How Long Should I Wait To Mow the Grass After It Rains?

At some point you’ve probably heard someone say that you should “never mow when it’s wet – it’s bad for your lawn”. And in theory, it’s an easy rule to follow, but in practice, it can be difficult to implement. Limited time, frequent rainfall in your area…there are lots of reasons why you might not be able to wait around for optimal mowing conditions.

Hearing about this sacred lawn care rule typically leads homeowners to one question; “How long should I wait to mow the grass after it rains?”

The short answer is…it depends. Now I know that’s not what you probably wanted to hear, but it’s the truth, and we’re going to discuss some of the factors that affect how long it takes grass to dry further down the page. But first, we’re going to provide you with a few general rules of thumb that you can use to help you know how long to wait to mow after rainfall.

Wet Grass After Rain? A Few General Rules of Thumb to Follow

Now this advice is not going to be right 100% of the time because there are so many variables, but following these tips should have you covered most of the time.

• Wait a Few Hours – If you’ve only had light rain, you’ll probably only need to wait a few hours (4 or 5 should be enough) for the grass to be dry enough for you to mow safely. Particularly if it’s summer and there’s strong sunshine that will evaporate the moisture quickly.
• Are Pavements, Patios and Paths Dry? – If they are, then it’s usually safe to pull out your mower and get to work. Obviously it’s necessary to use common sense here, and if you’ve had two days of solid rain, this might not be the most reliable rule to follow.

Other Indicators that It’s Safe (or not) to Mow the Grass After Rain

You can also go out to your lawn and look for the following signs to help you determine if it’s safe for you to mow yet.

• Do Your Shoes Get Wet? – A very simple test you can do is to walk across your lawn. Ideally, your shoes should remain fairly dry – if they do then it’s probably fine to go ahead and mow. However, if they get soaked, you’ll need to wait a bit longer for your grass to dry out.
• Is the Ground Soft and Squelchy? – Another thing to look at is the ground below your grass. If you see any evidence of water pooled on the surface then it’s definitely too wet to mow still. Mowing in such conditions will almost certainly lead to ruts and other problems. Even if it feels soft and squelchy underfoot, you’d be wise to let it dry out some more otherwise you’ll likely find yourself needing to search “how to fix tire ruts in your lawn“.

How Long Does It Take for Grass to Dry After Rain?

There are a lot of different factors that go into determining how long it takes for grass to dry after rain. Some are more obvious than others. A few of the main ones include:

• How Much Did it Rain? – Are we talking about a light shower or a storm that lasted for several days? After a light shower, the grass should be dry in just a few hours, but after a period of heavy rain, you may need to leave your lawn to dry out for several days.
• Time of Year – In most parts of the world, the summer season sees a lot more sunshine and warmer temperatures than the rest of the year, and it goes without saying that the sun is your friend when it comes to drying your lawn. So the amount of time you’ll have to wait to mow the grass after it rains will be shorter in summer than in winter.
• Your Local Climate – Some parts of the country are much cooler year-round than others. If that’s the case, lawns will take longer to dry out after rain.

What Problems Can Mowing Wet Grass Cause?

If you know you’re not supposed to mow wet grass, but don’t know why, here are a few of the more common lawn problems that it can cause:

• Clippings Clumping Together – When the grass is wet, clippings will tend to clump together, which can lead to a number of possible issues for your lawn including fungus build up and thatch, neither of which are good for your lawn’s health and appearance. There are a number of things you can do to reduce grass clumping when mowing, and avoiding cutting wet grass is one of the main ones.
• Harder to Get a Clean Cut – When it rains your grass is coated in moisture. While a drop of rain may not seem heavy to you and me, to a blade of grass it’s a significant weight to carry. In fact, it causes some of the grass on your lawn to fold over. Why is this a problem? Well, when grass is dry, it’s all stood up straight and when your lawn mower blade passes over it you get a nice even cut. But when wet, some of your grass will be stood up and some will be folded over. So when the blade passes over, it won’t actually be cutting all of it, and that’ll become very apparent when your lawn is dry.
• Puts More Strain on Your Mower – Some mowers, like electric mowers, just shouldn’t be used full-stop in wet conditions for obvious reasons. For the rest, wet conditions can prove to be quite challenging. Will wet grass ruin your lawn mower? Not necessarily. But, moist grass clippings tend to attach to and coat the underside of the carriage, which puts more strain on the motor or engine. Even more so if the grass is also quite long, and these conditions have been known to cause lower-end models to conk out. As far as I know, mowing wet grass does not dull mower blades (strange lawn care myth), but it can cause issues with rusting.
• Tire Marks All Over Your Lawn – If you find that your lawn mower is leaving wheel marks all over your lawn, it’s too wet. And let me tell you, if you don’t stop quickly you’re going to cause a lot of extra work for yourself. A lawn full of tire tracks is not pretty to look at, nor quick to fix. Don’t do it!