How to Clear an Overgrown Lawn

This page is a general DIY guide to help mow and clean up your home's overgrown yard. These basic lawn care tips and professional products listed throughout this article can help reclaim your lawn's health and height.

With little rain, sunshine, and mowing, turfgrass can quickly overtake your yard in what seems like no time at all. This results in grass that has grown past your knees, which can be difficult to mow. If left untreated, it can create a suitable environment for a variety of pests, from rats to snakes and weeds. All of these affect the health and appearance of your lawn, resulting in a longer yard care program. 

When the bushes have grown out of control, grass reaches a tall height, and weeds are found across your yard, it's hard to know where and when to begin. However, there is never a right time, and the longer your grass remains tall, the worse the infestation will become. By following the methods and products listed in this DIY guide, you will clear tall grass and leave behind a healthy, controllable lawn without adding additional damage to it and your equipment being used.

Clean Up Yard Debris

First, you should clear up your yard of fallen sticks and leaves, rocks, fallen trees, broken pottery, garden décor, and other debris. Leaves and other fallen plant debris should be cleaned up in both the spring and fall to allow necessary sunlight, nutrients, and water to reach your lawn.

Rake fallen plant debris into a pile, then place it into a disposable bag that can be sealed. Discarded debris should be properly disposed of and placed in an outdoor trash can several feet from your home's foundation.

Any debris left on your lawn can host habitats for pests and conditions for weeds to thrive, such as moisture, and hamper the blade of your mower or weed trimmer.

Mark any objects too large to be moved to avoid running them over with your mower.

Trim the Lawn

Before mowing your overgrown lawn, it's best to shorten the turf blades first with a weed trimmer, hand-held scythe, or sickle. Using a regular lawn mower over this tall grass height can prevent the blades from spinning, causing engine overheating and the health of turfgrass.

Trim grass blades until they are about half of their original height, which should leave the turf at 6 to 8 inches high. The goal of trimming is to give the turf the ability to support its weight. Remember to rake and place all grass clippings in a sealable plastic bag when trimming.

Depending on how overgrown the lawn is, a second trimming may be required after a week has passed from the first trimming.

Give your lawn enough time to recover by allowing a week to pass before mowing with a regular lawn mower.

Mow

You will want to use a riding mower for large yards about an acre in size. A push mower is capable of mowing smaller lawns. Once you select your mower, inspect the machinery before using it. Mow when the turf is dry and when no immediate rainfall is forecasted within spring, summer, and early fall.

Clear your mower from cut grass clippings and other debris while it is turned off. Ensure the blades are still sharp. If blunt, they may pull up the grass, damaging your turf by scalping or leading to the death of the lawn.

Set the blades to a desired mowing height. A general rule is to cut no more than 1/3 of the grass blades.

At a slow pace, mow your lawn starting from the perimeter and then inwards to protect the grass blades and engine from being overworked. Repeat the mowing process once per week until the lawn reaches the desired level of growth, then continue mowing as needed to maintain its height. Typically, most turfs are recommended to be mowed when they exceed 3 inches or more in height.

It would be best to change the mowing direction each time to help encourage the straight growth of turfgrass blades. Once mowing is complete, treat your lawn with irrigation once per week to help replenish the nutrients and vitamins lost.

Correct Drainage Issues

The excess build-up of turf, leaves, and other organic matter can cause your yard to have uneven surfaces from puddles of water or to be consistently wet.

Before heavy rain can occur, make sure your drainage pipes and rain gutters are cleaned of debris. This can help prevent your lawn from overwatering and being submerged underneath water.

It's not unusual for parts of your yard to become sloped due to low maintenance, competition from overgrown turf and tree roots, and an abundance of water. If this happens, fill holes in your yard with landscaping sand and direct rain gutter downspouts away from the affected area. However, do not add so much landscaping sand that it covers the turf. 

Remove Weeds and Brush

Once your lawn has reached an appropriate grass height, you can focus on the pests, broadleaf weeds, grassy weeds, and brush that festered in it. To avoid harming your turf, we recommend using spot applications with herbicides to eliminate the weed or brush directly.

For most broadleaf and grassy weeds in your lawn, it would be best to use a post-emergent herbicide like MSM Turf Herbicide. MSM Turf Herbicide is a granular post-emergent herbicide that controls various broadleaf and grassy weeds in lawns and other ornamental turfs.

