# Mowing height for Bermuda



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

Okay, i apologize for the lengthy thread, but I know this has been adressed many times and with all of the research I have done regarding HOC, bermuda needs to be short.

With my lawn being bumpy, I keep it at 2 inches every 4 days religiously and it looks good. Hopefully this fall I'll get 3-4 yards of sand and level it out and I can invest in a real mower and get it shorter.

About 3 months ago before I joined this forum, i sent an e-mail to my local extension office here in town (Texas A&M Agrilife) regarding crabgrass advice which he stated it begins with frequent mowing of the appropriate height. Here is his reply:

"Most of the newer selections of Bermuda grasses like to mowed every 5 days throughout the growing season at a height of 2" or less, but a reel type mower is needed.

Going into the heat of summer then you can raise the height some to about 2 ½" - 3" in which a conventional rotary mower works well"

My question is should I be mowing it (with a rotary mower) 2+ inches when it's 90+ degrees knowing that heat and bermuda go hand in hand? I can get my mower down to 1.75 Inches and the grass doesn't look horrible, but the bumps and lumps are more pronounced. My goal is to have a thick turf (eventually leveled) which I know that mowing short will Influence that greatly.

Just trying to get an understanding and determine if I should go with a lower mower setting in 95+ degree heat.

Thanks!


----------



## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Tex86 said:


> My question is should I be mowing it (with a rotary mower) 2+ inches when it's 90+ degrees


No. Many guys here keep theirs at less than a 1/2 inch all year. You'd need a reel for that, but you don't need to mow higher just because it gets warmer.


----------



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

So if I have thinning spots and I am watering, ferilizing properly, and have passed the screwdriver test. I should gradually bring my mowing height lower to help fill in those areas?


----------



## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

I guess it depends on what you want to do. Typically, you start the season as low as you can go, then slowly work your way up during the season, to prevent scalping. Going lower now may scalp pretty badly.


----------



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

dfw_pilot said:


> I guess it depends on what you want to do. Typically, you start the season as low as you can go, then slowly work your way up during the season, to prevent scalping. Going lower now may scalp pretty badly.


Got it, Thanks for that My approach from the spring was all wrong then. Live and learn I guess.


----------



## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

I have about 4000sf of common bermuda on very uneven ground that has no irrigation that I mow twice a week with a John Deere rider at 1.75". That area looks like crap compared to the area cut twice a week with a reel at .75". I get significantly more scalping with the rotary and it doesn't get nearly as thick. Think grass vs turf.


----------



## AdamC (Feb 10, 2017)

Tex86 said:


> My question is should I be mowing it (with a rotary mower) 2+ inches when it's 90+ degrees knowing that heat and bermuda go hand in hand?


I've always been told to keep bermuda shorter in the warmer months and longer in the cooler months when it's dormant. I keep my bermuda at .5 in the summer when it's 95 - 100 degrees and it loves it.

Investing in a reel will do wonders for your lawn but a decent levelling would also be beneficial. I wouldn't do it in the fall as you mentioned, it might be too late to give it adequate time to recover fully. I prefer late spring, early summer for that.


----------



## Txmx583 (Jun 8, 2017)

I'm in the same boat as you Tex86 and was cutting at 3+ inches and it looked good for the most part but thin in some areas, I've went down to between 1.5-2" (depending on where you measure my bumpy lawn) and it's looking great!!! I plan on getting a reel mower soon and leveling my yard next spring


----------



## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

AdamC said:


> I've always been told to keep bermuda shorter in the warmer months and longer in the cooler months when it's dormant.


Some of us have also broken free from the "longer in colder months" and have kept the grass at or below 0.50 until dormancy. There are a few benefits to keeping it short into the winter. Like, helping keep the grass greener for longer by creating a tight "blanket" of grass. This tighter "blanket" helps to regulate soil temperatures (I have no proof of this). The shorter Bermuda also reduces the amount of work needed in the spring scalp and helps with an earlier spring green up!


