You can indeed try mowing grass when wet. First, the ground cannot be soggy. If it sinks as you walk, it is too wet. Second, it is never safe to use an electric mower with an extension cord when mowing wet grass, Third, your mower blades need to be very sharp.
If you meet all of those conditions and you’re really in a jam, you are free to mow that damp lawn.
No, it won’t be as easy. No, the results won’t be perfect. Yes, it’s better to wait until the lawn is dry again. But if you must, go ahead and mow that wet grass.
- Wet grass, especially if it is tall, can be a strain on some mowers, possibly causing them to overheat. However, it depends on the mower. Powerful commercial mowers with sharp blades and good cutting decks can handle wetter lawns without trouble. If you’re not sure if a lawn is too wet, try mowing a row. If your mower gets bogged down, save that lawn for later, if at all possible.
- Very wet grass tends to bend over, making it more likely that your mower will miss or merely knock over taller blades of grass. When the grass dries and stands back up, the blades that “ducked” will stand out, making an uneven cut. Before mowing a lawn after a rain, inspect the grass closely to see if any blades are bent over. Once they are upright it’s probably safe to mow.
- Wet grass tends to cut less cleanly, resulting in larger clippings. These wet clippings like to clump together and block up the mower’s deck. This is much less of a problem with air-tapered decks, but you should still exercise caution and check your mower deck frequently when mowing a lawn after a rain.
- As wet grass doesn’t mulch well, it can fall out of the deck in large, heavy clumps. Rather than evenly spreading back into the lawn as mulch, these clumps can squash and eventually kill patches of lawn.
- Mowing wet lawns increases the risk of rut damage, since the soil is softer and more slippery for mowers, and the grass roots can more easily be torn out by the mower tires. That said, lighter weight mowers with their large wheels enable you to mow over wetter ground with less risk of rut damage. Check the soil: If the it looks muddy or feels soft, it’s usually better to wait.