For most applications, use 0.25 to 1 oz. of MSM Turf Herbicide per 100 gallons of water per acre.

Once a week has passed after applying MSM Turf Herbicide, you may apply other pesticide products. Most overgrown lawns consist of woody vegetation that helps to take away space for desired plant growth and essential nutrients from turf.

To get rid of these brush and woody plants, you will want to proceed with a post-emergent herbicide labeled to do so, like Triclopyr 4 Brush Killer. This product kills a broad spectrum of brush and woody plants in ornamental turfs by absorbing into the treated foliage and then traveling to the roots for complete control.

Spot applications in turf with Triclopyr 4 Brush Killer should be used at 0.375 to 0.75 fl. oz. of product per 1 to 2 gallons of water per 1,000 sq. ft.

For woody vegetation, it is recommended to use 2 to 6 fl. oz. of product per gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft.

Insects are common in overgrown lawns, so you will want to apply a broad-spectrum insecticide like Supreme IT. Supreme IT is 7.9% bifenthrin, which helps to kill up to 70 different types of insects in lawns, around home foundations, within homes, and more. Once dried, it creates a residual that continues to kill and repel labeled pests for up to 90 days after application.

For general insect control, apply 1 fl. oz. of Supreme IT per gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft.

Determine how much product to use by measuring the square footage of the treatment area. To do this, measure the length and width of the treatment area in feet, then multiply (length X width = square footage). To find acreage, divide the square footage by one acre (square footage / 43,560 sq. ft. = acres).

Each of these products will need to be mixed with water, so you will want to use a handheld pump sprayer. Fill the sprayer halfway with water, add a measured amount of product, and then pour the remaining half of the water into the spray tank. Close the sprayer lid and shake to ensure even agitation.

Weed and Feed Your Lawn

When your overgrown lawn has been tamed and all weeds removed, you can proceed with a fertilizer appropriate for that season.

During the spring, weed and feed fertilizers such as Solutions 15-5-10 Weed and Feed Fertilizer with Trimec would be ideal for fighting against germinating weeds on your turf. This fertilizer also helps restore the loss of turf nutrients while fighting against pre-emergent weeds within 30 days of application.

Most applications use 3.2 to 4.0 lbs. of Solutions 15-5-10 Weed and Feed Fertilizer with Trimec per 1,000 sq. ft.

Another time in the year to fight against germinating weeds is the fall season. To control pre-emergent weeds in the fall, use a slow-release granule product like Barricade Granular Pre-Emergent Herbicide. This broad-spectrum herbicide prevents a wide variety of broadleaf and grassy weeds in established turfgrass for up to 60 days after application.

Depending on the turf species, apply between 1.5 to 4 lbs. of Barricade Granular Pre-Emergent Herbicide per 1,000 sq. ft.

Load the appropriate amount of product into your push spreader and calibrate it to the correct setting based on your spreader model. Broadcast half the amount of granules at a perpendicular angle by beginning at the edge of the lawn and walking around the perimeter of the yard at a steady pace. Then, walk and forth across the property with the other half of the granules to cover the space in the middle.

When 1 to 2 days have passed since the application, activate the product granules with 0.5 inches of water. Sweep any granules that have landed on your sidewalk, street, or driveway back onto your lawn.

Keep children and pets off treated areas until 24 hours after application, and the product dries.

Key Takeaways

How to Clear Out Weed and Brush in Overgrown Grass?

• When your yard is overrun with weeds or brush, a post-emergent herbicide that can be used as a spot treatment is often the best form of control. To get rid of grassy and broadleaf weeds in your tall turf, use MSM Turf Herbicide. Eliminating brush and woody vegetation in your tall turf can be done with Triclopyr 4 Brush Killer.

What Season Should Overgrown Yard Be Treated

• There is no best season to control overgrown turf, but spring or early fall would usually be ideal. During these periods, turf growth is slower, and weeds are commonly known to germinate during these periods.

How to Prevent Overgrown Lawn

• Take some time to inspect your yard for fallen debris, rocks, and other man-made objects. Remove these obstacles, then mow until 1/3 of the turf blades are removed. You will want to maintain a height of 3 inches for most turf types. Mow at least once a week when your turf exceeds this height and maintain appearance with ongoing weed and shrub treatments.