As much as we try to avoid it, sometimes there’s no way around mowing wet grass. Even though it’s never a good idea to mow wet grass because it can lead to a whole bunch of problems, there are times when you can’t avoid it. Unfortunately, mowing wet grass can really slow down work, as typically, you’re dealing with a lawn mower that clogs every few minutes.
So, how can you stop your lawn mower from clogging with wet grass? Let’s take a look at a few techniques I use.
Can You Avoid Clogging When Mowing Wet Grass? (The Short Answer)
Mowing wet grass is more challenging than mowing dry grass, but you can use a few tricks to make the whole experience easier. Here are eight tips to make clogging less of a problem when mowing wet grass.
- Have a Clean Deck
- Try Using a PTFE Spray Under the Deck
- Raise the Deck
- Mow Half Passes
- Mow Slowly
- Use Your Deck Discharge Chute
- Discharge Clippings on Mowed Grass
- Make Sure the Blades are Sharp
How to Mow Wet Grass without Clogging (What Experience Has Taught Me)
Over the years, I have used many different designs of lawn mowers, from reel mowers all the way up to big tractors and zero-turns. But, no matter which type of lawn mower I have used, I always experienced issues when mowing wet grass. Fortunately, mowing became much easier once I figured out how to mow wet grass without clogging up my mower.
Here is what I learned over the years. Hopefully, these tips will make wet grass clogging up your mower a thing of the past.
Have a Clean Deck
Before you head out to mow, you want to make sure that your cutting deck is clean. Starting off with a clean deck will put you on the right foot and eliminate any disadvantages from the onset. Usually, I give my lawn mower a good cleaning after every use or at least every couple of uses if I have been mowing dry grass. So, check that there are no old clippings or dirt stuck to your cutting deck before you head out to mow.
Try Using a PTFE Spray Under the Deck
Before you head out to mow, try giving the underside of your cutting deck and the discharge chute a good spray with a PTFE spray or something similar. This non-stick spray will help keep the clipping and dirt from sticking to your deck’s metal or plastic surfaces. I find these sprays can keep your deck and chute clear and free of debris for quite a long time.
Also, because the clippings are not sticking as much, you don’t have as much of an issue with big clumps of grass building up and then falling off. You’ll notice that the clippings are discharged more evenly, preventing the wet grass from clogging my mower.
Another benefit of PTFE sprays is that they protect the deck from water penetration and keep rust to a minimum. Whenever I finish washing my lawn mower, I always spray the deck.
Raise the Deck
Now it’s time to look at a few tricks for when you are actually out mowing. So, to keep good airflow in your lawn mower’s cutting deck, you want to limit how much grass is in the deck at one time.
One way to keep the volume of grass down to a manageable amount is to raise your cutting deck to a higher setting. You’ll basically be cutting off less grass with each pass. However, because you probably won’t be mowing the lawn to the height you want, you might need to mow your lawn more than once.
Now I know this sounds like a lot of extra work, but in the past, I have found that double cutting is quicker than struggling with a clogged deck.
Mow Half Passes
A second way to limit the amount of grass you have in your lawn mower cutting deck at one time is to mow in half passes. For example, you position half of the cutting deck over uncut grass and the other half of the deck on grass that still needs to be mowed. This technique literally halves the volume of grass passing through the cutting deck in a single pass.
One advantage of using this method is that you won’t need to raise the deck and mow twice. But, because you are cutting in half passes, you will still cover the same distance as double cutting your lawn. So, either method, mowing in half passes or double cutting, achieves the same results over the same distance.
Mow Slowly
It’s best to mow as slowly as possible to allow your lawn mower to discharge the wet grass. Now, this can be difficult for you guys with a lawn mower with only one speed, like a self-propelled walk-behind mower, but if you have either a push mower or a ride-on mower with an accelerator, try reducing your speed.
I find that this method works for both wet grass and long, dry grass. You’re basically giving your lawn mower a longer period to deal with the problematic grass.
Use Your Deck Discharge Chute
Depending on what type of lawn mower you have, you may or may not have a discharge chute that you can open and close. For you guys that do have a chute, then you’ll want to open it as much as possible. This will allow the grass to exit the cutting deck as quickly as possible without causing an obstruction.
You may find that your lawn mower chute doesn’t open as wide as you would like it to because the chute is acting as a deflector to keep the grass and any other objects low to the ground. But on many occasions, I have either wedged a stick between the chute door and the mower to open the chute even wider.
Also, I have attached a rope to the chute door, so I can pull the door open a bit more. Both of these methods help the grass exit the cutting deck more quickly, but there is a risk: anything your lawn mower mows over will be shot out of the chute at high speed. Rocks, pine cones, and dog toys will become dangerous projectiles. So, be aware of your surroundings if you use this method.
Discharge Clippings on Mowed Grass
Again, depending on the design of your lawn mower, you may have either a rear, side, or no discharge chute at all. If you don’t have a chute or if you have a rear discharge chute, then there isn’t a particular way that you can discard your clippings that will help to prevent wet grass from clogging your mower. But, if you have a side chute, mowing in a particular pattern will help.
For this method, you want to always have the chute pointing towards the part of the lawn that you have already mowed. One way to achieve this is to mow your lawn starting from the outside and around the edge.
So, mow a perimeter lap of your lawn, then repeat, getting closer to the center with each lap. This method will prevent your lawn mower from mowing over any clippings the chute discharged from a previous pass. Doing this limits the volume of grass in the deck at any one time.
Make Sure the Blades are Sharp
Finally, always have sharp blades on your lawn mower. This is particularly important when cutting wet grass as the moisture on the grass blades really puts the blade to work. You have probably already noticed how wet grass can slide off the blade without being cut, and the grass that does get cut tends to get torn apart.
So, to give your lawn mower the best chance of achieving a good cut and not clogging is to have a sharp blade on your lawn mower.
Leave a Reply