Is It Okay To Mow Wet Grass With An Electric Mower?

If you have noticed your lawn has become tall and messy after some days of rain, you might be tempted to give the wet grass trim with your mower, however, using electric mowers with wet grass is not the best combination. 

Using an electric lawn mower after it has rained runs the risk of many safety issues such as electrocution from the wet lawn and not to mention a huge amount of strain on your mower, meaning you should avoid cutting wet grass at all costs unless you have to. 

So as you can understand more as to why electric mowers and wet grass don't mix, as well as some safety precautions to take if you have to mow your wet grass, we have put all this information below in a short article to help you out. 

Why You Shouldn't Use Your Electric Lawn Mower On Wet Grass

Trying to operate an electric mower with water on your lawn is very dangerous and not recommended, even using gas mowers on wet grass will prove more difficult as the wet grass can stick in clumps to the mower and making mowing tiresome. 

We have listed out some further reasons below as to why you should avoid mowing your lawn when there's excess water or damp grass.

There Is Personal Safety Risk 

Firstly, mowing damp tall grass is not recommended as there might be a potential of slipping as you push the mower, this could put you at risk of falling headfirst into the cutting blades of the mower, which as you can imagine, is not ideal. 

It's Difficult To Mow Damp Grass 

Unruly grass which is wet is not easy to mow, clumping will likely occur from leftover grass clippings in the mowers blades and your mower will often miss taller blades of grass as they bend over when they become wet, resulting in an uneven cut on your grass. 

The tires of your electric lawn mower can even leave potential ruts in the soil and lift the grass roots.

It Invites Fungus Growth 

Brown grass blade patches and other diseases can often occur in a garden after rain due to clippings leftover on the lawn which ends up suffocating the grass. Mould can also be spread from your mower if the wet soil particles were not cleaned thoroughly after.

Tall Grass & Damp Patches Of Grass Can Damage The Mower 

Not only can wet grass be a safety risk to you when you mow and damage your lawn, but it can have a negative effect on your electric mower too. 

Most mowers are not water-resistant, meaning the left-over moisture can potentially cause rust and corrosion on the machine, the motor of your lawnmower will also have to work much harder to cut the wet and heavy grass which could overheat the system. 

There's a Risk Of Shock 

A mower on electricity and wet ground is not a good mix and runs the risk of an electrical shock occurring during use, this is also much more likely to happen if your mower is older, run-down, or has loose parts. 

You Can Ruin Your Lawn Base 

As we mentioned above, mowing wet grass is not easy, and the saturated soil is very easy to form dents in giving a risk of rut damage and pulling out grass blades due to the soil being so soft and the electric mower having a heavyweight. 

There Is a Lot Of Clean-Up

Cleaning up is a big job after using your electrical lawnmower on damp grass, chlorophyll stains can occur easily and damp grass that gets stuck on the electric lawn mower blades will mould pretty quickly. 

Tips For Mowing Wet Grass If You Have To

Not always can you avoid mowing wet grass, especially if you have had a very rainy season where you are, you might have to choose between taking a risk and mowing your wet grass or letting the grass grow tall which can be difficult to deal with later. 

We have put together some of our best safety tips to implement below if this situation happens. 

• Increase the cutting deck height of your electrical lawn mower - Getting a close cut on grass is not easy, so increasing the deck cutting height of your lawnmower to three-four inches long can help with this.
• Keep the blades sharp - Sharp mowing blades have two advantages, one is that clippings will be less likely to form as clumps on the blade and the other is that they will not tear the grass.
• Discharge on the side - Discharging your clippings on the side of your mower will mean you can bag them later and not have the risk of them weighing down your lawnmower.
• Use a cordless battery mower - A cordless battery mower rather than an electrical lawnmower with a cord will avoid the risk of electric shock happening.

Last Words 

Overall, you should always avoid mowing wet grass with your electric mower unless you have to, the safety risks and damage that can occur is not worth risking and you can seriously cause damage to your lawn due to the saturated soil.