# First Season- New Bermuda Lawn



## green is king 01 (Mar 9, 2018)

Hi all!! I'm new to the forum. I have been reading for a while but this is my first post (love the information and experience on the forum). So I will be having TIFTUF Bermuda installed soon. So, in anticipation, I am already planning for the season. The company installing the sod has a great reputation and they will do everything. All I will need to do is water after installation, then the normal maintenance, which is where my questions come in...

1) How soon do you recommend mowing, and with what type of mower? From what I have read the first few mowing's should be with a push mower. What about a manual reel mower (Mascot)?

2) I plan to get a tru-cut C27. How soon should I start mowing with this without causing damage?

3) Should I follow the monthly feeding schedule (and the Bermuda Bible in general) the first season. or hold off until next season?

4) What HOC should I maintain throughout this first season?

Thanks for any feedback!!!


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## DeliveryMan (Mar 1, 2018)

I will be reading the responses to this thread closely -- I am in the same boat and am only a couple hours from you in Raleigh


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Welcome to TLF!!! I too am only a few hours away 

1) I would wait until the lawn has rooted and you can no longer easily pull up a piece of sod by hand. A manual reel mower is fine to start off with if you have one on hand already but as the bermuda starts to grow and get thick it will progressively get harder to mow with it. Any reel mower will generally be easier on the turf than a rotary or riding mower.

2) You could use the TruCut in place of the Mascot. See #1 above 

3) Yes, you should be fine following the BB New Testament once the sod has rooted as it will help it grow together and fill in all the seems. I would avoid any of the "mechanical" aeration or verticutting the first year though.

4) Depending on how much it grows during the first 2-3 weeks it may take to root, I would play it by ear on the HOC as you won't want to take too much off at once as that would effect root growth which it what you want to concentrate on the first year.

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you may have as we have all be where you are


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## green is king 01 (Mar 9, 2018)

Thanks for the quick response! Very much appreciated. I'm sure I'll have more detailed questions as I move along. Thanks again.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Skip the TruCut and get a Toro GM1600 from Prairie Equipment.

http://prairieturfequipment.com/product-category/walking-greens-mowers/

Their service is fantastic. Ware pointed me towards them, and mine is being shipped this coming week. With TruCut you're going to have to pay extra for a front roller, extra for a metal rear roller, etc. Toro is tried and true - and you can get a $9,000 mower for under $2k fully tuned up and delivered.

Just my $0.02.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

You should also give the Swardman a look as well. @SGrabs33 also just opened a reel mowing business Triangle Reel Mowers, based out of Raleigh. Concord isn't that far away. You should get in touch with Scott, or vice versa.


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## green is king 01 (Mar 9, 2018)

I'm open to any type of reel mower. From the research I've done I came to tru cut being the best option. I like the toro idea but I'm concerned with the limited range for HOC. Does Prairie add larger rollers to increase the HOC?


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

green is king 01 said:


> I'm open to any type of reel mower. From the research I've done I came to tru cut being the best option. I like the toro idea but I'm concerned with the limited range for HOC. Does Prairie add larger rollers to increase the HOC?


Last year was my first year doing reel low Bermuda. When researching which mower to buy, I had the very same concerns. I really wanted a Toro Flex, but did not like the limited HOC range that it provides. If decided to grow above 1", the mower would be useless.... So I too opted for a C-27 TruCut. My plan this year was to replace the Trucut with a Toro Flex, because keeping it under 1" is not as hard as I thought, especially with the use of a growth regulator.

When looking for a flex, I found the thread on the Swardsman, so instead of the Toro, I bought a Swardsman Reel, which seems to be a great hybrid between a homeowner reel and a greens mower. So my TruCut is for sale...

Pretty wordy response to say examine your options, and do not discount the Toro based on limited HOC alone. If you have the time to cut approx twice a week during peak growing season, the limited HOC for the Toro is moot - ESPECIALLY if you apply a growth regulator. If not interested in cutting that often or using a growth regulator, then the TruCut (or similar) is the one to get.