----------



## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

My lawn from the front pourch on Nov 27th 2016 (pre-TLF). Notice all the lawns around me, some had been dormant for weeks.


----------



## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

That picture still blows my mind


----------



## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

Red prob sprayed all his neighbors yard with roundup and then used lawn paint on his  ... I kid I kid. Amazing!


----------



## mrigney (Jun 6, 2017)

That is amazing...is that primarily due to cut height you think? What other factors could contribute to delayed dormancy?


----------



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

Some of us have also broken free from the "longer in colder months" and have kept the grass at or below 0.50 until dormancy. There are a few benefits to keeping it short into the winter. Like, helping keep the grass greener for longer by creating a tight "blanket" of grass. This tighter "blanket" helps to regulate soil temperatures (I have no proof of this). The shorter Bermuda also reduces the amount of work needed in the spring scalp and helps with an earlier spring green up!
[/quote]

That picture is simply astounding and just amazes me what you everybody does with their lawns on here. Every time I post on TLF i know I'm in the right place. I'll plan on leveling out in spring of next year as it is recommended with sand.

I went to go check my mower height and it's sitting at 2.5 inches, rather than 2" (I was half asleep when I wrote that last night and knew something was off). I'm thinking about gradually stepping it down gradually to 1 3/4" and giving that a go. The backyard in one area on my slope has the potential for scalping. Normally I mow my yard North and South, but if I mow East to West then I'll miss the lumps and bumps. So I should be able to make it work with a shorter setting. Also, while I am decreasing the height over the next week or two, I'll be able to gauge and see if I can go lower and possibly get a few bags of sand to level out the one are in my back yard that has the potential for scalping my lawn to make do for now. Getting a reel mower this year is simply not in the budget and regardless of how I position it, the wife isn't budging.

Thoughts on my plan of attack?


----------



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

Iriasj2009 said:


> Red prob sprayed all his neighbors yard with roundup and then used lawn paint on his  ... I kid I kid. Amazing!


That made me laugh out loud and my wife dropped her coffee! :lol:


----------



## Txmx583 (Jun 8, 2017)

Lol


----------



## MarkV (Mar 22, 2017)

I was mowing mine at 3+" last year with a rotary. Late last fall I got a McLane reel mower. My yard is not level at all and I'm mowing at 5/8" now and it looks a lot better then it did last year. Does it look perfect? Far from it. But I've learned this is a marathon and not a sprint. I'm mowing every 2-3 days and I'm not using a PGR (plant growth regulator).

I would say if you can invest the time and money on a reel mower do it.

Red that pic is sick!


----------



## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

Tex86,

I'm not a big fan of "stepping it down gradually". In your case the best approach will be to just lower the height as much as you can all at once. Spot level all the super low spots, raise your HOC to desired level and mow. You will need to water more and apply some fast release to help it heal. Remember, with Bermuda, the shorter it is, the denser. Only raise your HOC if you start scalping at the current HOC or if can't keep up with the mowing and NOT because it's getting too hot. I've seen a guy on here maintaining around 2" with a rotary and it looks great. Go as low as you can "afford to". I'm sorry, what I meant by "afford to" was to time and energy to get it there.


----------



## Jericho574 (May 24, 2017)

Iriasj2009 said:


> Tex86,
> 
> I'm not a big fan of "stepping it down gradually". In your case the best approach will be to just lower the height as much as you can all at once. Spot level all the super low spots, raise your HOC to desired level and mow. You will need to water more and apply some fast release to help it heal. Remember, with Bermuda, the shorter it is, the denser. Only raise your HOC if you start scalping at the current HOC or if can't keep up with the mowing and NOT because it's getting too hot. I've seen a guy on here maintaining around 2" with a rotary and it looks great. Go as low as you can "afford to". I'm sorry, what I meant by "afford to" was to time and energy to get it there.


I agree! I never really understood the point of "gradually" lowering the HOC. Either you go low enough to reset the height of the white or you don't. Until you "reset" it, all you're doing is something that could've been done in one shot.


