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People always love mowing in dry conditions as compared to the rainy climate. On the wet grass, when you try to mow, it may cause land clogging. It can also result in damaging the garden equipment or machines.
Now you may ask if you live in rainy areas, then how to mow wet grass? There are ways how you can carry the procedure without damaging the yard, which we will share in this article.
Make Ready The Lawn Mower
Before you start with mowing wet grass in your garden, you have to prep up the machine. You have to follow the prepping-up process of your mower in any and every weather condition. It will help you to mow the fields better. Here are the following ways;
1. Spraying Silicone
Make sure to spray silicon grease on the mower deck. It will help the wet grass clips not to stick on the lawnmower. Moreover, it will make mowing easy. You can also use graphite spray if you do not have silicon. While cleaning the wet grass mower, also check the label for instruction. It is mainly because every brand has specific cleaning rules.
2. Sharp The Blades
For fast, tall grass cutting and uniform grass length, you should sharpen the blades of the mower. Again, you can get a clean lawn if the mowing is done properly. Therefore, check the blade sharpness every day. You will also have to check if there are any scratches present on the blade. If you find these issues, then it is time to change the mower blade.
3. Mix A Fuel Stabilizer
If it rains, too much the land may get wet due to the moisture. This can damage the lawnmower. You can prevent the fuel amount in the engine of the mower. Adding an extra 1or 2 oz liquid stabilizing fuel in the mower tank can help you.
4. Condition Of The Air Filter
Open the top cover of the mower and check if there is dirt accumulation. In case there is any dirt particle present, you have to change the lawnmower. You can get air filters in local hardware shops. By simply taking out the old filter, you can place the new one on it.
5. Raising Mower Deck
You have to check the wet grass mower settings to clean the lawn effectively. The tall wet grass might cause clogging in the land. To avoid this, the setting of the lawnmower should be around 6-10 inches that can cut the grasses sized between 3-4 inches easily.
6. Engine Check
Before you start with the mowing process, make sure the engine is in fine condition. Many times the engine of the wet grass lawn mower stops working during rain.
How To Mow Wet Grass?
Now comes the interesting part where you have to mow the wet grass. There are certain tips and tricks that you will have to follow to get the perfect wet grass cutting without leaving any clog or mess.
1. Grass cutting technique
We know already that cutting wet grass is a challenging thing. Hence, the blades of the mower should be checked well before mowing. You have to check if the blades are sharp enough to cut the wet grass. For crisp grass, cutting the blade material and sharpness is essential.
Try slower cutting than applying more pressure. It simply means in normal times; whatever pressure you put to cut the grass, for wet grass scenario, you have to be slower than that. Another important benefit of slowing the speed is to put less pressure on the motor of the mower.
2. Interval Taking
While mowing the rows, make sure you cut the half intervals. Therefore, the cutting of the wet grasses will be effective. The rows will be filled with both uncut and half-cut types of grass as the grass volume will be less. The mower can work on it correctly without any breakage.
3. Perimeter Mowing
It is a better idea to begin moving from the edges and then gradually coming inward. The benefit of this cutting method is the blades of the mower will not get any damage.
4. Cover Mowing In All Directions
For getting proper mowing, you have to understand the long grasses that are wet will stick in the lawn. Hence, you have to start moving through the vertical and horizontal lines of the lawn in uniform strikes.
5. Using Side Discharge Mowing
Well, grass mulching or bagging is extremely hard during the rainy season. In such cases, sideways discharge of the mower will help you. Try not over-mowing the lawn. If there are any grass clips, they might create a block in the mower blades. Hence, you can rake up them if you want or continue the mowing process until dry.
6. Dew
For wet grass mowing, the best time to do it is during the morning dew. At this point, the dews do not soak much in the soil. Therefore, it will allow you to mow easily as compared to the rainy situation.
Types Of Mower To Use in Wet Conditions
Often you may go through confusion when you think it is a bad idea to mow wet grass, or can you cut wet grass? If you have decided to mow the garden or lawn during the wet condition, you should consider which type of mower you would use.
Riding Mowers
With the riding mowers, you might skate through the wetlands. Hence, it is not a good idea to use these mowers in the rainy season. Try avoiding incliners if you are still taking a chance to mow the lawn in wet condition with a riding mower.
Electric Mowers
If ever you think, can you cut damp grass with an electric mower? Of course, you should not use an electric mower on the wet grass. It increases the chances of electrical shocks or electrocution. You have to keep in mind that waster is a good source of electrical conductors. When it is exposed to electricity, then the condition will not be favorable.
The best lawn mower for wet grass is the gas-powered mower. Again, while mowing the wet grass, keep in mind that push mowing is better than zero-turn mowing patterns.
