When to stop mowing your lawn for the winter – the tell-tale sign that it’s time to give your grass its final cut of the year

Wondering when to stop cutting your grass for winter? It’s always been a hot topic among lawn owners, but this autumn, things are a little different.

For one thing, the weather has been milder. It’s easy to forget about that after recent storms, but temperature-wise, this autumn has been a little warmer than usual. My lawn has been growing really fast, so it's definitely not winding down for the year just yet. That means the best time to stop cutting your grass for winter might be slightly later than normal – but what’s the sweet spot?

I spoke to a couple of lawn experts to find out exactly when it’s time to stop mowing our grass for the winter – or, at least, the signs to look for.

I asked Johnsons Lawn Seed’s lawn expert, Guy Jenkins, for a guideline on when we should stop mowing our lawns and store our lawn mowers away for the winter. Usually, November is the most widely accepted deadline – but 2026’s autumn weather has been meddling with the normal schedule.

‘This autumn has been mild, and we’d expect the grass to continue growing slightly longer than in a typical year,’ Guy explained.

‘The Met Office reported that October 2026 was warmer and wetter than average across the UK, so some lawns may have continued growing later into autumn,’ adds Cheryl Harper, managing director of Greensleeves Lawn Care. ‘That could mean an occasional November cut is worthwhile, provided your grass needs it and conditions allow.’

Generally, gardeners begin to stop mowing their lawns by now and focus on other November lawn care tasks, like aerating the lawn. According to Guy, though, we’ll need to rely on other signals this year.

‘With most lawns, you can expect to stop mowing around late October to the middle of November, when the temperature begins to drop,’ he explains. ‘However, the tell-tale sign is with the lawn itself – if the grass stops growing between cuts, it’s time to stop and put the mower away.’

So, really, it’s a case-by-case basis: if your lawn is still growing between cuts, Guy says there’s no harm in raising the mowing height and giving it light cuts on mild, dry days until the grass stops growing altogether. A robot lawn mower is especially good at giving a lawn light cuts little but often, like the Segway Navimow i208 LiDAR Robotic Lawn Mower (available at Amazon).

Lawns usually stop growing below a certain temperature, and that’s a good guideline to follow, too.

‘Grass can continue growing when temperatures are around 5°C or above and there is enough sunlight, so it may still need an occasional trim through late autumn and winter,’ Cheryl explains. ‘Once growth has effectively stopped, you can give the mower a rest.’

You’ll need to keep an eye on the weather, though – you should never cut wet grass, for example, and we’re likely to see a lot more rain this November.

‘Extra growth doesn’t automatically mean you should get the mower out, particularly after heavy rain,’ Cheryl warns. ‘Check that the lawn has dried sufficiently and the ground is firm before cutting, and leave it alone during frost.

‘There’s no need for a ceremonial ‘last mow’ of the year: keep checking your lawn and only cut when growth and conditions justify it.’

What you'll need

If you're wondering when to stop cutting your grass for the winter in 2026, it's wise to check that your lawn has stopped growing first.