If you were able to take advantage of lower mortgage rates last year, or you’ve managed to purchase one of the relatively small number of homes available for sale in 2021, congratulations!
Buying a new home is an exciting thing, and it also means you’re buying a new lawn. Sometimes, that lawn isn’t in the best of shape. Depending on the home you purchased, the lawn might have been neglected, leaving it patchy, full of weeds, or overgrown. For today’s post, we’re going to focus on what you can do to reclaim an overgrown lawn.
Reclaiming an overgrown lawn might be an intimidating task, but it’s certainly not impossible. It’s also a great way to improve your new home’s curb appeal. You can hire a lawn care service to take care of this if you want, or you can save money by doing it yourself. Though it might take a while for the lawn to recover, you can get it back to beautiful in six steps.
Step 1) Trim
Before doing anything else, you’ll need to get the overgrowth under control. If the lawn has been neglected for a long time, you need to cut it back to around 3 to 5 inches tall before mowing with a regular lawnmower.
The easiest way to do this is by using a string trimmer to cut the grass. You could also use a hand-held scythe or sickle, but the powered trimmer will make the job be easier. Once you’re done trimming, remove the cut grass and weeds, then water the lawn.
If you don’t have a trimmer yet, buying one can be a great addition to your collection of lawn equipment. You’ll be able to use it to help maintain your lawn long after you get the overgrown grass under control. For tips on finding a trimmer that will work for you and your new home, check out our article “Buying Guide: Choosing The Best Trimmer For Your Lawn.”
Step 2) Mow
About a week after the first trimming, it’s time to mow the lawn. While it’s tempting to cut the grass down to the height you want it all in one go, that may damage the grass. If you’re patient and take the time to spread out the mowing over several weeks, it will be much less stressful for the grass. Less stress means a lusher, healthier lawn in the long run.
Follow guidelines for healthy lawn mowing by only removing 1/3 of the overall height of the grass each time you mow. You can keep mowing once per week until the lawn gets to the height where you want it, then continue to mow the lawn as needed.
It might help to use a bagging mower if the grass is really tall so you’re not leaving thick clumps of cut grass on the lawn. As the grass gets shorter, though, you can start leaving the cuttings on the lawn. Leaving lawn cuttings (especially if you use a mulching mower) returns moisture and nutrients to the soil and makes for healthier lawn grass.
Step 3) Dethatch
After the weeks when you gradually mowed the grass down to its recommended height range, it’s time to rake or dethatch the lawn to remove moss and thatch. You might have also raked the lawn to remove clumps of grass during the trimming and mowing stage, but this type of raking gets deeper into the lawn.
Choose a time when the weather is warm, preferably in the spring or fall, and the soil is moist but not soggy. The day before raking, mow the grass down so it’s at the short end of the recommended height range. Then go over the lawn with a scarifying rake or a dethatching machine. If you have a large lawn or find raking physically challenging, renting a dethatching machine or hiring a lawn care service will save you a lot of time and hassle.
Step 4) Aerate
Aerating the lawn reduces soil compaction. This lets water and nutrients reach the grass roots more easily and gives the grass room to grow. Many lawns that have been overgrown and neglected also haven’t been aerated in a long time. The resulting soil compaction can stunt grass growth and encourage weeds.
Though aeration is an important step in reclaiming an overgrown lawn, it’s one that you might have to wait on. You won’t want to aerate until after you get the grass height under control, but you also need to make sure you time aeration correctly. For cool-season lawns, aerate in the early fall. For warm-season lawns, aerate in the late spring or early summer.
Since aerating is a once-a-year task, many homeowners find that it doesn’t make sense to purchase an aerator for themselves. You can rent a core aerator to use for a day, or you can hire a local lawn care service to aerate your lawn for you.
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Step 5) Reseed
You’ll want to reseed or replant any bare spots shortly after aerating. Since aerating opens up the soil, it’s a perfect time to start new grass in your lawn.
If you’re seeding the lawn, follow the instructions on your grass seed package for planting and care tips. You could also plant plugs, sprigs, or sod instead of seed if you want faster results. Seed is the least expensive method, but it takes more time for the new grass to fill in bare spots.
Remember to keep the lawn well-watered after seeding. Watering will also help the grass that’s already in your lawn start growing strong after dethatching and aerating.
Step 6) Feed and Weed
Now that you’ve got the grass height under control and the lawn surface cleaned up, you can start getting into a regular maintenance routine. This routine will vary slightly for cool-season grass (a description for the more cold-hardy grasses, such as bluegrass, which may be grown in northern Texas) versus lawns with warm-season grasses like bermudagrass and zoysia (grasses which thrive in hot weather and are commonly grown in Texas lawns).
Fertilize during your lawn’s active growth season, following the application directions on your fertilizer package. You’ll also want to water the lawn deeply and as needed rather than on a set schedule to help conserve water and keep the grass healthy. Treat weeds as they become a problem (click here to learn more about your weed-control options in lawns).
Conclusion
By following these six steps, you’ll be able to get an overgrown lawn back under control. The grass might look a little ratty for a few months, especially after raking, but it’ll start looking better within a single season. With regular maintenance, you’ll soon have a nice lawn to complement your new house.
