Guide
Weekly or fortnightly mowing: which does your lawn need?
Updated
The short answer
Weekly mowing suits most Irish lawns from late April to June, when grass grows fastest, and keeps the lawn neat and healthy. Fortnightly mowing suits smaller lawns, slower-growing grass, the cooler months, or anyone happy with a slightly longer cut, and costs less over a season. Many people switch from weekly to fortnightly as growth slows later in the year.
Why weekly is healthier in the busy months
Cutting off more than about a third of the grass's height at once stresses the lawn. In late spring, grass can grow enough in two weeks that a fortnightly cut takes off too much, leaving it yellow and patchy. Weekly cuts take a little off each time, which keeps it thicker and greener.
When fortnightly works
Fortnightly is often enough when:
- Growth has slowed, usually from late summer onwards
- The lawn is in shade or on poor soil and grows slowly
- It's a smaller lawn where a slightly longer look is fine
- Keeping the cost down matters more than a perfect finish
Switching through the season
A common approach is weekly from late April to June, then fortnightly through the late summer and autumn. That gives a neat lawn when it matters most without paying for cuts the grass doesn't need.
What about the clippings?
With regular cuts, clippings are short and can be mulched straight back into the lawn, where they break down quickly and feed it. Longer, less frequent cuts leave heavier clippings that are better off in the brown bin.
Questions
Is it bad to cut grass every two weeks?
Not at all for most of the year. It's only in the fastest-growing weeks of late spring that two weeks can let the grass get too long between cuts.
Can I change from weekly to fortnightly during the season?
That's a common way to do it: weekly when the grass is growing fastest, fortnightly once it slows down.