There are many reasons why grass is allowed to overgrow, the property may have been unoccupied for a long period of time, the property may be rented and the gardens care neither for the owner nor for the tenant, a style of Busy living can simply push our lawn care routines so far down our priority list that one day we realize we have a real problem with an unkempt, unsightly lawn that now needs to be addressed.
No matter the reason our lawn has gotten too big, now is the time to tackle the problem and return our lawn to full health and control once again. However, mowing a lawn that is too large can carry the risk of damaging the lawn if we are not careful with how we cut the excess growth, as mowing a lawn that is too large can actually severely damage the lawn or even kill it. if mowing is not done correctly.
Why cutting too big a lawn can cause damage
All grass growth comes from a part of the grass called the crown. It is from these crowns that new stolons sprout in warm-season grasses, as well as new turfgrass leaf material in all grasses. If these crowns are damaged or removed during mowing, it is impossible for new grass to grow, which in turn can kill the grass in any affected grass area where this occurs.
In cool-season grasses, if we kill the tops, the entire affected area of the lawn will also die as a result. However, for some warm-season grasses, such as Zoysia and Bermuda, these grass types also have underground runners that can repair a lawn where the top surface grass has died or has had its crowns removed by mowing. Although it is not a guarantee that all warm-season grasses will be repaired when severely damaged.
The problem we have with overgrown grass is that these canopies can rise much higher above ground level whenever the grass gets too tall. Then, when we cut the overgrown grass to our regular mowing heights, we may actually be removing the now raised crowns in the mowing process, severely damaging or even killing the grass in the affected area where this occurred.
Therefore, we must adjust our mowing practice whenever we are faced with a lawn that is too large to bring it back to a tidy state.
Mowing an overgrown lawn safely
If we are going to start mowing our lawns more frequently from now on, then the best solution for us in managing an overgrown lawn is to slowly reduce lawn mowing heights over time. Not removing too much leaf material on the first mow, and then maybe slowly lowering mowing heights every third service, until we slowly get our lawn back to its optimum mowing height.
This method is the safest of all, and while it takes some time to get our lawns back to their best appearance, you will never risk damaging the lawn. What happens in this process is twofold: firstly, we never remove these crowns while cutting the grass, so the grass doesn’t die; second, as the grass slowly lowers over time, the grass will adjust to this new growth 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 grass and safely trained it so that all new canopies grow lower and closer to the ground level where they belong.
Cut an overgrown lawn in one lawn mowing
As already discussed, this will be safer with a warm-season lawn than a cool-season lawn, so the risk and results of this remain with the lawn owner or whoever is mowing the overgrown lawn.
If it’s a single lawn mowing intended to quickly clean up an overgrown lawn, it would also be expected that we don’t want to kill the lawn in the process. Therefore, the best method for mowing an overgrown lawn that is not going to be mowed regularly thereafter would be to mow the lawn as high as possible 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 crowns during the mowing process, therefore this will give us the best result in keeping a lawn alive and in the best health. possible later. this lawn mowing. While the grass will not look its best, it is the safest possible option for us in this situation and to ensure the continued survival of the grass.
Final Notes on Cutting Long Grass
There are often hidden obstacles in long overgrown grass, this could be anything from rocks, toys, glass, tools or anything else. Such objects can become dangerous if struck by lawnmower blades, creating a projectile that risks injuring people or property. Therefore, all tall grass areas should be carefully checked before mowing.
Finally, every time we remove a large amount of grassy leaf material with a single mow, we will cut the brown thatch layer from the lawn, and the longer the grass gets, the height of the thatch layer will also increase. Therefore, we should expect browning in grass wherever 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 thatch layer should subside in a short period of time and new green leaves will grow on the lawn.