The Best Time to Mow Fescue

Recommended Mowing Rates

• Gardeners who want to mow their fescue grass to 3 inches in height must wait for their grass to grow to 4 1/2 inches. Mowing your lawn to 3 inches helps your grass remain healthy, according to Cornell University. The recommended mowing heights for fescue, however, differ depending on height. For example, fine fescues produce healthy growth when cut between 2 to 2 1/2 inches and when tall fescue is cut between 2 1/2 to 3 inches, according to Ohio State University. Wait to mow your lawn until the grass has grown high enough to comfortably take off one-third of the grass blade at one time.

Summer Stress Heights

• The hot temperatures of the summer dry out fescue grass because it is a cool season turf type. To prevent unhealthy grass, allow your grass blades to grow higher in the summer. For instance, fine fescue grass types such as chewings and hard fescue should be kept at 2 1/2 to 3 inches, according to Ohio State University. Keeping your grass slightly higher allows grass blades to conserve enough moisture to withstand hot summer temperatures.

Best Time of Day

• The best time of day to mow fescue grass is in the morning before the heat of the afternoon has had a chance to evaporate all of the soil moisture. In addition, watering in the late afternoon may increase the likelihood of your fescue contracting a fungal disease. Cool nighttime temperatures combined with wet grass offers an optimal environment for fungal spore germination. In addition, watering in the morning when there is dew still present on grass prevents prolonging the amount of time the grass blades are wet.

Other Factors

• Fescue lawns must be mowed when they are dry. Mowing when the grass is wet causes grass clippings to bunch up across the lawn. Bunched up or piles of grass clippings shade fescue lawns, which impedes on their ability to receive sunlight. Furthermore, fescue grass should be mowed as long as grass blades are actively growing. Mow your fescue in the fall until the grass goes dormant for the winter. Fescue lawns allowed to grow long into the winter are more susceptible for contracting a snow mold disease.