Wondering if you need to mow high or low in the summer? Many folks wrestle with trying to figure out how high to cut their lawn grass.

And frankly it’s not always easy to figure out, especially if you have more than one kind of turf in your lawn as my wife and I do.

But when my parents gave me a push reel mower when I was a teenager, my mom passed down some lawn mowing wisdom to me from my late grandfather.

She said:

“Your grandpa told me to cut grass at the highest setting. The taller the grass, the healthier it is.”

~My mom (God rest her soul…)

Hmmm… I was cutting the grass around 2” tall at first, but noticed I was mowing it too short, essentially scalping it around high spots in the yard.

So, I started raising the mower blades and have found a 3” mowing height to be something of a sweet spot for our yard. The best height for cutting grass in your yard may differ mainly depending on the type of grass you have in your yard.

Also, if you’re going from having really tall grass to cutting it shorter, you might need to graduate the mowing height downward over a few successive mowings so as not to shock the grass. This is commonly done by homeowners who have returned to mowing their lawn after taking part in No Mow May, for example.

But there are many reasons why you’ll want to cut your grass high in the summer – something I do when the weather is hot in my neck of the woods in Central Florida.

Why You Should Cut Your Grass Higher In The Summer

Lawn grass may appear its best to you when its cut nice and short. But maintaining that neat look isn’t always easy on the person mowing the lawn or the grass itself – especially in the heat of the summer. As someone who lives in a place where 90-degree high temperatures are the norm for some four months out of the year, I can attest to how difficult mowing the yard when it’s hot really is.

But the summer isn’t just hard on us lawn-mowing folks. It’s also hard on grass, which may be hard for some to believe because for many lawns summer is peak growing season. But it’s also when droughts can set in. This can cause lawns to become heat stressed and putting them at risk of death or being overrun by pests, weeds, and disease.

So what’s the secret to keeping your grass healthier in the summer? It’s simple… Mow your grass at the highest setting on your lawn mower.

What Are The Benefits Of Cutting Your Grass High In The Summer?

I’ll tell you why in just five words it’s better to cut your lawn high in the summer: it’s better for your grass!

Here are some of the benefits to cutting your grass as high as you can when the weather is hot:

• Mowing grass higher helps its roots grow deeper into the soil, allowing it to tap moisture in the ground and warding off heat stress. This promotes greener grass in the summer and can even help it stay alive during periods of drought.
• Taller grasses are healthier, and therefore they are more pest and disease resistant.  
• When lawns are mowed higher, the shade provided by the taller grass blades can curtail weed growth.
• You’ll mow less frequently when you mow tall in the summer. Yes, I know…. So many of us heard that you’ll need to mow more often if you cut your grass high, but it’s a myth.

When Is The Best Time To Mow Grass In The Summer?

Did you know that mowing your lawn in very hot weather – say 85 degrees to 90 degrees or hotter – can be bad for the grass? Cutting grass when it’s really hot is particularly stressful for cooler-season turf, like fescues, Kentucky bluegrass, and ryegrass.

That’s one reason why it’s best in the summer to mow your grass in the mornings. It’s cooler then, and it gives your lawn more time to repair itself from the shock of mowing before nightfall sets in. This will help keep your lawn healthier in the long run.