I had some work done on my home not too long ago, and unfortunately, my front lawn got flattened out. With the extra foot traffic and material left on my lawn, the grass took a bit of a beating. I couldn’t wait for my lawn to recover because it was long and desperately needed mowing.
So, these are the tricks I learned when figuring out how to mow flattened grass which got my lawn back to how I like it.
How to Mow Flattened Grass (The Short Answer)
When tackling flattened grass, it’s important to do some pre-care and after-care in addition to mowing. To get the best results, here are my eight steps to quick lawn recovery.
- Blowing the Affected Grass
- Mowing Slowly
- Open Up the Grass Chute
- Mow the Grass as Short As Possible
- Blow the Grass for a Second Time
- Give Your Lawn Some Extra Water
- Give Your Lawn a Quick Feed of Liquid Fertilizer
- Keep People Off the Lawn
How to Mow Flattened Grass Successfully (8 Tips to Implement)
Flattened grass sometimes consists of broken blades. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to repair the damage. However, there are steps to help improve the look of the grass and to help your lawn recover as quickly as possible.
So, how to mow flattened grass? Well, here are my 8 tips to help answer this very question.
Blowing the Affected Grass
The first step you want to take is to blow your lawn with a leaf blower. This will lift any grass that has been pressed down into the ground by either excessive foot traffic or items stored on your lawn. Putting extra pressure on the grass will flatten the blades onto the soil.
I have found that blowing the grass in the opposite direction of what it has been flattened helps lift the grass and get it out of the soil. You could try using a spring rake, but I found a rake did more harm than good.
Mowing Slowly
The next trick I used was to mow my lawn slowly and allow the airflow in my cutting deck to help lift up the grass. So, if you have a walk-behind lawn mower, try pushing it rather than using the drive. This will help you mow a lot slower. If you have a ride on a lawn mower, you’ll just want to go as slowly as possible.
Mow the Grass as Short as Possible
I usually wouldn’t advise anybody to mow their lawn any shorter than normal. But in this situation, it might help. If you can manage to take off an extra half inch without stressing out the lawn, then you’ll be able to remove some of the weight off the grass and help it to stand back up more quickly. Just don’t try scalping your lawn, as this will definitely cause other problems.
Open Up the Grass Chute
When I was using my walk-behind lawn mower, I found that by removing the bag and opening the chute, I would get a lot more airflow. This definitely helps lift the grass and gets it to stand back up some more. Not all lawn mowers will have this option, but if yours does, this will really help mow flattened grass.
Blow the Grass for a Second Time
When you have finished mowing, give your lawn another blow with your leaf blower. Doing this will help lift any of the areas your lawn mower has pressed down on and help lift the areas you have walked over. This will be especially important for you guys who mow your lawn with a heavy ride-on lawn mower.
Give Your Lawn Some Extra Water
Now it’s time for some after-care. One of the key ingredients to a healthy lawn is plenty of water, especially when your lawn requires extra resources to recover. So, once you have finished mowing, give your lawn extra water by running another cycle on the irrigation. Extra water will help your lawn overcome the stress of being flattened out and help it get back to healthy growth.
Give Your Lawn a Quick Feed of Liquid Fertilizer
In addition to watering, I recommend giving your lawn a quick liquid fertilizer feed, such as Scott’s Turf Builder or something similar. During times of stress and damage, your lawn will be looking for a boost in nutrients to help repair damaged cells and to increase cell production. So, on top of watering and plenty of sunshine, your lawn will greatly appreciate some quick-release fertilizer.
Keep People Off Your Lawn
The last thing you want to do is keep people and pets off your lawn until the grass has recovered and has grown past the damaged blade section. Continued traffic will only slow the process down and keep the grass flat for longer.
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