How High and How Often Should You Mow a Florida Lawn?
Mow St. Augustine grass at 3.5 to 4 inches and Bahia grass at 3 to 4 inches. Medium and coarse Zoysia grass types take 1.75 to 2.5 inches. Bermuda grass takes 1 to 2 inches with low to moderate care. Those heights come from Florida’s extension service and its guide for each grass.
Around Bradenton, plan on a cut about once a week from spring through fall. In the cool months, about every other week keeps up, since the grass slows down but keeps growing. Our lawn maintenance visits follow that same rhythm.
What height should you mow each Florida grass?
St. Augustine grass is the most common lawn grass in Florida, the extension service says. A grass that spreads low with narrow blades can usually be cut shorter than an upright grass with wide blades.
| Grass | Mowing height | Mow again by about | Pace while it grows |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Augustine grass, standard types such as Floratam | 3.5 to 4 inches | 5 to 6 inches | About once a week |
| St. Augustine grass, dwarf types | 2 to 2.5 inches | 3 to 3.75 inches | About once a week |
| Bahia grass | 3 to 4 inches | 4.5 to 6 inches | Every 7 to 14 days |
| Zoysia grass, medium and coarse types | 1.75 to 2.5 inches | 2.5 to 3.75 inches | About once a week |
| Bermuda grass, low to moderate care | 1 to 2 inches | 1.5 to 3 inches | Once or twice a week |
The third column applies the extension service’s one-third rule: no cut should take more than a third of the blade. The other columns come from its guide for each grass.
Floratam, the most widely used St. Augustine grass in Florida, is a standard type. Its guide says to raise the height in shade or in a dry spell. Floratam also does poorly with less than 6 hours of sun a day.
Bahia grass is often mowed just to take off its seedheads. Zoysia grass leaves are tough to cut, so its guide calls for a sharp, well-adjusted mower. Bermuda grass sits lowest. With high care it can be kept at half an inch, though that takes more mowing.
The St. Augustine guide puts it simply: mow at the highest recommended height. The extension service’s mowing guide adds that a higher cut grows a deeper root system.
How often should you mow around Bradenton, month by month?
Grass grows slowest in winter and fastest in summer, the extension service’s mowing guide says. The extension service’s lawn guides divide Florida into three regions. By their lines, Bradenton falls in the southern one, where the guides say growth is year-round.
The table pairs that guidance with NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 climate normals for its Bradenton weather station. Treat the pace as a starting point, since the grass sets the actual day.
| Month | Normal high | Normal rain | Mowing pace and what to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 72°F | 2.8 inches | About every other week; the coolest month |
| February | 75°F | 2.0 inches | About every other week |
| March | 78°F | 3.1 inches | Every 7 to 14 days as growth picks up; Zoysia grass greens up last |
| April | 83°F | 2.5 inches | Weekly; raise the cut in dry spells |
| May | 88°F | 3.5 inches | Weekly; the rains can start late in the month |
| June | 91°F | 9.0 inches | Weekly; mow when the grass is dry |
| July | 92°F | 8.9 inches | Weekly; Bahia grass seedheads come on strong |
| August | 92°F | 10.1 inches | Weekly; the wettest month |
| September | 90°F | 7.4 inches | Weekly; the peak of hurricane season |
| October | 85°F | 2.9 inches | Weekly, then less often as the rains end; Zoysia grass fades first |
| November | 79°F | 1.8 inches | Every 7 to 14 days; the driest month |
| December | 74°F | 2.3 inches | About every other week |
Spring is the warm, dry stretch before the rains. April and May bring about 6 inches of rain between them, while June alone brings about 9. The St. Augustine guide says to raise the mowing height in a dry spell.
In September 2026, the Southwest Florida Water Management District extended a water shortage order through March 31, 2027. The district cited drought across the region. The order limits lawn watering to one day a week in Manatee, Sarasota, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. With less water, keep the cut toward the top of your grass’s range.
Summer is the fast stretch. About 35 of the station’s 56 inches of rain a year fall from June through September. NOAA counts about 9 to 13 days a month in that stretch with a tenth of an inch or more. The extension service says to mow only when the grass is dry, since wet clippings clog a rotary mower.
Winter is the slow stretch. North Florida lawns may need no winter mowing, the St. Augustine guide says. NOAA’s Bradenton station averages about one night a year at 32°F or colder. Around Bradenton, the grass keeps growing, just more slowly.
If the lawn got ahead of you, start with a one-time cut from our lawn mowing service. We bring a tall lawn down over more than one visit, so no single cut takes too much.
When does a very low cut make sense?
Scalping means cutting off too much of the grass at one time. The extension service says it can do long-term damage and leave grass open to insects, disease, drought and sunscald.
Repeated mowing below the recommended height is a primary cause of injury to the grass, the mowing guide adds. A bumpy lawn invites scalping, because the mower drops into dips and the blade catches the high spots. Mowing in a different direction each time lowers the chance of it, the extension service says.
The one planned low cut is the first step of lawn leveling. We mow the lawn down low and mark each low spot with paint. Then we spread leveling material into the dips, tamp it firm and rake it so the grass crowns stay exposed. The grass grows back up through the material, and mowing at the normal height picks up again.
Should you leave grass clippings on the lawn?
Yes, on most lawns. The extension service says clippings return nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Under most conditions, they do not add to thatch. Sarasota County’s lawn tips say the same thing: keep the clippings.
Clumps usually come from long gaps between cuts. If they form, let them dry and spread them over the lawn, the St. Augustine guide says.
Keep clippings out of the street, too. The City of Bradenton asks residents not to blow or sweep yard waste into streets or storm sewers. Clippings in a storm drain feed extra nutrients to streams and other waters, the city notes. Sweep or blow them back onto the lawn instead.
Would you rather hand the mowing schedule off?
Lawn Leveling Masters mows lawns on a schedule about 60 miles around Bradenton. Every visit includes mowing, edging, string trimming and blowing. Visits come weekly in the growing season and every other week in winter.
See how a lawn maintenance plan starts, or look over all of our lawn care services. Call or text (941) 812-6030, and we look at the lawn and put the quote in writing.