Why Your Baltimore County, MD Lawn Needs Mowing into Late Fall
You probably noticed that temperatures in the fall can go up and down. One day it’s 90°F. Then a cold front out of Canada drops your Bowleys Quarters’ temperature to a more respectable 60°F for a few days.
Since Maryland’s fall is temperate, your Lutherville-Timonium lawn grass will keep growing until November. And that means you need to mow your lawn well into fall.
Why Your Yard Grass Requires Mowing to November
Your turfgrass will keep growing until soil temperatures dip below 45°F consistently. Then, your Parkville or Perry Hall turf will stop growing until next spring.
Maryland yards have cool season grasses that grow rapidly in cooler temperatures, such as in early spring and fall. So, your yard needs regular mowing—sometimes every week—until growing stops in late fall.
As the temperatures decrease, we increase the amount we cut your lawn each time we mow it for you in the fall.
At Ground Control Lawn Care, we’ll gradually lower our mowing decks to cut your grass shorter. When we cut your lawn grass for the last time for the season, we’ll take off 2”. We don’t scalp your lawn, but we do cut it shorter.
Five Reasons Why Your Dundalk, MD Lawn Requires Mowing Until November
Yes, we cut your grass to keep your property looking tidy throughout the fall. But there are other reasons why we, at Ground Control Lawn Care, mow your lawn until late fall:
- Prevents snow mold: Longer grass folds over so snow mold can develop. Snow mold can kill your turfgrass if left untreated.
- Prevents voles from eating your lawn over the winter: Voles can hide from their predators better in longer grass. Voles snack on your turfgrass’ roots and stems. However, with a shorter lawn, voles have nowhere to hide from hawks and other predators.
- Grows faster and greener in early spring: You’ll notice that your lawn wakes up from its winter slumber faster when it’s cut short before winter. Plus, your yard will green-up more quickly too.
- Keeps weed seeds from landing on your soil: Weed seeds tend to skip over your clipped lawn during the fall, failing to land on the ground. However, if you don’t mow your lawn into November, weed seeds get tangled in the long grass allowing them to fall on the earth to germinate next spring.
- Helps your lawn survive winter rain and snow: Your turfgrass will dry faster after winter rain or a snowstorm than it would if the grass was too long. If your yard grass dries faster, then it won’t get snow mold.
Just to clarify, we’ll cut your lawn at the 2” mark at the end of the season, and we won’t scalp your lawn. Scalping turf leads to killing the grass and opening up your property to more weeds.
New Sod or Overseeded Lawn
Your newly overseeded lawn won’t need any mowing until it grows to at least 3½”. Once it’s tall enough, we’ll take only a third off the top as the rest of the lawn fills in.
For new sod lawns, we wait two weeks before we cut your grass for the first time. We like to wait to make sure sod roots have enough time to connect with the soil underneath.
Enjoy Your Fall Weekends and Leave the Mowing to Us
At Ground Control Lawn Care, we’re your one-stop-shop for all of your lawn service needs. You can work all week and then relax in your backyard without having to take care of it.
In addition to our mowing, we provide the following lawn care services for Baltimore County homeowners and businesses:
- Landscaping
- Aeration and overseeding
- Shrub and hedge trimming
- Fall and spring cleanups
- Snow removal services.
If you want to enjoy your weekends, then leave the mowing and other lawn services to us at Ground Control. Call us today at (443) 520-5646 or fill out our estimate form.
We serve the following Maryland cities: Bowleys Quarters, Carney, Essex, Lutherville-Timonium, Middle River, Overlea, Parkville, Perry Hall, Rosedale, and White Marsh.
Sources:
Green Valley Turf Company, “New Sod Care.”
The University of Maryland Extension, “Turfgrass Maintenance Calendars for Maryland Lawns.”
