# All of you that maintain Bermuda at 2" or HIGHER.



## Rick S (Feb 21, 2021)

I am interested in trying this. Please tell me the specifics of your routine.

What is your HOC?
Do you stay at that HOC all year long?
Do you scalp in the Spring?
Do you scalp in the Spring and then go straight up to your HOC?
Or do you scalp and then slowly raise your HOC over x number of weeks?
Have you tried any other HOC's before you went "tall?"
Any other info is appreciated.

I cannot cut lower than 1.75" or I will scrape to the dirt. My lawn has some very uneven spots and lots of big highs and lows. And at 1.75" I see a lot of brown stems instead of grass by early summer.

Please tell me your experience. 
Thanks.


----------



## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

1.) 2.25
2.)yes
3.) Two times a year
4.) Yes, scalp at 1.5 zero turn
5.) Yes unlevel yard plus heavy mower scalps yard at any setting lower and I level almost every year.

My understanding is I need to continue leveling but the big mower is not doing me any favors. I would actually love to see someone yard that maintain it at 2 inches or lower with a zero turn.


----------



## SWB (Sep 22, 2018)

Two acres with a zero turn. I scalp in the spring and then slowly raise to 2.25 and I've cut as high as 3". My lawn has several undulating areas that can only be cut in one direction. I don't like the uneven cut in those areas and sometimes I'll use a 30" Exmark to mow those areas.
I leveled several years ago but it has become very uneven since then. I no longer have a good way to get a large dump truck full of sand to my lawn with out the risk of damaging the new drive.
I will add that my lawn looks awesome at 3".


----------



## rotolow (May 13, 2020)

I can run about 1.75" on my 42" rotary for most of the year without it getting too leggy. Just under an acre of irrigated turf and probably an additional 20k sqft of dallisgrass/bermuda that I only mow.

I scalp as low as I can get ~1 inch and reset to that 1.75" once the season starts. Lots of bumps so mu turf length will vary between .75-2 inches throughout the yard depending on how I cut.

Looks fine and without some substantial leveling I think the turf quality is acceptable.


----------



## coreystooks (Aug 6, 2019)

About 28k of mine I keep taller with a zero turn. I actually scalp it to 0.75" with my honda walk behind and usually start maintaining at 1.5" and raise it as I need to, once I can't maintain at 2.5" I will do a reset.


----------



## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

CenlaLowell said:


> 1.) 2.25
> 2.)yes
> 3.) Two times a year
> 4.) Yes, scalp at 1.5 zero turn
> ...


I either take the pin out or leave at the lowest setting which is 1" on my zero turn for 21,000 sq ft of my yard. It did very well last year to encourage the existing Bermuda to spread and take over weeds/bare spots.


----------



## Jacobpaschall (Nov 1, 2020)

CenlaLowell said:


> 1.) 2.25
> 2.)yes
> 3.) Two times a year
> 4.) Yes, scalp at 1.5 zero turn
> ...


This is an area from last year shortly after a sand leveling. At that time I was maintaining it at 1" with my 54" John Deere Zero Turn. The deck goes down to 1" from the factory but I lowered the deck 1/2" so I can scalp at 1/2". Basically dragging the deck on the ground at that point.


----------



## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

From my lawn journal.

1 inch HOC with a rotary.


----------



## ThickLawnThickWife (Jul 23, 2018)

More pictures in Lawn Journal
-Mine at 2.5 inches
-I scalp in the Spring and gradually let it move up during the hottest part of the summer.
-I have had mine as high as 3.5 inches. It looked OK but I found the sweet spot at about 2 to 2.5 inches because of the color and the next year's spring scalp isn't as tough.


----------



## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

Jacobpaschall said:


> CenlaLowell said:
> 
> 
> > 1.) 2.25
> ...


That's nice, I have so many unleveled spots that anything under 2.5 leaves scalp makes. I'll level some more this year, but the zero turn just digs especially if you have trees to go around like I have.


----------



## Rick S (Feb 21, 2021)

Thank you everyone. But this is for HOC's HIGHER than 2".


----------



## rockwalltxguy (Oct 1, 2021)

Well i am going the opposite direction now but I use to maintain mine at about 2.5". I wouldn't scalp per se but would typically cut it down to around 1.75" in spring and then move up to the next level on my mower and maintain it there all season. This is what it looked like doing so.


----------



## Rick S (Feb 21, 2021)

rockwalltxguy said:


> Well i am going the opposite direction now but I use to maintain mine at about 2.5". I wouldn't scalp per se but would typically cut it down to around 1.75" in spring and then move up to the next level on my mower and maintain it there all season. This is what it looked like doing so.


Thank you. Did you always have green or did you see brown stems also?


----------



## rockwalltxguy (Oct 1, 2021)

Rick S said:


> rockwalltxguy said:
> 
> 
> > Well i am going the opposite direction now but I use to maintain mine at about 2.5". I wouldn't scalp per se but would typically cut it down to around 1.75" in spring and then move up to the next level on my mower and maintain it there all season. This is what it looked like doing so.
> ...


At that height I always had green. I could cut down to about 2" and still see green any lower and you would start seeing the brown.


----------



## Rick S (Feb 21, 2021)

coreystooks said:


> About 28k of mine I keep taller with a zero turn. I actually scalp it to 0.75" with my honda walk behind and usually start maintaining at 1.5" and raise it as I need to, once I can't maintain at 2.5" I will do a reset.


Hi Corey. You mentioned "once I can't maintain at 2.5" I do a reset." What do you see that you say you can't maintain it? Are you seeing brown stems?


----------



## Rick S (Feb 21, 2021)

Thank you everyone for your responses and photos. A few more questions:
How often do you have to mow to keep seeing green?
If you miss a mow and your lawn gets high: Do you simply cut it then at the same height you were cutting it?
Does that leave brown stems?
Or, no matter how or when you cut it: As long as you stay at 2" or higher - do you always have green grass?


----------



## rockwalltxguy (Oct 1, 2021)

At that height I only mowed once a week and even if I missed a mow I never had brown. After my initial cut in spring I raised my mower one level and left it there all season.


----------



## coreystooks (Aug 6, 2019)

@Rick S Yes that is exactly what is happening, but I usually can only cut that area about once a week. I believe though that if I could cut that area as often as I do the area that I reel mow that the problem would not be so bad.


----------



## Rick S (Feb 21, 2021)

Thanks everyone. I'm looking forward to trying this this summer.


----------



## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

Rick S said:


> Thank you everyone for your responses and photos. A few more questions:
> How often do you have to mow to keep seeing green?
> If you miss a mow and your lawn gets high: Do you simply cut it then at the same height you were cutting it?
> Does that leave brown stems?
> Or, no matter how or when you cut it: As long as you stay at 2" or higher - do you always have green grass?


I mow at least once a week and I'm on PGR now which helps


----------

