[Nomo]

I over seeded my lawn two weeks ago and have good germination but just as we all know happens, there are spots that need to be reseeded. I have watered my lawn for a short amount of time several times a day for the last two weeks and it's about to get out of control.
I want to know if it's ok to cut it back now with my mower at it's highest setting? I plan on cleaning out and reseeding the still bare areas afterwards so there's enough time for it to germinate and harden off before frost hits.

What do you think?

 

[luderiffic]

Go slow and avoid the areas that haven't germinated. Hopefully your yard isn't too damp, I'd be more worried about ruts than hurting the grass. I mowed after 2 weeks of an overseed last weekend, it was fine.

 

[Nomo]

Good to hear. Yeah, the yard is pretty damp. I'm not going to water tomorrow. Seeing as it will hit about 85 degrees here tomorrow, the yard should dry up some before I cut it.
I have a couple battery operated push mowers so I don't think weight will be a problem.

I don't know if I really want to avoid the areas that haven't germinated. I know it's been only 2 weeks but there are couple areas where I see absolutely no activity going on. I really want to get in there with a thatching rake, seed, fertilizer, and lawn soil and let it take a second go at it.

 

[MarkAguglia]

I mowed less than 2 weeks after overseed and had good results. You might want to mow lower to allow the new seed to get more light and not be shaded out.

 

[Nomo]

I mowed less than 2 weeks after overseed and had good results. You might want to mow lower to allow the new seed to get more light and not be shaded out.

Interesting that you feel mowing lower is the thing to do. I understand getting more sunlight to the young grass but I'm worried about the blade's affect on the younger grass. If I raise the mower to it's highest point, chances are it won't even hit the young grass blades thereby reducing the chance of injury to them.

Decisions...Decisions...

 

[Eric]

I overseeded my front yard 5 weeks ago and have mowed it probably 12 times, first 9 were at 2.25, last 3 have been at 1.75. It seemed to be responding exceptionally well! I'll post a new pick this weekend after I mow it again, it's literally every 3 days

Had to cut back on watering to every 3-4 days because I believe my soil holds water too well. It's far from perfect but compared to where I started I'm amazed

 

[MarkAguglia]

I think my first cut was 2.5" if I remember correctly. I've had good results and eventually went back to mowing at 3" after about 3 weeks.

 

[coreyndstuff]

Wondering the same thing - are you planning on bagging at the highest setting or mulching? My understanding is that mulching will prevent things from getting sucked up, but at the same time i've got tons of leaves falling and all of those clippings have to cause problems for the new grass.

 

[Virginiagal]

For an overseeding, the existing grass should be cut using the 1/3 rule after waiting as long as you can to mow. That will probably be on your highest setting. Then a day or so later you can mow again at a lower setting, taking off another 1/3. Try to work it down to about 2 inches. At overseeding I cut at 1 inch. My first cut 10 days later was at 3 inches (fudging a bit on the 1/3 rule because the grass was 5 inches) and the second cut (3 days later) was at 2 and I'm going to maintain 2 for a few weeks and then go up to 3. Cutting the new grass encourages tillering. I don't collect clippings. They have never been a problem. If you have heavy clumps, then you might want to collect clippings or just mow through them, redistributing them. Just mow the leaves. As long as they are chopped, they are not a problem (good organic matter). Don't water the day you mow until after mowing. Make sure your blade is sharp. Be careful with turns because the ground is soft from all the watering. Try to make turns on hard surfaces or adjacent areas if possible.

 

[Overfloater]

Baby grass is suprisingly tough IME. I've mowed it, stepped on it, and all other manner of abuse.

Other than physically ripping it out of the ground or letting it get cooked in hot sun, it usually can handle everything else.

 

[Nomo]

Well tomorrow will be the day. I plan on mulching at about 3 inches.

 

[GrassDaddy]

IMO people freak out too much about lawn sprouts. Obviously avoid it if you can, but consider this..

I overseeded my backyard 3 weeks ago. I have 5 kids, they play in the backyard constantly. They leave their gymnastic mats on the new grass, they drag toys across it, etc.

OH and I mowed at 1 week when it was just sprouts WITH MY STRIPING KIT. And it's looking fabulous today.

If you have a push mower my recommendation is always to cut it at 2in when the grass is at 3in. This gives the sprouts plenty of sunlight to do their thing. If you have leaves/debris then bag it. As long as you go slow on turns, and wait till the soil isn't soggy, you will be fine. I would skip the lawn roller striping kit, but I forgot about it. Didn't damage but again it's minimizing risk vs reward, the kits make turns rougher so I could have damaged it..

 

[j4c11]

I recommend keeping it at 2.5" for the first 5-6 rounds of mowing. If the grass is too long it bends over when you step on it and has a hard time getting back up.

 

[g-man]

I follow Purdue recommendations, 1.5in hoc (2in for tttf). Just don't follow their football recommendations after loosing to Michigan.

http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-3-W.pdf