Mow Grass Short Before Winter

As we begin to wrap up the maintenance season, you may have noticed that your grass is shorter than usual. As a best practice, we drop our mowing height to approximately 2.5 inches leading into winter. This final mowing can be the most important cut of the year for your lawn, simply because the way you go about it will determine your lawn’s resilience and ability to resist diseases throughout the winter months ahead.

Here are three important reasons to mow low before winter:

To prevent flopping/bending. If grass blades are left too long, they can flop over and provide too much shade to surrounding grass plants. This leads to a lack of photosynthesis and less “food” made for your lawn. This affects how well your grass comes out of dormancy next spring.

To prevent matting. When grass becomes top-heavy, it clumps together and provides a breeding ground for winter fungal diseases like snow mold.

To prevent damage. Short turf stands up like a wire brush, making it stiffer and better able to resist snow and ice damage.