grass after winter


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Old 10-21-19, 05:40 PM
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grass after winter

If my grass (in northern Michigan) is getting kind of long, but will soon be frozen and covered with snow, if I cut it now, will I be able to wait longer in the spring before it needs cutting again? Or does winter sort of set it all back to the same point, regardless of length in the fall?
 
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Old 10-22-19, 01:28 AM
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Grass continues to grow as long as the ground temps permit, once it cools off it goes dormant waiting for ground temps to raise!

What you do now vs next spring really doesn't make much difference!
 
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Old 10-22-19, 04:26 AM
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So if I cut it now, I won't have to cut it again as early next spring as I would if I did not cut it this fall?
 
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Old 10-22-19, 04:30 AM
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If it needs cutting now and you don't cut of course it's going to need cutting sooner in spring... because it's already overdue. Cut it now if it needs it and cut it in the spring when it needs it.
 
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Old 10-22-19, 05:01 PM
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We're in Michigan too, of course that covers a pretty broad range of climates, and even then winter arrives at a different time from one year to the next regardless of latitude, but, in my opinion, fall mowing is every bit important as spring and summer. Long scraggly grass, spring, summer, or fall, invites unfavorable conditions. Specifically, in the fall it traps leaves, which can smother out the grass, and create bare spots in the spring. Maybe a bit extreme, but I believe in the importance of it enough that there have been times when work got in the way that I have actually mowed with a light dusting on the ground or while it was coming down, just to get that last cut of the year in.
 
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Old 10-22-19, 05:18 PM
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I just cut my grass hopefully for the lat time. But I decided to cut it short this time rather than the recommended 2" or slightly higher. Do you think it's for the better or worse?
 
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Old 10-23-19, 02:31 AM
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I'm not fond of cutting grass short but believe if you do, this is the better time of year to do so.
Due to the drought I've not cut my grass in over a month although with the recent rains I'd expect to soon. My grass still doesn't have any length but at least it is starting to turn green again.
 
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Old 10-23-19, 03:19 AM
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On average, I set my cut around 3", sometimes 2-1/2" if the forecast is for extended periods of rain and more often 3-1/2" when it gets hot and dry. But yes, last cutting of the year, of course Mother Nature has the final say so that sometimes turns out to be a couple of "last cuttings", I typically set it at 2". With a mulching deck it pretty much cleans up every last leaf that is down, and any that fall or blow in after that don't get matted up.
 
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Old 10-23-19, 05:04 AM
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MI here also, grass still growing, will be citing well into Nov due to leaf mulching.

The length of grass over the winter doesn't make any difference, once the snow comes it all get packed down till it starts reviving in the spring!
 
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Old 10-23-19, 11:26 AM
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Well, I've heard if too long or too short it will mold over the winter.
 
 

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