No one likes mowing their lawn when it’s eleventy billion degrees outside, but if it’s gotta be done, it’s gotta be done, right?

I mean, no one wants to run afoul of their local HOA.

But what if you had science on your side, and a good reason why you should wait until it cooled down?

Long grass is its own microenvironment, and it helps to shade the soil below, slowing down moisture loss and helping it retain a healthy color in the process.

If you cut it too short you could expose the roots to the sun and cause more damage than expected.

The act of mowing the grass expends a lot of energy and burns a lot of calories, especially if you’re using a push mower, so there are also health reasons for letting it be during the hottest of days.

Exercising in extreme heat could lead to exhaustion or heatstroke, the latter of which is a dangerous emergency.

If your wanting your lawn to be a refuge for pollinators and other wildlife, you shouldn’t mow more than once every 4-6 weeks – or you could stop altogether, but depending on where you live, the authorities may end up involved.

If you like your neat and tidy lawn, gardening expert Chris Bonnett has your back.

“Avoid mowing the lawn during extreme heat, as the lawn will be trying to recover from the heat or a potential drought. The optimum time is in cooler temperatures, after a rainfall.”

If you do have to get out there, at the behest of your HOA or just your own obsessiveness, make sure to keep the blade settings high and leave the cuttings where they fall in order to provide extra shade.

So, there you go.

Your HOA will probably still tell you to get it done.

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