# Help with severely overgrown Bermuda lawn



## Darrell (Mar 22, 2018)

A friend of mine asked me to help her with her lawn. It looks horrible. They just mowed it and grass clippings are everywhere. It's still 3 1/2 inches tall and completely brown. I have no idea how tall it was prior to mowing.

I guess I need to put my rotary mower on its highest setting and mow the lawn and then re-assess. Mow again if needed.

Is this the approach she would take?


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## graemegb (Apr 4, 2018)

I would either leave it high for the rest of the year or completely scalp it right now and reset the HOC. I scalped mine down to .75" two weeks ago and this is what my yard looked like yesterday.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

@graemegb is right. You only really have 2 choices. However if you are going to leave it long you will still need to do a minor scalp. If it's at 3.5" now you need to clean up all the clipping. Then mow it at 2.75" and either bag it or go over it till you have chopped up all the clippings. Then raise the mower to 3.5" again. With a rotary you probably can't take it to .75". But you can take it as low as it will go. If you don't scalp (uneven spots, circles from the rotary blades, noticeable differences in cutting height) really badly at 2.75" then take it down another notch. Then you can bring it back up to 2.75". Bermuda will look its best as low as your mower can take it. Don't be afraid to take it low. If you get finished scalping and you look at it and don't think "Holy sh*t. I just ruined the yard." Then you probably didn't go low enough.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Cut it low. Give it some fast release N. There is enough growing season left.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

Movingshrub said:


> Cut it low. Give it some fast release N. There is enough growing season left.


Agree. If you are going to reset the height, do it right. I would aim for a cut no higher than 1.5" with the idea of maintaining at say 2" for the rest of the year. You should impress upon your friend the importance of cutting at least twice a week for a happy and healthy bermuda lawn.


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## N LA Hacker (Aug 17, 2018)

Hay fields are treated this way all the time and they get multiple cuttings a year. Whack it off.


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## slomo (Jun 22, 2017)

My opinion on low cuts, you better have a dead flat lawn or you are asking for trouble. Just doesn't look right if you can see peaks and valleys throughout.

slomo


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