Most lawns need cutting once a week or once a fortnight from March to October, about weekly on average in summer, and hardly at all in winter unless it's mild and the grass is still growing. The RHS says never take off more than a third of the grass height in one cut. Our regular rounds are fortnightly.
How often to cut your lawn, season by season
This is what the RHS recommends for an ordinary garden lawn, with the cutting heights they give. Growth is what decides it, not the calendar, so treat these as a guide and go by how fast your grass is actually growing.
| Season | How often (RHS) | Height of cut (RHS) |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Once a week or once a fortnight, depending on growth | Up to 40mm |
| Summer | About once a week on average, dropping to once a fortnight or longer | 13 to 25mm |
| Autumn | Once a week or once a fortnight, depending on growth | Up to 40mm |
| Winter | Usually not needed, unless it's mild and the grass is still growing, then an occasional high cut | Higher than in summer |
The RHS sums it up as weekly or fortnightly between March and October. Flower rich lawns are different, and can be left for four to six weeks between cuts.
The one third rule
The RHS says never take off more than a third of the grass height in one go. If you leave a lawn for a month in May and then cut it right down, you take off far more than that, which is hard on the grass. That's the real reason regular cutting matters more than how short you cut it.
If yours has already got away from you, don't scalp it in one go. Take it down in stages over a few cuts, which is how we save an overgrown lawn without killing it.
A few rules that make every cut better
- Never mow wet or frosty grass. The RHS says wait until later in the day when it has dried out or thawed, or leave it for another day.
- Don't mow when the ground is very soft or frozen, or in cold, drying winds.
- Keep the blades sharp. A blunt mower tears the grass instead of cutting it, which gives you brown tips a few days later.
Why our rounds are every two weeks
Our regular lawn rounds are fortnightly, which keeps most lawns under the one third rule through the main growing season. Lawns are from £30 a cut, most are £35, and a typical Kidwelly front and back lawn of about 100m² is £35 a cut. On our Llanelli garage job, after we cleared the garden, the customer now has her lawn cut every two weeks for £25 a visit.
In peak summer some lawns grow faster than that, so if you want yours looking sharp all the time, ask us about weekly cuts. Over winter we pause regular visits, because most lawns don't need cutting between late November and late February, and we start again in March. There's more on that in when to do the last lawn cut of the year.
Need it cut today? Call or WhatsApp before 12 midday for same day grass cutting. It's two to three times the normal price, so it's cheaper to get on a round if it can wait.
Sources: RHS, lawn mowing guide. Prices are our own current prices and our own 2026 jobs.
Want this every month? Our seasonal garden tips email tells you what to cut, plant and leave alone each month in Carmarthenshire. Sign up at the bottom of this page.
.png)