.
