# Mowing lawn prior to the winter?



## Lawnmower_Man (Oct 1, 2017)

It's early October up here in Toronto, and it's been raining pretty much daily.

Perfect time to put down some Urea for the winter (which I did yesterday).

First Frost will be coming soon... But I never really asked this question...

*1. Can you cut your grass right before the First Frost?
2. Can you continue to mow the lawn in November and December? 
3. What length should you leave your grass for the winter?
Do you continue to mulch at this point? Or just bag it? *


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Your grass will tell you when it's time to stop mowing. It will stop growing. What I do is when it's getting close I put my bag on my mower. If there is no clippings in the bag your ready for your winterizer n put the lawn to bed


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## Lawnmower_Man (Oct 1, 2017)

What?!?

I already put about 2 lbs per 1k of Urea!

Can I continue to put Urea in my lawn right up until it stops?

Also, I am probably going to cut my grass at the highest setting. 
I assume that it is safest to keep the grass at its longest during winter.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Please read the Fall Nitorgen Blitz in my signature for timing on when to apply and when to stop the nitrogen.

Also, long grass in the winter is a problem in my opinion if you get snow. The long grass will mat down and rot or develop snow mold. Too short if not dense could also be a problem with tip damage from cold dry air. I think 2in is a great compromise.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

@Lawnmower_Man don't be misled by the term "average first frost" date. Say for us, we get out first frost this Friday (12th). That doesn't mean you're done for the season and can't do anything more until the spring. That term is used as a guideline for several things such as when to start a reno.

For reference, our grass will stop top growth once the air temps consistently drop below 10C. Once the air temps dip below that, our soil temps will drop and grass will cease top growth.

Having said that, you may still be cutting your grass into November if the weather is warm - even if first frost was weeks prior.

Your season will be done when your grass tells you it's time. Not your first frost date.


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## Wlodyd (Aug 27, 2018)

@Lawnmower_Man i recommend reading latest posts on the Nitrogen Blitz for year end fertilizer. I just posted a similar question on there. In short, my plan is to put N down weekly until my first frost, then stop. You can also choose to put down a winterizer at the end of the year, but need to time it right. Again, id refer you to the nitrogen blitz thread for some good info on final fertilizer.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

+1 Hart post. I go around the average first frost. I just looked at the climate prediction center and either normal temps or some what above average for November. The actual first frost is really irrelevant; soil temps/sun light(energy) is what the plants need to be able to do mass transfer.


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## zeus201 (Aug 30, 2017)

g-man said:


> Please read the Fall Nitorgen Blitz in my signature for timing on when to apply and when to stop the nitrogen.
> 
> Also, long grass in the winter is a problem in my opinion if you get snow. The long grass will mat down and rot or develop snow mold. Too short if not dense could also be a problem with tip damage from cold dry air. I think 2in is a great compromise.


Are you going to leave yours at or below 1"? I haven't decided on if I'll keep it below 1" going into winter.


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## kaptain_zero (Jun 2, 2018)

I just dropped my mower to 2 1/4" for today's mow. We've already been hit with hard frost, and I'm now mostly just using the mower as a mulcher on the leaves. It was almost too many leaves today, if it gets any thicker than what I saw today, I'll be using the side discharge to semi-mulch and corral the leaves into a smaller chopped up pile, then switch to the bag and suck it up. It's my first year with a Toro Super Recycler and so far I'm pleased with it. This is also the first time since I got married all those years ago that I actually know how high I'm cutting my law..... err.... weeds.

I only got bit by the LCN bug this year..... I used to work outside all year and mowing the lawn was a dreaded chore when it was close to 40C and I'd been sweating for 8 hours already. So it was something I never cared about, nor did the previous owner of this house. Now I'm trying to coax this 50+ year old heritage lawn back into shape.. It's coming, but it's going to take at least another year. It would have been faster to to just burn off the old lawn and reseed, but I'm short of cash and like the challenge though the patience part can be challenging all by itself.

As I have no idea what kind of grass I really have beyond it being a cool season lawn, likely a KBG mix with other grasses (at the very least I know I have quack grass...<groan>) so I won't go any shorter than 2" or 2 1/4" with this Toro. I see the city golf courses heavily tarp all their short grass sections to prevent it from drying out too much during the bitter cold, and I see them having to fix the greens in the spring due to brown patches, but the fairways survive just fine without, but they are mowed taller. Shorter grass aids in my cleanup in the spring if I get caught by snow before I can get a layer of leaves off the lawn, but I wouldn't want to go so low that I would have to tarp my lawn! :mrgreen:


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## Lawnmower_Man (Oct 1, 2017)

zeus201 said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> > Please read the Fall Nitorgen Blitz in my signature for timing on when to apply and when to stop the nitrogen.
> ...


Isn't below one-inch risky?

My grass is pretty thick, but I'd still go no less than 2 inches.


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## Lawnmower_Man (Oct 1, 2017)

Thanks for the info.

But what's this talk about not mowing the week of the first frost?

Not sure if something like that matters or not.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

I have said this in other posts - there are very few absolutes in lawn care. What we have mostly are guidelines and common sense.

Certainly never mow while there is frost on the ground. But to not mow for a week because you might get one day of frost....?


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Lawnmower_Man said:


> zeus201 said:
> 
> 
> > g-man said:
> ...


g-man can go below an inch because he's been mowing with a greens mower at those heights all year. For you it would not be advisable to go lower than 2".


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## zeus201 (Aug 30, 2017)

Lawnmower_Man said:


> Isn't below one-inch risky?
> 
> My grass is pretty thick, but I'd still go no less than 2 inches.


IDK...I've been below 1" all season but will be the first winter at this HOC :?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

For this question I would check What would @Pete1313 do?

He left the Reno at 0.75in going into winter. Also, what do golf courses and athletic fields do? They leave it at the height they had it (0.25in or lower on greens).

I'm mowing at 1in the whole yard and I don't plan to adjust from there into winter. The ryegrass is growing too fast and I would not be able to keep up with it at 0.75in.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Pretty much what @g-man said. I put my kbg to bed for the winter at .75" and even had @ABC123 run across it with the 220SL when it was pretty much dormant on November 19th at .625" HOC without any issues. At my previous home, I made its final cut ~.560" before winter in 2015. My only experience is with bewitched KBG. It is not a bad idea to keep it slightly longer going into mid to late fall, and is why I am currently at ~1.0" HOC, as a longer leaf blade will help grab alittle more sun as the days get shorter(and help with mulching leaves), but otherwise KBG will be fine at short heights thru winter.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

Pete it looked so good too! As others said just make sure it's above freezing to prevent tissue damage. I'll run mine at 3/4 till it's done this year. It's been a little too floppy and cold/wet for comfort at 1in HOC so that's why I went lower. Day 60 is tomorrow and been mowing every other day still.


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