Grass length going into Winter?

The temperatures are starting to drop and soon the grass should stop growing as fast. With the final lawn mowing coming soon, I am questioning how long grass should be before it is blanketed in snow and ice.

What would you recommend? Any benefits to just leaving the lawn long?

Leaving it a bit longer going into winter is generally fine, gives some insulation to the roots. The main thing to avoid is leaving it really long and matted, which can cause snow mold if you get a wet cover. Somewhere in the middle is usually where I land.

I was just thinking about this very thing, grass going into winter. We finally have had some good moisture here after a very dry summer and the grass is green and growing. I have to wonder if leaving it long for a while would help build root reserves and then mow to a reasonable length when the growth appears over for the season?

I mow it quite short just before the snow starts coming. It's dormant by then and it helps prevent heavy snow mold (sneezies) and discourages voles (chewies) from nesting everywhere under the snow. Plus, I often clear walking paths or move snow onto trees and long grass is just a nuisance.

Snow? What's Snow?  Oh... that white stuff that every few winters, falls from the sky and pisses off our ducks.

I mow the same length year round - about 4 inches.

My weather crystal ball isn't just cracked, but more or less shattered, by the expected super el Nino, so we'll either get no snow, or 3 feet - either no below freezing weather, or -10 C. Most of our grass dried back completely during our summer drought and we only got our second storm a couple of days ago. If it turns green and grows before November, I'll decide if any of it needs mowing.

Jay Angler wrote:Snow? What's Snow?  Oh... that white stuff that every few winters, falls from the sky and pisses off our ducks.

Doth a wise person offer contempt to the weather gods? Lest they smite thy land with frost and solid water in apocalyptic measure.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:

Jay Angler wrote:Snow? What's Snow?  Oh... that white stuff that every few winters, falls from the sky and pisses off our ducks.

Doth a wise person offer contempt to the weather gods? Lest they smite thy land with frost and solid water in apocalyptic measure.

Hey, at least our Municipality now owns 2 snowplows instead of just one - sort of - they're really just heavy duty pickup trucks with a blade attached to the front.

If we get much snow, the place shuts down for days. That said, it's *not at all* like Ontario snow. This stuff is wet and heavy and usually mixed with rain. People who are used to driving in Prairie snow get here and discover they need a whole new skill set to cope with it.

And unlike you, sometimes I have to mow my lawn in February!