How often should you mow the lawn?

Follow these lawn maintenance tips for healthy groomed grass this year

Lawn mowing tips
(Image credit: Magic K / Pexels)

As the weather starts to heat up and the days become clearer, you’re probably thinking about getting out in the garden. But if you’ve left your lawn to grow wild over the winter, you’ll need to start by getting your garden into shape… meaning you need to mow the lawn.

Whether you use the best cordless lawn mower or the best robot lawn mower, it’s important to stay on top of lawn maintenance so your grass is green, healthy and well groomed. To ensure your garden looks attractive this spring/summer, you need to be mowing your lawn regularly… but how often do you need to go over it? When should you start mowing? And can you ‘over mow’ your lawn? We’ve got all the answers right here.

How often should I mow the lawn?

When the spring season rolls around, the question on everyone’s mind is: how often do I need to mow the lawn? Once you’ve got your first cut out the way (which we’ll cover below), you need to stick to a regular mowing routine, so your garden doesn’t get overgrown. Consistently mowing your lawn also encourages new, better and stronger grass growth so your garden remains healthy all year round.

During spring, a general rule of thumb is to mow your lawn once every two weeks, especially during April and May. As we move into the summer months like June, July and August, you’ll want to mow the lawn once a week or every few days, depending on how quickly your grass grows and if you prefer a close cut.

It’s important to remember that if you’re mowing this often, you need to take good care of your mower’s blades as they can get overworked. This is a common mistake everyone makes with lawn mowers, so give your mower some TLC after mowing sessions. It’s also worth keeping in mind that if your lawn is very dry or overly wet, you should mow less often and at times, you shouldn’t mow at all, especially if there’s a drought or rainy spell. 

The best small lawn mowers 2022: Image depicts lawn mower in front of fence

(Image credit: Canva)

Do I need to do a full mow every time?

Once you’ve got into a mowing routine, you might be wondering if you need to fully mow the lawn every time you get the mower out. The answer to this completely depends on your lawn’s growth. If you find some parts of your lawn grow longer and quicker than others, you might not need to mow the entire lawn but instead use the best strimmer in the spot where things have overgrown. Alternatively, you can keep on top of weeding and trimming where necessary which can also help you save money on gardening.

When should I start mowing the lawn in spring?

It can be tricky to figure out when to start mowing your lawn, especially during the beginning of spring, as we’re often plagued with dramatic weather conditions like rain, heatwaves and even snow. As recommended by experts at Woman & Home, you should start cutting the grass in spring when the temperature is consistently above 8-degrees. So, once the weather is warmer and you’ve noticed that your grass is growing, it’s time to start mowing!

Bethan Girdler-Maslen
Home Editor

Beth is Home Editor for T3, looking after style, living and wellness. From the comfiest mattresses to what strange things you can cook in an air fryer, Beth covers sleep, yoga, smart home, coffee machines, grooming tools, fragrances, gardening and much more. If it's something that goes in your house, chances are Beth knows about it and has the latest reviews and recommendations! She's also in the know about the latest deals and discount codes from top brands and retailers.


Having always been passionate about writing, she’s written for websites, newspapers and magazines on a variety of topics, from jewellery and culture, to food and telecoms. You can find her work across numerous sites, including Wedding Ideas Magazine, Health & Wellbeing, The Bristol Post, Fashion & Style Directory, TechRadar, CreativeBloq and more. In her spare time, Beth enjoys running, reading, baking and attempting craft projects that will probably end in disaster!