If you live in a region that gets lots of rain throughout the spring and summer, chances are you have a hard time getting your lawn mowed between showers. In fact, during especially rainy times you just might be forced to cut your grass when it’s wet. Here are a few tips for safely mowing a wet lawn:
1 – Don’t let the grass get too high because wet grass is a lot harder for the mower to expel than dry. If you know ahead of time that you’re probably going to have to mow your lawn when it’s wet, mow it early. If you usually mow once a week, switch to once every three or four days during rainy periods.
2 – Mow your yard in sections. There might be weeks when you simply don’t have enough time between rain showers to mow your entire lawn in one fell swoop. Remember that you can always split the task up by mowing the front yard one day and the back yard the next.
3 – Push (or drive) your mower at a slower speed than normal. Mowing slowly gives the mower more time to “chew” on the wet grass and expel it from the mower deck with less effort and strain on the engine.
4 – Narrow the swath of grass that you’re mowing. Instead of cutting a swath the entire width of the mower deck, cut that in half. Cutting less grass at a time means there will be less wet grass to clog up the underside of the deck.
5 – When using a push mower, walk carefully and wear shoes with plenty of traction in order to avoid falling. I once had a neighbor who mowed his lawn wearing an old pair of golf shoes, and they worked extremely well.
6 – Mow only on level ground when the grass is wet. Save banks and inclines for a dry period even if it means the grass will get a little higher than you would like.
6 – When you’re finished mowing for the day, scrape all the wet grass from underneath the mower deck to prevent it from drying in place and clogging up the mower. Caution: ALWAYS disconnect the spark plug wire while working around the mower blade(s). Use a long stick or scraper to remove the grass. NEVER stick your hands anywhere near the blade(s) even if the engine isn’t running and the spark plug wire is disconnected.
About the author: Rick Rouse is the owner of RLROUSE.COM. He also spends several hours each week mowing a three acre lawn.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Heather Gruber.