# HOC AFTER VACATION



## devils27 (Apr 17, 2021)

So long story short I scalped back in April and had the Bermuda at 1in for a good month or so and it looked great. I went on vacation for a 8days and the grass got really long, and when I try to cut down to 1in again it looks horrible. The brown underside of the Bermuda shows through bc im cutting off all the green. So my question is how do I get it back down lower while it still being green? I cut at like 2.25in today and it looks pretty good, but do I wait 2 days then go down another 0.5in until I'm back at 1in? Basically how long do I wait between mows to gradually lower back down to 1in?


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## Cherokee_Bermuda (May 10, 2019)

Cut one level below whatever height you want to maintain at. It's going to be ugly at first because you are resetting the HOC. Do it all at once and get it over with. Within a week or two, you'll be back at the height you want and green again.


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## Cherokee_Bermuda (May 10, 2019)

Forgot to mention, after the cut at one level below, bump on one to your maintenance height and stay mowing there.


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## devils27 (Apr 17, 2021)

Gotcha so I basically just got to "reset" the grass height. It will look like trash for a little bit but I just threw down some 16-4-8 last week so that might help it bounce back a little quicker. Just gotta pull the bandaid off quick, it will hurt for a little, but then even out within a week or so. Thanks.


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## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

Question for those with Bermuda, how often do you need to reset HOC to prevent browning such as occurred here?

I currently have Zoysia, and only need to do one scalp in spring, then cut at normal height. Missing a cut doesn't kill me. I may do one more reset towards end of summer, but that's it, the rest of the year it looks beautiful with once a week or less mowing.

I am considering Bermuda on a new home but it sure seems like 10x the work with little gain over zoysia. I enjoy taking care of my lawn, but I really don't want to be a slave to it. Is that really what it takes to have a nice bermuda lawn?

Lawn above is gorgeous BTW, nice work.

.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

UFG8RMIKE said:


> Question for those with Bermuda, how often do you need to reset HOC to prevent browning such as occurred here?
> 
> I currently have Zoysia, and only need to do one scalp in spring, then cut at normal height. Missing a cut doesn't kill me. I may do one more reset towards end of summer, but that's it, the rest of the year it looks beautiful with once a week or less mowing.
> 
> ...


I have mowed at .500" all-season with a pre-season scalp, lots of PGR, and 1 mid-season verticut/mini-scalp/levelling.

The PGR is key. Combined with a HoC in the 3/4"-1" range, it should be fairly easy to keep under those conditions. Still going to be mowing every 3 days in peak season however. Up the PGR dose before vacations or time it with herbicide apps that will wobble Bermuda (like sulfentrazone) and vacations are no-stress.


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## david_ (Aug 22, 2019)

Or just use your vacation to justify 3+" HOC for the rest of the summer. Ha.


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## AvgHomeOwner (Jun 23, 2020)

Or how about going a notch up than usual and followup after 3 days at regular height cut? Just curious.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Once it's brown, it's brown. Reset the point of growth (drop)... like a facelift, got to look worse short term before better.

Or switch to zoysia


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

UFG8RMIKE said:


> Question for those with Bermuda, how often do you need to reset HOC to prevent browning such as occurred here?
> 
> I currently have Zoysia, and only need to do one scalp in spring, then cut at normal height. Missing a cut doesn't kill me. I may do one more reset towards end of summer, but that's it, the rest of the year it looks beautiful with once a week or less mowing.
> 
> ...


If you miss and scalp a little you can get by without it looking too bad, you could always take the rotary scissors and trim back the few areas that scalp. If its like half the lawn then you need to just scalp it lower and ride it out. Also depends on the inputs your are throwing down, if you feed it less then you don't have as much top growth.


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## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

AvgHomeOwner said:


> Or how about going a notch up than usual and followup after 3 days at regular height cut? Just curious.


This does not work. The brown you are seeing is stem/base of the stem. The green grows out of the tip of this. Only way to get rid of it is to cut it off. Usually the shorter the better.


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## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

UFG8RMIKE said:


> AvgHomeOwner said:
> 
> 
> > Or how about going a notch up than usual and followup after 3 days at regular height cut? Just curious.
> ...


You could go up, and leave it up tho, and might hide it somewhat.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

AvgHomeOwner said:


> Or how about going a notch up than usual and followup after 3 days at regular height cut? Just curious.


Just scalp it and go back to maintenance height.

You can scalp to the dirt and be back to green inside of two weeks with Bermuda. Ask me how I know. And it wasn't even peak season. Late April-early May.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

There are those who believe if you continue to mow at the same height which is now scalped...brown stem, that it will turn green eventually if you just keep mowing there.

I have never found this to be true. For this to happen the new leaf would have to start further down the stem instead of the top you're cutting into.

Has anyone found this to be true or is a reset the only way to achieve this?


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## devils27 (Apr 17, 2021)

I mean it makes logical sense, the bottom of stem is brown bc it's not seeing sun, once it starts to see sun again it should, hypothetically, get green again. Kinda like dormant brown turning green? That's a wild guess, someone w more knowledge might be able to confirm that or chime in


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

devils27 said:


> I mean it makes logical sense, the bottom of stem is brown bc it's not seeing sun, once it starts to see sun again it should, hypothetically, get green again. Kinda like dormant brown turning green? That's a wild guess, someone w more knowledge might be able to confirm that or chime in


The dormant grass isn't what turns green. It's dead, completely. The green is brand new growth coming from the ground.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

New lateral growth will fill in the brown stems in my experience, not the stems generating new lower growth.


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## BermudaBoy (Jun 27, 2019)

This videos explains how Bermuda grows and what you have to do to keep it green if you're not willing to scalp and cut very often to keep the stems from getting too long.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

MeanDean said:


> devils27 said:
> 
> 
> > I mean it makes logical sense, the bottom of stem is brown bc it's not seeing sun, once it starts to see sun again it should, hypothetically, get green again. Kinda like dormant brown turning green? That's a wild guess, someone w more knowledge might be able to confirm that or chime in
> ...


^^^This^^^ 
I suppose you could continue to cut at the same height and the green would eventually take over the brown scalped areas, but it's a lot quicker and healthier to just do a HOC reset. It seriously only takes two weeks to be back to normal. Look at the journals. It's all part of owning Bermuda and actually having a life. HOC reset in Bermuda is liking crashing on a bike; there's those that _have_ crashed and those that _will_ crash.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Redtwin said:


> MeanDean said:
> 
> 
> > devils27 said:
> ...


When the grass can't grow up it grows out but like you said, the lateral growth is going to take longer than simply doing a reset.


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## devils27 (Apr 17, 2021)

yeah i might have to release the title of best lawn in the neighborhood for a week or 2 while i get it back down. I never did PGR but have some coming so that will help with only being able to mow 2x /week. thanks for the info


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## devils27 (Apr 17, 2021)

UFG8RMIKE said:


> Question for those with Bermuda, how often do you need to reset HOC to prevent browning such as occurred here?
> 
> I currently have Zoysia, and only need to do one scalp in spring, then cut at normal height. Missing a cut doesn't kill me. I may do one more reset towards end of summer, but that's it, the rest of the year it looks beautiful with once a week or less mowing.
> 
> ...


thank you. You should have seen what i was dealt when i bought the house in january, i really surprised myself coming into it with no knowledge of lawns at all, to what I have now


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