----------



## ahartzell (May 18, 2017)

I've been mowing at 1" all season. Just from that it looks WAY better than it did last season. It helps also that I'm watering properly, fert, PGR (within last month), etc. I'm using manual fiskars reel mower and hopefully getting a greens mower soon so I have time to scalp a little at 0.5" and bring back up to 0.75"


----------



## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

mrigney said:


> That is amazing...is that primarily due to cut height you think? What other factors could contribute to delayed dormancy?


About the only difference between last season and the 2 before was HOC.

I think soil tempatures had the most effect on the grass staying out of dormancy.

I think when it was discussed, Someone said "Golf courses don't let thier greens grow out 2 inches, why are we?"


----------



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

Thanks everybody for the input, I'd be lost if I didn't have this forum to lean on.

Moving forward, next time I mow I'm going to cut it down to 1.75" and see how it goes from there. My lawn is my hobby and I want nothing more than for it to look it to be healthy and look its best..

I know that I am switching gears here, but in terms of fertilizer, when I sent my last soil test in, it came back with deficient levels of Nitrogen and Potash. However, I went to my local seed shop and I found a 19-5-9 slow release thinking that I could kill two bird with one stone. I was also approaching this purchase with the idea of bringing my Nitrogen/Potash up to ideal ranges before I switch to a high N slow release monthly as the low Potash concerns me. My plan is to switch from my monthly milo to every 3 months this 19-5-9 every month until fall and see where I stand. Is that a good approach?

Also, I also have a bag of Scotts Lawn food 32-0-4 which is slow release which is just sitting in a bucket.


----------



## Txmx583 (Jun 8, 2017)

I've just started using Milorganite and really like it so far!! Grass is a nice dark green, and it's a slow release organic fert. It's the first time I've used organic. You have to lay it down pretty heavy but because it's organic it will never burn or damage your lawn.. I found out about it from The Lawn Care Nut YouTube channel. He has some decent info on his videos. Other than that I typically use Scott's lawn food or lawn food max. It's usually on sale at Costco for like $30 a bag for the big bag. But I think I'll mainly use Milo now


----------



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

Txmx583 said:


> I've just started using Milorganite and really like it so far!! Grass is a nice dark green, and it's a slow release organic fert. It's the first time I've used organic. You have to lay it down pretty heavy but because it's organic it will never burn or damage your lawn.. I found out about it from The Lawn Care Nut YouTube channel. He has some decent info on his videos. Other than that I typically use Scott's lawn food or lawn food max. It's usually on sale at Costco for like $30 a bag for the big bag. But I think I'll mainly use Milo now


I'm a huge fan of Milo, I have 5+ bags sitting in my garage as I write this, and the LCN was the one who got me on the Milo wagon.. The only reason I have cut back on a monthly application of it is because it doesn't have the amount of potash my lawn is deficient in. Do you apply yours monthly?


----------



## Txmx583 (Jun 8, 2017)

I have for the last few months, but I'm new to Milo so I'll probably do another app in August depending on how the lawn looks. I did an app in May and heavy one in June.


----------



## Edward (Jun 22, 2017)

Bermuda grass competes well with most grass species, though it creeps into flower beds. They cannot withstand shade well, which is why they are selected for shady gardens. Never do the bag grass clippings. Mowing at a lower height ensures better quality but lower the mowing height, the more frequently you will need to mow. Once the grass turns green in spring, begin the routine mowing. Suitable mowing height is 1 to 2 inches for common bermudagrass and ½ to 11/2 inches for hybrid varieties. With one mowing remove not more than one-third of the leaf area. The landscape supply company suggests testing the soil to determine which nutrients your lawn requires. The thumb rule is only one-third of grass plant should be mowed. For best health, there is a suitable lawn grass height for every lawn grass. Same as Zoysia lawns, Bermuda needs to be scalped each spring.


----------



## BrettWayne (Jun 19, 2017)

Is there any chance of hurting the Bermuda by taking it down too fast ?