Maintenance Of The Mower In Wet Conditions
After the most strenuous work of mowing in wet conditions, you have to take care of the mower as well. Here are few ways you can follow to maintain the mower for a long time.
1. Cleaning The Deck
The first essential part of cleaning is the deck of the mower. Mostly you will notice the grass clips get accumulated in the deck. Moreover, it causes motor damage. You can scrape out the leaves and grasses from it with a sharp knife or brush.
2. Wheels & Mower Body
After the deck, you have to clean other parts of your mower too. Wipe out the lower part of the mower with a towel. Again, with a towel or brush, preferably a wired one, you can clean the grasses or leaves in the wheels of the mower.
You should use a rust resistance lubricant to clean the blades maintaining your lawn mower regularly. Keep the mower outside for drying purposes.
3. Frequent Mowing
Mowing the wet grass in the rainy season makes it difficult to cut the wet grasses. Therefore, the ideal way is to mow within a small span of interval. It will not require much of your hard work. For instance, you mow your land once a week in the usual time; during the rainy season, you can continue mowing within 3-4 days intervals.
4. Rain Time, Not A Good Mowing Time
If you see, it is heavily raining outside or even continuously raining and think is it a good idea to mow wet grass? Try avoiding the lawn mowing. It may cause damage or breakage to the engine. Again, if you are mowing on the sloppy areas during rain, it can be a safety issue for you as well.
In case you have a real emergency that you cannot bypass and have to mow your lawn in the rainy season, then try it when it is drizzling. You can also check the news regarding the weather forecast and decide on mowing the wet grass.
List Of Reasons: Is It A Bad Idea To Mow Wet Grass?
People often research how to mow long wet grass. However, there are few disadvantages of wet grass mowing.
Lawn Damage
When you cut long grass for wildlife on your lawn, it makes your garden looks clean and beautiful. However, when you start cutting the wet grass, it creates problems in the ground of your lawn. Due to the uneven grass cutting because of rain, the fungus or moisture can spread in the lawn. Therefore, in such wet conditions, if you are mowing, then you are inviting the fungi infestation.
Problem For The Mower
The mower you are using during the wet condition can also be damaged. Primarily it is seen in the wet environment; the leaves create blockages in the blades. Again, during the rainy season, there lies a risk of engine problems. Hence, it is not a good idea to mow during the rainy season.
Often the clippings of the leaves can stick in the down part of the mower. It causes rusting. During the rainy season, if you plan to use the electric mower on the lawn, it can result in shock or overheating the mower.
Unsafe
Mowing the garden during the rainy season or wet conditions may not be favorable for you too. Many times when electric mowers contact the moist leaves, they cause a short circuit. Moreover, you may be injured while mowing in the rainy season. The slopes are dangerous areas for mowing during wet conditions.
Again, there are slippery turfs where you can skate through while mowing and injure yourself. Hence, it is better to stay preventive than indulging in mowing the wet grass.
Extra Work
When you are mowing a lawn in any pleasant weather, it is smooth. The real complication starts when you mow in a wet situation. Moreover, it requires extra effort and time to chop off the grasses during a damp state. After mowing, you will have to spare extra time for cleaning your clothes and the mower.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Can you mow wet grass?
Generally, it is a bad idea to mow wet grass. You should always cut grass during summer days. However, to maintain the garden and the grass size, you can mow wet grass. If you can wait for the drying time of the wet grass before mowing, it can give you amazing results.
How to mow wet grass without clogging?
While mowing the grasses during wet conditions, you have to slow down the speed of the mower. It can save your mower from being blocked or clogged.
Can I cut wet grass with a petrol mower?
If you have petrol land mowers, then it can remove the wet grasses better than other types of mowers. As compared to the dry grass, the wet ones stick to the lawn in a clumping way. If you want the cutting blades to work less, but the grass chopping should be uniform, then the petrol mower is the one for you.
Can you mow wet grass with zero-turn mowers?
You can, but you should not. It is strictly recommended not to mow with the zero-turn mowers. In sloppy hill areas, you may encounter accidents due to this type of mower. Again, if you are using the zero-turn mowers, there lies the possibility that grass size will not be equal.
When to cut long grass?
The best time to chop the long grass in the garden is autumn or summer. During winters, you can allow the grasses in your lawn to grow well. Therefore, from April – May, you can start cutting the grass. Try to avoid mowing the wet grass during the rainy season.
Conclusion
Mowing the wet grass is never a good idea. However, if you are still forced to do it because of any situation or circumstances, you should check the weather forecast. In case you see there is an upcoming rain possibility, try mowing the lawn before.
Again, you can also wait for some time for drying the wet grass and start mowing your garden. Use the gas lawn mowers for mowing wet grass.
