When is the last lawn mowing of the autumn?

Why does the timing differ across Stockholm County?

Grass stops growing once the daily mean temperature stays below 8–10 degrees, and that does not happen everywhere at once. The coast and the inner city hold their warmth longest; the inland north gets the first frost nights. The spread is usually a couple of weeks, but it moves with the weather from one year to the next – some autumns the grass grows into November, others the frost takes it in October.

• The coast and the inner city usually come last: Lidingö, Nacka, Värmdö and the central parts often fit in a cut into early November.
• The northern suburbs are usually done a week or so earlier – Sollentuna, Täby, Danderyd and Järfälla towards the end of October.
• The inland north first: Vallentuna and Norrtälje meet the frost nights earliest, and the grass there has normally finished growing by mid-October.
• The sign to go by is the grass itself: when it has barely grown between two cuts it is time, whatever the calendar says.
• Never cut on frozen ground – the blades snap and the lawn comes up thin in spring.
• Wait until the grass is dry. Wet grass tears, and the mower leaves clumps that smother the lawn under the snow.

How do you know the grass has stopped growing?

Grass keeps growing as long as the soil temperature stays above about 6 degrees. In Greater Stockholm that usually ends some time between 20 October and 10 November, later in the inner city than in Norrtälje or Södertälje.

A simple test: if the lawn has not needed mowing for two weeks in October, it is time for the last cut.

What height should the grass have going into winter?

Mow to 4–5 centimetres. Shorter grass has less leaf area to gather energy with and freezes more easily. Longer grass flattens under the snow and is attacked by snow mould, which shows up as round greyish-white patches in April.

Lower the height in two steps if the grass is long. Going from 8 to 4 centimetres in a single cut stresses the grass unnecessarily.

What the lawn needs in October

October decides how the lawn looks in April. The leaves have to come off before they mat the grass down, the last cut is taken while the grass is dry, and an autumn feed with potassium and no nitrogen strengthens the roots without forcing growth that will only freeze off. If the ground is compacted after a wet summer it needs aerating before winter.

That is exactly what is included when Mulle comes for the last visit of the autumn: leaf collection, mowing at the right height, feeding and aerating where needed, and hauling the leaves and clippings away as an option. You need no trailer, no fertiliser and no aerator, and the work qualifies for a RUT deduction of up to 50 percent of the labour cost.

Lawn mowing with a seasonal contract

Service Plus Stockholm AB mows lawns across Greater Stockholm from April to November. With a seasonal contract, our lawn mower Mulle comes on set days, adjusts the cutting height to the time of year and takes the last cut at the right moment in October, so the lawn goes into winter in the best possible condition.