----------



## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

It will stress it but no way will it kill it or do any permanent damage. Most here feel it's better to take it down below where you want to maintain it at in one shot. It might take a couple cuts lowering your HOC each time but all in the same day rather than over a couple weeks time. This way it stresses the grass once and it's done. If you gradually lower it over a couple weeks the grass will be stressed longer and look like crap for a lot longer. Just grab the bandaid and rip it off rather than the long painful slow pull.


----------



## BrettWayne (Jun 19, 2017)

How long is the typical recover time to green back up? Also are temps a factor in when to lower HOC? i.e. If too hot could it stress more ?


----------



## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

1-2 weeks depending on how aggressive you went. As long as you can give it adequate water I would do it when it's hotter rather than cooler as Bermuda grows faster the warmer it is


----------



## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Tex86 said:


> I know that I am switching gears here, but in terms of fertilizer, when I sent my last soil test in, it came back with deficient levels of Nitrogen and Potash. However, I went to my local seed shop and I found a 19-5-9 slow release thinking that I could kill two bird with one stone. I was also approaching this purchase with the idea of bringing my Nitrogen/Potash up to ideal ranges before I switch to a high N slow release monthly as the low Potash concerns me. My plan is to switch from my monthly milo to every 3 months this 19-5-9 every month until fall and see where I stand. Is that a good approach?
> 
> Also, I also have a bag of Scotts Lawn food 32-0-4 which is slow release which is just sitting in a bucket.


Your Nitrogen will ALWAYS be low on your soil tests as it is used the most by the grass and it washes from the soil fairly easily too. I think your approach is fine and there is nothing wrong with the Scott's Lawn Food you have either. How much are you planning on putting down every month of the 19-5-9?

Potash(Potassium) will also leach from the soil and be used up by the grass right behind Nitrogen but just not as fast, so I think what you have on hand will work just fine to get those numbers up a little bit.


----------



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> Tex86 said:
> 
> 
> > I know that I am switching gears here, but in terms of fertilizer, when I sent my last soil test in, it came back with deficient levels of Nitrogen and Potash. However, I went to my local seed shop and I found a 19-5-9 slow release thinking that I could kill two bird with one stone. I was also approaching this purchase with the idea of bringing my Nitrogen/Potash up to ideal ranges before I switch to a high N slow release monthly as the low Potash concerns me. My plan is to switch from my monthly milo to every 3 months this 19-5-9 every month until fall and see where I stand. Is that a good approach?
> ...


That was going to be my next question. How much and for how long? The timeframe I would imagine is probably until the end of the season before applying a winterized (dependent on what kind of winter weather is projected). Any recommendations on the lb/sqft?


----------



## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

If you don't have any areas that need filling in I would just go with about 3lbs/K of the 19-5-9 a month. That will give you just a hair under .6 lbs of Nitrogen/K a month. Just keep feeding it that until about a month before it goes dormant, as there is no need to buy a "special" winterizer fertilizer.


----------



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:



> If you don't have any areas that need filling in I would just go with about 3lbs/K of the 19-5-9 a month. That will give you just a hair under .6 lbs of Nitrogen/K a month. Just keep feeding it that until about a month before it goes dormant, as there is no need to buy a "special" winterizer fertilizer.


I do have an area on the back where the wife sprayed round up on a 5x10ft area of grass while I was put of town :-/. It could definitely use some help.


----------



## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Just add an extra handful to that area when you fertilize. Just make sure to spread it out good and it wouldn't hurt to hand water that area every so often either.


----------



## Tex86 (Jun 4, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> Just add an extra handful to that area when you fertilize. Just make sure to spread it out good and it wouldn't hurt to hand water that area every so often either.


Thanks for that MQ. Much appreciated. :thumbup:


----------



## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Tex86 said:


> Mightyquinn said:
> 
> 
> > Just add an extra handful to that area when you fertilize. Just make sure to spread it out good and it wouldn't hurt to hand water that area every so often either.
> ...


No problem at all, that's what we are here for :thumbup:


----------

