The Two Best Times of the Day to Mow Your Grass and the One Worst Time

Lawn maintenance in Louisiana is kind of like the last two minutes of a basketball game, it never seems to end. The Louisiana climate is conducive for grass to grow. The temperatures are generally warm and there's almost always an abundance of moisture too. This is why almost every Saturday on every weekend of every year somebody's dad is out cutting grass in his baggy shorts, old concert t-shirt, and floppy beach hat.

Cutting grass, at least in my opinion, is something I look forward to doing. When I get the yard cut, the whole house looks better. Mowing the lawn is something I can do to make my surroundings nicer almost instantly.

But on extremely hot summer days, such as the ones that Louisiana has experienced since late June, there has got to be a "best time" to cut grass. Well, there is, or if we are being honest, there are. That's because there are really two "best times" to mow your yard. 

How Can There Be Two Best Times to Mow the Yard?

One of the "best times" is the best time for humans to mow the yard, the other is the best time for the lawn itself and both of these best times are on the opposite side of the clock.

For humans, the best time to cut grass is between the hours of 8 am and 10 am. That's based on two main factors. One, the heat is not as hot as it's going to get. Two, the grass has had a chance to dry a bit from the morning dew.

For your lawn, the best time to cut your grass is at the end of the day in the late afternoon/early evening hours. While it might be awfully hot for you to push a mower or even ride one, it's actually the best time for the plants that make up your lawn. The grass has had a chance to completely dry out. And the late-day cutting allows your lawn to "heal" from the cutting process during the nighttime hours.

When is the Worst Time to Mow Your Yard?

If there are best times then there has to be a least one worst time, right? The time in question is bad for several reasons. One of those reasons is that if you mow your grass at this time you could be arrested or ticketed. You could also damage your yard by increasing the chances of disease. And, you might have to remove your neighbor's foot from your butt because the worst time to mow your grass is 6 am.

Yeah, that's too early for a neighborhood, and in Lafayette Louisiana it's too early according to city laws. The grass which will likely still be wet with dew will also tend to clump up and begin to decay. That decaying wet grass in your yard is the perfect breeding ground for bugs, fungi, and other diseases to develop and attack your yard.

And now you know, the best time to cut grass for humans is between 8 am and 10 am. The best time to cut grass for better lawn care is between 4 pm and 7 pm. And the absolute worst time to cut grass is 6 am. Now you know and happy cutting. Oh, and there is never a good time to use a string trimmer if you're lefthanded. Those things spin in the wrong direction and you'll be covered with grass clippings. You're welcome.