Garden

How often should you mow a lawn?

Mowing little and often keeps the grass dense and stops the clippings smothering it. The one-third rule matters more than the calendar: never take off more than a third of the height at once.

Mow a conventional lawn once a week in summer and once a fortnight in spring and autumn.

Range: 1 to 2 weeks · checked 6 November 2026

Typical interval

What changes it

Growth rate: warm, wet weather means more often; drought means less.
The one-third rule: if the grass is long, raise the cut and work down over a few mows.
Spring and autumn: once a fortnight is often enough.
Winter: usually no mowing unless the grass is still growing and the ground is firm.

Do it

Set the height for the season; higher in spring and autumn, lower in summer.
Mow when the grass is dry and the ground is firm.
Change the direction each time to avoid ruts.
Leave the clippings on the lawn when they are short; they feed it.

Put it in your schedule

The maker opens with Lawn Mowing at every week.

No account. The maker keeps the job in your browser and in the link.

Why this interval

The sources below give the full picture. The factors above are the ones that move the interval for most situations.

The range is a starting point, not a rule for every situation. The factors above are the ones the sources name; if your situation is different, use the range and ask a professional where the job needs one.

If you want the job in a schedule with reminders, open the schedule maker with this job already loaded. The how often index has the other jobs.

Lawn Mowing questions

What changes the interval?

Growth rate: warm, wet weather means more often; drought means less. The one-third rule: if the grass is long, raise the cut and work down over a few mows. Spring and autumn: once a fortnight is often enough. Winter: usually no mowing unless the grass is still growing and the ground is firm.

Does the app use this interval?

The app’s ready-made schedule uses every week. You can change it on the job.

Where does this come from?

The answer is checked against one primary source, linked under Sources with the date each was read.

Sources

The interval and the factors on this page are checked against this source.

Lawn mowing guide. Royal Horticultural Society.Weekly mowing in summer, and once a fortnight or once a week in spring and autumn. Checked 6 November 2026.