# Resetting HOC on Bermuda



## Cherokee_Bermuda (May 10, 2019)

This Spring I started mowing with a Fiskars Reel at the lowest setting on 1". My yard is approximately 10K of TifTuf and the turf has been great. Like others have said on these forums, once you go low, you will want to go lower. Well, it happened to me too. I found a great deal on a McLane 7 blade reel and am excited to make the step up. My question is around HOC. Should I continue mowing at the 1" or reset the HOC this season for lower. The yard definitely needs some leveling in spots so I am not sure how low I can actually get. Is it better to go low now or wait until next Spring and go as low as possible?


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## adgattoni (Oct 3, 2017)

I would say we're still early in the season. I would do a HOC reset. You should be able to do less than 1" for your scalp without tearing up the turf too much, even if you haven't leveled yet.


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

If you really wanna get it lower, I'd say go as low as you can go without hitting dirt ASAP...then bump it up about 1/8-1/4" from there to maintain... for reference, I'm using a greensmower this year for the first time, and still haven't leveled. I dropped to 5/8" with only a couple spots bottoming out... now I'm maintaining it at .7".


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

Go ahead and drop it.


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## crzipilot (Jul 4, 2018)

Drop it. You will be surprised how low you can go without bottoming our even though you haven't leveled. I haven't leveled. Grass is 1 yr old and it's bumpy ground in some parts. Went to 1/2". Looked at it and had to take it down a little lower. Now at about 3/4" maintaining.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

So I was going to wait and scalp (1/2") at the end of the month but Im afraid it may start to get consistent temps above 90 and little to no rain here in Texas. Should I go ahead and scalp then maintain at 3/4" with the reel mower now? Forecasted temps over the next 10 days range from low 80's to 90. My past scalp showed the mower could handle it with no problem...


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

ctrav said:


> So I was going to wait and scalp (1/2") at the end of the month but Im afraid it may start to get consistent temps above 90 and little to no rain here in Texas. Should I go ahead and scalp then maintain at 3/4" with the reel mower now? Forecasted temps over the next 10 days range from low 80's to 90. My past scalp showed the mower could handle it with no problem...


You have a picture of a dog wearing a backwards ball cap as your profile pic. There isn't much you should be afraid to try. Scalp, water, and fertilize. And plan your speech for lawn of the month.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

TN Hawkeye said:


> ctrav said:
> 
> 
> > So I was going to wait and scalp (1/2") at the end of the month but Im afraid it may start to get consistent temps above 90 and little to no rain here in Texas. Should I go ahead and scalp then maintain at 3/4" with the reel mower now? Forecasted temps over the next 10 days range from low 80's to 90. My past scalp showed the mower could handle it with no problem...
> ...


Good point and my sweet Charlee is super cool and awesome! Maybe I will get up the nerve and energy this weekend. Now I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm and will admit the lawn has come along nicely (with just a couple of exceptions) but there will be no speeches anytime soon kind Sir. Too much hard core competition for that. I will say comments from folks like you help to keep me moving forward...Thanks buddy!!!


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## FlaDave (Jul 10, 2018)

You know I seen that dog pic many times, never realized he was wearing a hat until you pointed it out lol


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

TN Hawkeye said:


> ctrav said:
> 
> 
> > So I was going to wait and scalp (1/2") at the end of the month but Im afraid it may start to get consistent temps above 90 and little to no rain here in Texas. Should I go ahead and scalp then maintain at 3/4" with the reel mower now? Forecasted temps over the next 10 days range from low 80's to 90. My past scalp showed the mower could handle it with no problem...
> ...


 :lol: :thumbup: +1

You better believe when you get it sub 1", I'll be nominating you @ctrav ...


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Cherokee_Bermuda said:


> This Spring I started mowing with a Fiskars Reel at the lowest setting on 1". My yard is approximately 10K of TifTuf and the turf has been great. Like others have said on these forums, once you go low, you will want to go lower. Well, it happened to me too. I found a great deal on a McLane 7 blade reel and am excited to make the step up. My question is around HOC. Should I continue mowing at the 1" or reset the HOC this season for lower. The yard definitely needs some leveling in spots so I am not sure how low I can actually get. Is it better to go low now or wait until next Spring and go as low as possible?


To each their own. I do a reset anytime my gets too long and starts scalping. I don't play that game where I have to keep raising the deck height so it don't scalp after periods of not mowing. I mowed my front today and it started scalping. Its going to get wacked to the dirt when it quits raining.


