How To Mow An Overgrown Lawn

Whether you’ve gone away for a long period of time or simply gotten a little lazy, it’s time to tackle your overgrown lawn! It can be a little daunting cutting long grass, especially if your lawn has transformed into an urban jungle.

As experienced lawn care professionals, we know how to successfully mow even the tallest of grass, so we’ve written this handy step by step guide on how to mow your overgrown lawn.

Why bother mowing your lawn?

While you may be tempted to just let it be, mowing your lawn is highly beneficial. Not only does it improve the aesthetics of your property, but it’s also good for your lawn. Shorter grass blades make it easier for your lawn to receive the nutrients it needs and successfully achieve photosynthesis, enabling it to grow strong and healthy.

Mowing your long grass also prevents pests from making their home in your lawn. Long grass is the ideal environment for unwanted insects and animals, especially snakes. So a regular mowing regiment can make a significant difference in deterring these pests.

Shorter grass enables you to easily see if your lawn has any issues such as fungal diseases.

Mowing your overgrown lawn

Now that you know why you need to mow your overgrown lawn, it’s time to get mowing!

Check the weather

The first step to tackling your overgrown lawn is to ensure that the weather will be on your side. It’s best to mow when the weather is mild and without the risk of rain. Choosing to mow your lawn in wet weather is more than unpleasant, it’s also an easy way to spread disease and damage your lawn.

Inspect the lawn for debris or obstacles

Before you get your mowing tools out, you will want to inspect the lawn and see if there are any other potential problems. You may find that some debris has found its way into your lawn such as rocks, tree branches, and other rubbish. It’s also important to inspect for any pests or hazards such as snakes, spiders and nesting birds.

Assess the length of your grass

If your grass is above knee height, hold off on firing up the mower. Instead, use a whipper snipper or similar cutting tool to reduce the lawn height to a more manageable lever. Use a rake to remove the excessive grass and dispose of it responsibly.

Mow to reduce 50% of grass height

Now mow your grass to reduce the height by 50%. While mowing to this level may not produce your ideal height, it’s best not to mow too short straight away. Cutting too short immediately can damage the roots of your lawn and even encourage the growth of weeds.

Perform your second mowing

After your first mowing, you want to leave your lawn to recover and repair itself for at least a few days. After this, you can mow your grass to your desired height.

Fertiliser and water

Following your second mowing, you can now add fertiliser to your lawn to provide some much needed nutrients and help encourage strong growth. You may also want to water your lawn if there hasn’t been much rain.

Create a regular mowing schedule

Now that you have your lawn back under control, you will need to create a regular mowing schedule to avoid getting in the same conundrum. Start with a fortnightly or monthly mowing schedule and keep an eye on your lawn growing rate.

If you don’t have time to mow your lawn yourself or struggle to keep a regular schedule, hire a professional mowing service instead. By enlisting the experts, you won’t have to worry about your lawn getting too long again and will have the professionals taking care of it! Receive a free quote today!

For more tips and tricks on mowing long grass, check out our blog article.