Can You Cut Damp Grass with an Electric Mower?
When the summer months approach and the weather (hopefully) improves, many people’s attention turns to getting outside and giving their gardens a bit of TLC.
Mowing the lawn is one of those summer jobs that many people decide to do when the weather gets a little nicer.
While many gardeners recommend mowing the lawn at least once a fortnight in order to keep it looking neat and tidy, in reality, this isn’t always possible or practical and many of us will decide to wait for a sunny day instead. But as every Brit will know, a sunny day is rarely guaranteed- even in the summer.
While people will be reluctant to mow their lawn during rainfall, people might be tempted to do so shortly after the rain has stopped.
This means the grass will still be damp, begging the question is it possible to cut wet grass with an electric mower?
In this blog, we’ll look at cutting wet glass with an electric mower, providing you with all of the information you need to know about this essential garden task.
The Best Conditions for Cutting Grass
Before we delve into the question of ‘can you cut wet grass with an electric mower?’, let’s first examine the ideal conditions for cutting grass.
As mentioned earlier, a warm, sunny day when your grass is dry is the optimal time to give it a trim. However, you don’t want the heat to be too overwhelming when you’re working outside, so it’s always best to do it in the morning. In addition to the sun not being at full strength, dew will also have evaporated making it easier to cut.
But, the weather doesn’t always play ball with our plans.
If some unexpected rainfall has spoiled your scheduled cut, you may still be tempted to get out there once it has ceased. However, this will mean the grass is likely to be wet or damp.
Can You Cut Damp Grass with an Electric Mower?
These days, the majority of lawnmowers are electric.
If rain has ruined your mowing plans but you’re still keen to get cutting once it’s stopped, you might be tempted to use your electric mower on the damp or wet grass.
If you own an electric lawnmower, especially if it’s one that uses a wire to be connected to a power source, you should never use it to cut damp grass.
Water and electricity are a combination that should never mix, and cutting wet grass with an electric mower is extremely dangerous. By doing this, you run the risk of electrocution which can cause serious injury and even death.
Electrocution is not the only reason you shouldn’t risk cutting your wet grass with an electric mower, and we’ll go through the other dangers in the section below.
What Are The Risks of Cutting Damp Grass with an Electric Mower?
There are a number of risks of cutting damp grass with an electric mower.
This includes the following:
Electrocution
Undoubtedly, the biggest and most serious risk of cutting wet grass with an electric mower is electrocution. Electricity and water are one of the biggest dangers you can come across- particularly if you’re using one that is powered with a wire.
Most lawnmowers have metal handles, so if water gets into the electronics it can cause a deadly shock to spread through the machine and harm, or kill, the person using it. This is less likely to happen with a battery-powered mower, but it should be avoided nonetheless.
Lawn Mower Damage
As well as the risk to your health, using an electric lawnmower on wet grass can also damage the machine.
Water getting into the system can cause it to suffer from a terminal fault, meaning you may have to pay out for a costly replacement. This is particularly likely to happen if the mower is exposed to water on a regular basis.
Slipping
Another risk to you when cutting wet grass is that you’re more likely to slip and fall. In actual fact, thousands of people get injured each year from falling in their garden, with a wet, slippy surface one of the biggest culprits when this happens.
Even when your grass is dry, it’s a good idea to wear appropriate footwear when cutting your grass.
Damage to your Lawn
Cutting your grass when it’s wet can also damage your lawn. Normally, a mower blade will cut dry grass in a neat and tidy manner, but wet grass makes it much more difficult to do this. Instead, the blades can end up unevenly tearing grass out of the ground, resulting in a messy appearance. In some cases, this can even cause the grass to become stressed and turn yellow.
Clumping
In addition to the damage that cutting a wet lawn can do to its appearance, it also increases the likelihood of clumping. This is where grass sticks together more easily, making it more difficult for it to gather in the mower’s collection box.
As the grass sticks together, it’ll fail to go into the box and will remain in a large clump on the ground. This will mean you’ll have to go over your lawn, collecting the clumps after you’ve finished mowing- a tedious task.
Tips For Cutting Wet Grass
If you’re determined to cut your grass even if it’s been raining, you still can if you’re not using an electric mower.
However, you should follow a few simple tips to make the process as effective as possible. This is as follows:
- Test the soil: If the soil feels muddy or your shoes are getting drenched when walking on the grass, you should seriously consider postponing your mowing to another day. It’s likely to do more harm than good to proceed in these conditions.
- Remove excess water: Sometimes, your soil might feel fairly solid even if the grass is damp. In these conditions, you may be able to mow but you should remove as much water as possible first. To do this, drag a hosepipe horizontally along the lawn pushing the water into your garden’s borders.
- Go slowly: Ensure your blades are sharp, it’s on the highest setting and start slowly moving around your lawn. Go slower than you usually would when mowing, and if your mower shows any signs of struggling make sure to stop immediately.
- Empty your grass basket more often: Be sure to empty the grass basket more frequently than usual. This will stop the basket from becoming clogged and place less pressure on your mower.
- Clean the mower: After you’ve finished, make sure to thoroughly clean the lawn mower. Wet grass can collect on its underside and clog up filters so take some time to give it a good once over.