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Rockinar said:


> Cherokee_Bermuda said:
> 
> 
> > This Spring I started mowing with a Fiskars Reel at the lowest setting on 1". My yard is approximately 10K of TifTuf and the turf has been great. Like others have said on these forums, once you go low, you will want to go lower. Well, it happened to me too. I found a great deal on a McLane 7 blade reel and am excited to make the step up. My question is around HOC. Should I continue mowing at the 1" or reset the HOC this season for lower. The yard definitely needs some leveling in spots so I am not sure how low I can actually get. Is it better to go low now or wait until next Spring and go as low as possible?
> ...


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Rockinar said:


> To each their own. I do a reset anytime my gets too long and starts scalping. I don't play that game where I have to keep raising the deck height so it don't scalp after periods of not mowing. I mowed my front today and it started scalping. Its going to get wacked to the dirt when it quits raining.


So you're saying there is no harm in scalping often if needed due to weather, vacations or just life getting in the way? What about when it gets blazing hot here in Texas, like we know it will, its still ok to scalp or would this put too much stress on the grass (even Bermuda)?

I find this very interesting...


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

ctrav said:


> So you're saying there is no harm in scalping often if needed due to weather, vacations or just life getting in the way?


Yes, I don't do it to the front yard much because they HOA loves it so much and the neighbors drive past and look at me like I have l lost my mind and "what happened?". But I do it on occasion to the front. Back yard is fair game any time. If it starts scalping or getting brown and stemmy and I don't like it, I drop the deck, scalp it and it hit low spots and stemmy spots with the weed wacker. It will look terrible for two weeks, but 1) I wont have to mow it, 2) It will grow back and look better than before.



> What about when it gets blazing hot here in Texas, like we know it will, its still ok to scalp or would this put too much stress on the grass (even Bermuda)?


If you find a way to kill Bermuda, let me know. I can sell the secret and make million$$$$$$. I dunno, it may stress it. It for sure won't kill it. Hit it with water and fert and it will be fine. I know it won't die....


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Yeah I've scalped mine mid summer in high 90s in the past, no issues other than looking rough for a few weeks, but it's going to do that even if it's 70 degrees.


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## Cherokee_Bermuda (May 10, 2019)

Thanks for all of the replies. I am going to try and beat the rain coming to North Georgia and take it down to 3/8". Then raise it to 5/8" and see how it goes. I just put down GreenTRx at 1lb/M last weekend. Should I ride that out after the scalp or spoon feed some additional nitrogen next week to help recovery?


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Rockinar said:


> ctrav said:
> 
> 
> > So you're saying there is no harm in scalping often if needed due to weather, vacations or just life getting in the way?
> ...


I like it...thanks!


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## Hexadecimal 00FF00 (Sep 20, 2018)

My crappy manual reel is at the lowest setting. I did my Spring "scalp" at that setting and never raised it. I don't want it any taller. But due to a poor PGR application I now have some brown-ish areas (missed PGR so grass grew really tall) from when I left town. I said all that to say that I can't reset my lawn. Again though, I don't want it any taller so I'll ride out the year as it is unless somebody wants to come with a good mower and cut it at a half inch for me. I'll smoke a brisket and provide beer and the swimming pool.


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## Cherokee_Bermuda (May 10, 2019)

Update - I picked up the McLane and found it had not been run in 3 years. Got the oil and gas replaced, fired it up, giggled like a schoolgirl and dropped to 7/8" for the maiden voyage. Grass was probably 1.25" to start. Trying to beat the rain I got started on the front. 10 minutes later the engine sputters out and cannot get it back to running properly. So now my front yard is 7/8 and the rest got finished with my Fiskars at 1". McLane got dropped at the shop yesterday for a full tune up. I can't wait to get it back and to drop and get this whole yard low.


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## drewwitt (Jun 25, 2018)

Cherokee_Bermuda said:


> Update - I picked up the McLane and found it had not been run in 3 years. Got the oil and gas replaced, fired it up, giggled like a schoolgirl and dropped to 7/8" for the maiden voyage. Grass was probably 1.25" to start. Trying to beat the rain I got started on the front. 10 minutes later the engine sputters out and cannot get it back to running properly. So now my front yard is 7/8 and the rest got finished with my Fiskars at 1". McLane got dropped at the shop yesterday for a full tune up. I can't wait to get it back and to drop and get this whole yard low.


I just went from a fiskars to a trucut. Oh my. Make sure you get the reelrollers front roller if you don't already. Game. Changer.


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## Cherokee_Bermuda (May 10, 2019)

I have the roller on it's way. I assume you were at the lowest Fiskars setting of 1" also. How did you you reset your cut going to TruCut or did you start the season with it?


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