A word of advice to start: you really should not mow wet grass if you can help it, but we know sometimes you can’t wait. Rainy spells can leave you with an overgrown lawn that refuses to dry out.
So, if you must mow wet grass, remove standing water, use sharp mower blades, and raise the height of the deck. Apply deck spray, mow slowly, overlap passes, and bag it up. Alternate directions, follow the one-third rule, and clean your mower thoroughly.
If you want to learn more about why it’s risky and what damage it can cause, read our guide on “Why You Shouldn’t Mow Wet Grass.”
Mowing in wet conditions requires different techniques and sometimes different equipment. Claire Marks, Education & Outreach Coordinator at Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District, said, “The biggest mistake is treating it the same as dry grass. Making the right adjustments can help reduce the risk of lawn damage and disease.”
Safety Warning: Never mow during thunderstorms. Never use electric or battery-operated mowers on wet grass or in rain, as this can void your warranty and create safety hazards. Skip slopes when wet, as they’re dangerously slippery. Always wear shoes with good traction.
Avoid joining the 250,000 annual lawn care-related injuries and follow these “Essential Lawn Mower Safety Tips.”
Remove standing water with garden hose
For morning dew or light moisture, drag your garden hose across your grass like a giant squeegee. Walk slowly while pulling the hose behind you, overlapping as needed. The weight of the hose pulls water droplets off the grass blades, and you’ll actually see the water flying off.
For puddles and standing water, you can use your garden hose as a siphon. Fill the hose with water to remove air bubbles and plug both ends of the hose. Put one end of the hose in the puddle and the other in a lower drainage area. Release both ends at the same time, and gravity will draw the water downhill. Keep the puddle end submerged until the water is gone.
If standing water in your yard is an issue you regularly deal with, check out our guide on “Lawn Drainage Solutions” to fix the problem at the source.
Keep mower blades sharp
Cutting a wet lawn is like trying to cut through wet paper. To cut cleanly with minimal damage to your turf, you need sharp mower blades. Marks emphasized this point: “Wet grass is harder to cut cleanly. A dull blade will tear rather than cut, which increases the risk of disease. Sharp blades = clean cuts.”
To test blade sharpness safely, with the mower completely off and spark plug disconnected, slide a piece of paper along the edge. A sharp blade will cut through cleanly without tearing the paper or your grass.
To sharpen mower blades, the easiest option is to have a professional sharpen your blades. If you decide to do it yourself, always wear thick gloves and eye protection. Learn “How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades.”
My tip: Keep an extra set of sharp blades on hand. Having backup blades ready to use makes a big difference when you’re short on time.
Raise mower height
Move your mower height from the typical 2.5 – 3 inches up to at least 4 inches. According to Marks, “After a rain, it is important to raise the mower deck up one setting higher than you usually mow. This reduces the stress on the turf lawn. Cutting too low when the lawn is already vulnerable can scalp the turf and weaken your grass.”
Cutting grass at a taller height also helps keep the grass from matting up under the deck, and it keeps the grass blades upright for cleaner cuts. Your mower’s engine doesn’t have to work as hard hacking through waterlogged grass, plus the increased height helps your grass recover quicker from the wet-weather cutting stress.
How to adjust the lawnmower’s cutting height
Apply deck spray
Deck spray, available at most hardware stores, acts like Teflon-coated cookware – it keeps grass from sticking to the mower.
Make sure your mower is dry before spraying it, then apply a light layer on the bottom of the mower, the blades, and where the grass comes out. If grass starts sticking again during mowing, reapply as needed. For more tips, check out our guide on “Ways to Prevent Grass From Clumping When Mowing.”
My tip: If you’re using a push mower, every couple of passes, I rock my mower by tipping it up slightly and letting it drop to knock some of it loose before it builds up. Be gentle! You don’t have to slam it down, just a couple of solid taps usually does the trick.
Bag your clippings
While many guides recommend side discharge for wet grass, Marks actually advises the opposite:
“While it is usually helpful to leave clippings on the lawn to retain moisture and return nutrients, that changes when the grass is wet. Moisture breeds fungus, so if you leave clumps of wet grass clippings on a wet lawn, you increase the risk of your grass contracting a fungal disease. Bag the grass.”
When using a bag to collect grass clippings, empty it often. Make sure to clean the bag afterward so that mold doesn’t grow. If the grass starts clogging your mower, take off the bag and use the side discharge instead. Then rake up any clumps of grass right away to prevent fungus from growing in your lawn.
Learn to spot problems early with our guide on “How to Identify and Treat Grass Fungus.”
Mow slowly
When mowing wet grass, cut your normal speed by at least half. Drop it down to a crawl, y’all. This slower pace will let the mower cut properly without pushing the grass over, prevent the mower from bogging down in thick areas, and reduce your risk of slipping on the wet grass. If it normally takes you 45 minutes to mow your lawn, expect to take 90 minutes in wet conditions.
My tip: If the mower starts to stall, gently lift the front by pressing down on the handlebar, then slowly lower it back down. If it keeps stalling, either slow down more, raise the deck height, or use a string trimmer to cut some of it down a bit before mowing.
Overlap passes by 50%
The weight of the water tends to make the grass slouch instead of standing upright, which makes it easy to miss sections while mowing. To avoid this, overlap more than you usually do. I typically overlap each pass about 20-30% on an average mowing day, but if you’re mowing a wet lawn, overlap by 50% each pass.
The extra overlap will help maintain an even look and reduce the need for touch-up passes later.
For a complete guide to proper mowing technique in all conditions, check out “How to Mow a Lawn the Right Way.”
Change direction
Wet grass tends to lean after rain. To deal with this, mow your lawn first in the opposite direction of how you usually mow. A second pass on a diagonal can catch flat spots missed on the first pass. No need to get fancy when the lawn is wet.
Marks warns against a popular lawn technique: “Striping may look nice, but it presses wet grass down and creates the perfect conditions for fungus to grow. Wet grass mats easily, which can lead to disease. After a rain, skip the stripes.”
Once your lawn is completely dry, you can create those eye-catching patterns. Learn how in our guide on “How to Stripe Your Lawn.”
Apply one-third rule
Don’t cut off more than a third of your grass height when mowing. This means if your grass is 3 inches tall, don’t cut off more than 1 inch. This is especially important when cutting wet grass. Cutting too much at once stresses your lawn and leaves it vulnerable to lawn diseases and fungus.
If a few extra days of rain have your front yard looking like something out of Jumanji, you may need to make multiple passes over several days to gradually lower the cutting height. For smaller areas, you can also use a string trimmer first to make the grass more manageable before mowing.
Learn more about the ins and outs of the one-third rule, including how it works, why it matters, and how to apply it each season, in our article “What’s the One-Third Rule of Mowing.”
Clean and dry equipment
Wet grass creates a green sludge that quickly becomes rock-hard if allowed to dry. It can also corrode metal parts and gum up moving components. After mowing, wait for the mower to cool, then scrape off the large chunks of grass and dirt. Finish by rinsing the top and underside of the deck with a hose or pressure washer.
For detailed steps and maintenance tips on keeping your mower in top shape, check out our comprehensive guide on “How to Clean a Lawn Mower Deck.”
Your Wet Grass Game Plan
While not ideal, mowing wet grass can be done safely by following the steps above. Remember, for the healthiest lawn, always try to wait for dry conditions when possible.
Whether your lawn is wet or dry, Lawn Love can connect you with local lawn care pros who can handle all your mowing needs, no matter the weather. Get a free, instant quote today!
Main Image Credit: Milos | Adobe Stock
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