How To Care for Your Yard During Florida’s Rainy Season

by | May 7, 2024

Florida’s rainy season is right around the corner and that means your plants and lawn are about to start growing faster. With rainfall happening almost every day in Florida during the summer, it’s important to keep up with mowing the lawn and weeding. Here are a few ways to care for your yard during Florida’s rainy season.

Understanding Florida’s Rainy Season And Heavy Rains

Florida’s rainy season is almost here and that means it’s time to prepare your yard. The forecast might show 14 days of straight rain, but 90% of the day is hot, humid, and sunny all before the 5 O’clock downpour.
The heavy afternoon rains are a great way to cool down, but these rains can cause damage to your plants and yard. The mixture of heat and moisture is a breeding ground for bacterial and fungal issues. Florida’s rainy season runs from late May all the way through early October. 
The University of Florida says, “Keep fallen leaves and other debris clear to avoid spreading disease. Make sure plants are dry before pruning, as disease can spread easily in water.” It will be best to keep fertilization until next season as the next heavy rain will wash it all away.

Why You Should Not Mow Wet Grass

We’re all guilty of it at one point or another. I always thought it was a myth that you shouldn’t mow wet grass. It’s hard to avoid it, especially during Florida’s rainy season, but according to HGTV, there are many reasons you shouldn’t mow wet grass.
Like we talked about earlier, the hot and moist weather is a breeding ground for bacterial and fungal growth. Dr. Joey Williamson Clemson University’s expert in residential horticulture, said, “The main reason for not cutting wet grass is that if there is a disease in the lawn, and they tend to occur more when the grass is wet frequently from excessive rainfalls, the mower will spread the disease around the yard.”
Another reason you shouldn’t mow wet grass is because it can cause damage to your mower. The blades don’t cut through wet grass as well as dry, brittle grass which can cause buildup and clumping in your mower.
When you mow wet grass, the mower will spit out the grass in clumps around your yard. If you don’t clean them up, the clumps will cover growing grass and kill it off in patches leaving behind dead spots.