After a wet start to the year, gardening experts have warned that cutting your lawn too early can damage grass and do more harm than good.
Experts have warned that cutting your lawn too early can damage grass(Image: Getty Images)
Ireland has endured one of the wettest starts to a year in recent memory, with some areas recording rainfall every single day so far in 2026.
But a seasonal shift is on the way. Meteorological spring begins this Sunday, March 1, and will mark the start of longer evenings, brighter skies and, hopefully, a much-needed rise in temperatures.
This means gardeners across Ireland will be dusting off their tools, eager to breathe new life into their outdoor spaces after months of rain. And for many, the first big job on the list is tackling the lawn.
However, knowing exactly when to mow for the first time this year can be tricky. Experts have consistently warned that cutting too early can do more harm than good – and in some cases may affect the health of your grass for the rest of the year.
Grass struggles to grow in colder temperatures, and during early spring it focuses its energy on strengthening its root system rather than producing fresh blades. Mowing too soon can interrupt that development and divert energy away from the roots, just when the plant needs it most.
The general consensus among gardening experts is that by Sunday, March 15, temperatures are typically mild enough to make mowing safe, Devon Live reports.
Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don has previously addressed this on his blog, where he urged caution against rushing out with the mower.
He wrote: “Cutting too early during the colder months can damage your lawn, as grass doesn’t thrive in low temperatures. By mid-March, the weather in most parts has warmed enough to make mowing beneficial.”
Monty Don on Gardeners’ World(Image: BBC)
Don warned gardeners not to make the common mistake of cutting too low on the first trim of the year. He added: “The grass will need mowing in March but do not cut it too short. Just give it a light trim for the rest of this month. This will encourage good root growth and as a result the grass will be a lot healthier and better able to resist summer drought.”
He also advised gardeners to rethink how they approach lawn care altogether, saying: “To get a ‘good’ lawn you have to think positively. Put your efforts into healthy grass rather than fighting perceived ‘problems’ like daisies, moss, ants, worm-casts, moles, plantains, dandelions and fairy rings. Nine times out of ten if the grass is healthy then everything else will look after itself.
“The best grass likes very well drained soil. Moss, for example, is always a symptom of poor drainage, made worse by shade. Unfortunately even the best prepared soil becomes compacted by matted roots, rain and, especially, normal family use. The answer is to work on it at least once a year by sticking a fork in the ground and wiggling it about and repeating the process every 6 inches or so.”
To improve drainage, Don recommends aerating the soil and then top-dressing it with a simple homemade mix of equal parts sieved topsoil, sharp sand and sieved leaf mould or compost. He continued: “If you do not have these things to hand then just sharp or silver sand will do the job. Spread it across the area you have pricked and brush it in with a stiff broom, filling the holes with the mixture. This will help drainage and feed the grass.
“It is also worth giving the lawn a good scratch with a wire rake. This will get at all the overwintering thatch and moss, and let light and water get to the soil and to the roots of the grass. Put the debris on the compost and then mow. It will look a little bald for a week or so but will grow back thicker than ever.”
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