Ditch The Sprays: There's A Simple Way To Keep Grass Off Lawn Mower Tires For Free

Cutting your lawn grass unfortunately involves much more than simply taking your lawn mower for a quick spin and putting it away. This crucial appliance needs regular cleaning and maintenance to keep it in good working order, but it can also sometimes be the source of annoying issues such as grass sticking to its components. If you've got grass clippings frequently sticking to this appliance, there are certain tricks and affordable ways to keep grass off lawn mower decks. There may be an even simpler option that's completely free, though. To reduce grass buildup on lawn mower tires, try to mow your lawn exclusively on days that are both warm and dry.

Mowing wet grass creates issues for both your lawn mower and your lawn. The problem all boils down to the sticky nature of grass clippings when the lawn gets wet from recent rains or morning dew. You might also notice your lawn is wet on a more humid summer day. While a few blades of grass here and there is not problematic, the ability of wet clippings to bunch together and create larger clumps can certainly interfere with the efficiency of your lawn mower, and you could be stuck with a mess on your tires to wipe down afterward. Mowing wet turf can even create unappealing ruts in your lawn that will inevitably create further headaches, and any thick clumps leftover can inevitably turn into thatch and suffocate healthy grass underneath the clippings. Collectively, these are all reasons why you should avoid mowing wet grass whenever possible.

Dry grass clippings are far less likely to clump than wet ones, so mowing dry turf is preferable if you want to avoid this sticky situation. As for timing, you'll want to work around storms and subsequent turf saturation as best as you can, but you can generally aim for mid-mornings or late afternoons on most days to avoid dew.

At the same time, Mother nature might not always be on your side when you're trying to adhere to a mowing schedule. It's common to face several humid or wet days in a row during the spring and summer months, but you don't want your grass to grow too tall either. Aside from mowing dry and warm days, also be sure you keep your grass at the right height to maintain a lush yard in the summer heat. Turf that is both wet and too tall can make clumping problems all the more likely. Tall, sticky grass clippings also accumulate rather quickly around lawn mower tires and other components. These may even prematurely dull the cutting blade, leading to more maintenance.

Mowing occasionally in light rain is permissible, but you should not make this a common practice. If you do mow wet grass, clean your lawn mower tires immediately before the clippings have a chance to stick onto them more firmly. While you can use commercial sprays for such purposes, water and mild detergent work just as well. You may also need to bag clippings on your lawn if they've created thick clumps on top of the turf or run the risk of doing so.