A lush, green lawn can be the crowning jewel of your garden landscape. But when that pristine turf gets accidentally scalped by the mower blades, it can turn into an unsightly brown mess almost overnight. The good news is that lawn grass is resilient and with some TLC you can nurse your scalped lawn back to health. Follow this step-by-step guide to repair and revive your lawn.

What is a Scalped Lawn?

When you mow your lawn too short, to the point where the mower blades cut off the green grass blades and into the stem and crown of the turfgrass plant, that is called scalping. It can happen for a few key reasons:

• Your mower blade height was set too low.
• You have an uneven lawn with lots of high and low spots.
• Thatch buildup prevented the blades from cutting evenly.
• Weeds created uneven turf for the mower.

A scalped lawn will appear brown, patchy and rough-textured. Individual grass plants can die off entirely from scalping, so action is required to repair and regrow the damaged areas.

Assess the Damage

Walk your lawn and note where the scalping and bare patches are located. Check for these common causes:

• Uniform scalping indicates the mower blade was too low overall.
• Scalping only in certain areas points to high/low spots in the lawn.
• Scalping where weeds were present shows uneven turf height.

Knowing the cause will help determine how best to rehabilitate your lawn. Also inspect your mower blades – if they are dull, replace them so they cut cleanly and evenly.

Water Deeply and Gently

Proper watering is crucial for restoring your scalped lawn. The roots need moisture to regrow new grass blades from the remaining crown. Aim to water your lawn about 1-1 1/2 inches per week, split into 2-3 sessions. Water gently to avoid erosion, runoff or damage to the already stressed turf.

Apply Chelated Iron

Iron supplements can help enhance the green color as new grass shoots regrow. Look for chelated iron at your garden center and apply per label instructions. The iron molecules will be absorbed efficiently to boost chlorophyll production.

Regrade Uneven Spots

If scalping damage seems worst in certain areas, regrading may be in order. Use a ladder-like tool to smooth and blend transitions between high and low areas. Fill in dips gradually with quality topsoil, allowing the grass to grow up through about 2 inches at a time to avoid smothering.

Adjust Mowing Height

Going forward, mow at the recommended height for your grass type – typically 2 1⁄2 to 4 inches. Never cut off more than 1/3 of total blade height in one mowing session. For lawns gone shaggy, do an initial cut on a high setting then gradually go lower over subsequent mowings.

Hold Off on Nitrogen

Avoid nitrogen fertilisers until the lawn has fully filled back in – nitrogen spurs foliar growth and could stress the already shocked grass crowns. Prioritise soil building with compost top dressing instead.

Overseed Bare Patches

Completely dead patches may need reseeding with the same grass variety. First rake to loosen the soil, scatter seed, tamp down gently, and keep moist until sprouted. Consider laying biodegradable erosion cloth over reseeded spots.

Stay on Top of Maintenance

Proper mowing, watering, fertilisation, aerating and dethatching will help your lawn better tolerate occasional incidents of scalping. Keep blades sharp, remove clippings, and inspect regularly for new high/low spots. Healthy grass grows dense and even – making it less vulnerable.

Be Patient!

Finally, remember that full lawn recovery simply takes time after enduring scalping stress. Focus on nurturing the grass plant crowns and roots. With 4-8 weeks of TLC, you should see substantial filling back in. Your lush lawn will return – have patience and care for it properly in the meantime.

In summary, scalping damage is reversible with attentive lawn care and cultural practices to help grass plants regenerate. Assess and address what factors enabled the scalping to occur. Provide ample moisture, loosen and fill low areas, hold off on nitrogen, overseed bare patches, and mow higher going forward. In a season your lawn can bounce back greener and lusher than ever before. Just give it some TLC as the new blades fill back in.