There are many reasons that lawns are left overgrown, the property may have been unoccupied for a long period of time, the property may be rented, and the grounds are not cared for by either the owner or the tenant, a style of Busy life can just bring our lawn care routines so low to the bottom of our priority list that we realize that one day we have a real problem with a neglected and unsightly patio that now needs to be addressed.
No matter why our lawns have become overgrown, now is the time to address the problem and return our lawns to full health and control once again. However, mowing an overgrown lawn can carry the risk of damaging the lawn if we are not careful in reducing excess growth, as cutting an overgrown lawn can seriously damage the lawn or even kill it. if the mowing is not done correctly.
Why Mowing Overgrown Lawn Can Cause Damage
All grass growth comes from a part of the grass called the crown. It is from these crowns that new runners sprout in warm season grasses, as well as new grass blade material in all grasses. If these crowns are damaged or removed during mowing, then there is no way for new grass growth to occur, which in turn can kill the turf in any affected turf areas where this occurs.
In cool season grasses, if we kill the crowns, the entire affected area of the lawn will also die as a result. However, for some warm season grasses, such as Zoysia and Bermuda grasses, these types of grasses also have underground corridors that can repair a lawn where the previous surface grass has been removed or crown removed by mowing. of the lawn. Although it is not a guarantee that all warm season lawns will be repaired when badly damaged.
The problem we have with overgrown grass is that these crowns can rise much higher above ground level when the grass becomes overgrown. Then when we mow sloppy grass to our normal cutting heights, we may in fact be removing the now raised crowns in the mowing process, seriously damaging or even killing the grass in the affected area where this has occurred.
So we need to adjust our mowing practice every time we tackle too large a lawn to bring it back to a neat state.
Mowing an Overgrown Lawn Safely
If we are going to start mowing more frequently from now on, then the best solution for us in managing an overgrown lawn is to slowly reduce the mowing height over time. Not removing too much blade material on the first lawn mowing and then perhaps slowly lowering the mowing height every third service, until little by little we can bring our lawn back to its optimum mowing height.
This method is the safest of all, and while it takes some time to get your lawn back to its best appearance, you will never risk damaging your lawn. What is happening in this process is twofold: first, we never remove these crowns while mowing, so that the grass does not die; Second, as the grass slowly tapers down over time, the grass will adapt to this new growing environment by continually growing all of its new canopies at the lower heights we have introduced. Slowly, over time, we have safely lowered the height of the turf and safely trained the turf so that all new crowns grow lower and closer to the ground level where they belong.
Mowing an overgrown lawn on a single lawn Mowing the lawn
As already mentioned, it will be safer to do it with a warm season lawn than with a cool season lawn, so the risk and results of this remain with the lawn owner or whoever is mowing the sloppy lawn.
If it’s a single lawn mowing meant to quickly clear an overgrown lawn, you’d also expect that we wouldn’t want to kill the lawn in the process. Therefore, the best method of mowing overgrown grass that will not be cut regularly thereafter would be to mow to the highest possible height that is acceptable to the lawn owner.
By mowing at this higher height we are doing our best not to damage or remove too many grass canopies during the mowing process, therefore this will give us our best result in maintaining a lawn that remains alive and well. in the best possible health after this lawn mowing. While the grass will not look its best, it is the safest option for us in this situation and to ensure the continued survival of the grass.
Final Notes on Mowing Long Grass
There are often hidden obstacles in the long, overgrown grass, this could be anything from rocks, toys, glass, tools, or any sort of thing. Such objects can become dangerous if struck by the mower blades, creating a projectile that risks damaging people or property. Therefore, all long grass areas should be carefully checked before mowing.
Finally, whenever we remove a large amount of grass blade material with a single mow, we will cut the brown thatch layer from the grass, and the longer the grass becomes, the height of the thatch layer will also increase. Therefore, we should expect a browning in the grass where a large number of green leaves have been removed at one time. As long as the lawn is properly watered and cared for after mowing, this layer of thatch should diminish in a short period of time and a new green leaf will grow alongside the lawn.