I will leave with stating that once you go low cut, it is hard to go back. The look of the low cut at .5" and less just "pops". Folks always stop as I cut to chat about how do I get my lawn to look as good.... My neighbor has serious grass envy... she asked me to knock it off last year when I was cutting... "you are making my lawn look bad" she said.... "What are you trying to do, get create a putting green" :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## green is king 01 (Mar 9, 2018)

So with new bermuda sod (first season) is it reasonable to mow and keep the HOC at 1"? Will the ground be level enough for this HOC to look good? If so, I think the GM1600 is the best option. Thoughts?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

green is king 01 said:


> I'm open to any type of reel mower. From the research I've done I came to tru cut being the best option. I like the toro idea but I'm concerned with the limited range for HOC. Does Prairie add larger rollers to increase the HOC?


A Toro GM1600 has a HOC range of 1/8" to 1-1/4".



green is king 01 said:


> So with new bermuda sod (first season) is it reasonable to mow and keep the HOC at 1"? Will the ground be level enough for this HOC to look good? If so, I think the GM1600 is the best option. Thoughts?


It depends on what kind of prep work was done, but I was able to mow my lawn at 1" with a reel mower before doing any additional leveling.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Concretestorm laid sod and kept it at 1/2" so it's doable but YMMV

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=334


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## green is king 01 (Mar 9, 2018)

sorry if this is a duplicate post. It looks like my last didn't post..??

Are there others similar to the GM1600 I should be looking for- like John Deere?? if so, what model(s)? It looks like this type of mower is the way to go. Thanks again to all for the feedback!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

260SL would be JD's 26" equivalent, but I think its max HOC is advertised as 7/8". On some mowers you can change the HOC adjustment brackets or front roller to get a little extra height, but that's not something I have any experience with.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I know the Baroness LM66 is a 26" mower too and it will cut up to 1" but those are almost impossible to find as I have never seen a used one for sale.


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## green is king 01 (Mar 9, 2018)

sounds like the GM1600 is what I will get. Who's the contact at Prairie you guys have dealt with?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

green is king 01 said:


> sounds like the GM1600 is what I will get. Who's the contact at Prairie you guys have dealt with?


Greg Chliboyko. That's where my GM1600 came from - it was a positive experience.


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## green is king 01 (Mar 9, 2018)

So I've been researching the GM1600. Do you guys use the tires for moving the mower across concrete? To mow my entire yard I need to cross concrete three times. If I have to put the tires on and remove each time....uhggg....


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Most homeowners remove the axles so they can get closer to features around the yard. Rolling across the cement without axles will not hurt the mower.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

green is king 01 said:


> So I've been researching the GM1600. Do you guys use the tires for moving the mower across concrete? To mow my entire yard I need to cross concrete three times. If I have to put the tires on and remove each time....uhggg....


I did the same thing at first when I got my mower but now I just roll across the concrete without any thought of it at all. That drum is a lot tougher than you think it is. :thumbup:


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## green is king 01 (Mar 9, 2018)

Hi all! Big day!!! So the new sod went down today....Looks great but it is still dormant... So what do you all recommend as far as watering schedule/requirements for dormant bermuda? I can water daily but didn't want to over water if it is not actively growing/rooting. I will talk to the installer also to get his recommendation, but wanted to hear from others as well. Thanks!


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

Water it enough to keep the soil under the sod moist, but not saturated. There are a lot of factors that can determine how much water that will require, so you will want to start with a heavy watering now and be diligent about checking frequently so you can adjust as needed.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Spammage said:


> Water it enough to keep the soil under the sod moist, but not saturated. There are a lot of factors that can determine how much water that will require, so you will want to start with a heavy watering now and be diligent about checking frequently so you can adjust as needed.


I agree with this as the sod should start waking up here shortly with the warmer temps on the way. Just keep it moist as it shouldn't require too much this time of year.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

One small piece of advice - remember the grass WANTS to live. It will tell you what it wants and needs as you go.


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