How often should you mow your lawn in Tampa Bay?
Around Tampa Bay, most lawns need cutting every week from late spring into early fall, and less often through the cooler months. Your grass and the height it’s kept at set the exact pace.
By Pinewood Property Services · Updated
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Mow by how fast it grows, not by the date.
UF/IFAS Extension gives one rule for every Florida lawn grass: don’t take off more than a third of the blade in a single mowing. Its example is a St. Augustinegrass lawn kept at 4 inches, which should be cut before it grows past 6.
That’s really the whole schedule. A lawn needs mowing as often as it takes to grow back that extra third, so the gap between cuts changes with the season.
Cutting off too much at once is called scalping, and it can do long-term damage. UF/IFAS calls repeated mowing below the recommended height “a primary cause of turf injury” in Florida lawns. Grass kept at the right height roots deeper and stands up better to drought.
How tall to keep each Florida grass.
These are the heights UF/IFAS recommends for home lawns, from its guide to each grass. When you’re unsure, stay at the top of the range.
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St. Augustinegrass
Floratam, BitterBlue and other standard types: 3.5 to 4 inches. UF/IFAS suggests mowing a little higher in shade or during a dry spell.
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Dwarf St. Augustinegrass
Captiva, Delmar, Seville and other dwarf types grow lower, so they’re kept at 2 to 2.5 inches.
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Bahiagrass
3 to 4 inches, every 7 to 14 days while it’s growing. Summer seed heads often set the pace, and the tough stems need a sharp blade.
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Zoysiagrass
Medium and coarse types: 1.75 to 2.5 inches, mowed weekly in summer or once they reach 3 to 4 inches. Fine types kept under an inch need cutting more often.
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Centipedegrass
1.5 to 2.5 inches, every 7 to 14 days while it’s actively growing.
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Bermudagrass
1 to 2 inches on a typical home lawn, which can mean mowing once or twice a week in the growing season.
Tampa Bay sits where central and south Florida meet.
The line UF/IFAS draws between central and south Florida runs from Tampa to Vero Beach, so this area sits right on it. South of that line, its lawn guides say, grass grows year-round. Just to the north, in central Florida, they hold the first fertilizer of the year until early April.
Rain does the rest. The National Weather Service dates the rainy season here from about May 25 to October 10, and rain coverage climbs quickly in June. Those warm, wet weeks are when weekly mowing keeps a lawn inside the one-third rule.
Late fall into early spring is different. Shorter days, lower light and cooler temperatures slow lawns down, and the Hillsborough County Extension office notes that growth can stop altogether in winter. UF/IFAS says St. Augustinegrass needs mowing less often in the cooler months, and a cold stretch may not need a cut at all.
Whatever the month, don’t drop the height to stretch the time between cuts. A scalped lawn going into winter is slower to recover in spring.
Weekly or every two weeks, priced by the visit.
Pinewood mows homes and residential lots weekly or every two weeks, with edging, string trimming and blowing off the driveway and walks. An every-two-weeks visit costs a little more, since there’s more grass to cut, but you pay for half as many. Residential lawns from $45 a visit, priced by lot size. Price your own lawn in the quote tool, or see the arithmetic in our lawn mowing cost guide.
| Lawn size | Weekly visit | Every two weeks | First cut, 6–12″ grassAlso any one-time cut | First cut, over 12″ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to ¼ acreMost subdivision lots | $45 | $55 | $75 | $120 |
| ¼ to ½ acreLarger and corner lots | $60 | $70 | $90 | $120 |
| ½ to 1 acreBig yards, small rural lots | $85 | $100 | $128 | $170 |
| Over 1 acre | Priced after we look at the property | |||
All prices are starting prices. Locked gates, steep ground, or a lot of obstacles can change them, and you’ll know before any work starts. There’s no long-term contract, and recurring mowing can be paused or cancelled anytime.
When the grass gets ahead of the schedule.
A few missed weeks in the rainy season can leave a lawn far past the one-third mark. Bringing it back down takes more work than a routine visit.
That’s why the first cut on an overgrown lawn costs more, and only the first one. We price residential grass 6 to 12 inches from $75, and over a foot from $120. They’re worked out as 1.5 times the regular visit with a $75 minimum, or double with a $120 minimum. Later visits go back to the regular price.
One-time cuts are priced like a first cut. A lawn kept on schedule through the summer shouldn’t need one.
Set the pace by the grass, then keep to it.
For most lawns here, that means weekly mowing through the warm, wet months and less often in the cooler ones, as UF/IFAS advises for St. Augustinegrass. Treat it as general guidance, not a rule for your yard. Shade, irrigation and the type of grass all change how fast it grows.
Pinewood mows on either schedule, and every figure on our pricing page is a starting price. The quote tool asks about your lawn and shows where it starts, and we confirm the final price once we’ve seen the property.
Tell us about your lawn.
Start with the address and a few details about the grass, or call or text if that’s easier. You’ll hear back within one business day, and the price is confirmed once we’ve seen the property, in person or from your photos.
More answers on mowing, brush hogging and overgrown lots are in our other guides.
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