How do I tell when my lawn no longer needs mowing for the winter?

If you notice that it is slowing its growth down considerably, just come right out and tell him that you wish to stop his service until the spring growing season begins (March). He knows that most of his customers will want to suspend his work when winter hits (it comes with owning a landscape maintenance business). However, if you have alot of trees which drop leaves in the fall, you may wish him to take care of their disposal until they have all fallen from the trees. At the same time, he can take care of the weeds in the bed areas, as well as keeping your porches,walkways, and driveway blown off and free of dirt and leaves. Most of the pruning should be done in the fall after the first couple frosts. Maybe he can do this instead of mowing the turf. Its really up to you, as to what you want to happen. If you want to save some money, then just let him know that he can get ahold of you next spring when grasses start to grow again to start up his services. He will understand thoroughly, as most landscape maint. companies expect this from their customers. Hope this answers your question.

**Billy Ray**

Only mow the lawn when it NEEDS it, as in when it has grown substantially since the last mowing.

That will depend on the type of lawn you have to some extent. I haven't mowed my lawn in over a month, and it doesn't look appreciably different than the day I mowed it.

And we are currently in Alabama! Not that different than houston, I would guess.

Tell your lawn guy you'll call him when you need him again. And you might want to consider looking for one who's more honest and tells you the truth about these things.

You will have to see what the weather is like. If it is still warm and the grass is still growing then you will need him and it is important to keep the leaves off your grass. Check with some friends and see how often they mow their lawn and go from there.

I think I would ask him if it is alraight to put his services on "vacation" for the non-growing season, "but would it be alright if I called you when and if the yard needs a clean up?"