# A reel mower is everything.



## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

A couple weeks ago I scalped my backyard with my rotary, then cut it at .300" with my new greens mower. The weather has not been kind (cold..hot...freeze...hot....cold...) so I have had to wait for it to grow a bit.

Today I cut it at .500"

It looks amaze balls. No matter how hard I tried with my rotary the past 3 years, it never even got close to this and I put a ton of effort into it with the rotary.

Still thin in some spots, I have a ways to go and its thinner up twords the house where it gets less sun, but still accomplished more in 3 weeks with a reel than I accomplished in 3 years with my rotary.

Crazy what a difference a reel makes. I'm almost tempted to do the front yard now to dominate the neighbors.

April 2nd with a reel strip down the middle to the dirt, and rotary scalp. I had not yet scalped it at .300" yet.










Today (month later)


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Looks great! This is my first year with a reel, and only the second year with sod period, so hope mine looks this good!


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

Rockinar said:


> I'm almost tempted to do the front yard now to dominate the neighbors.


DO IT!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Redtenchu said:


> Rockinar said:
> 
> 
> > I'm almost tempted to do the front yard now to dominate the neighbors.
> ...


+1


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> Looks great! This is my first year with a reel, and only the second year with sod period, so hope mine looks this good!


A mentioned, do it. I did not put any effort into it. I cut it with the reel mower at .300" and put down some starter fert. Waited for it to grow and kept it watered. When it filled in it grew horizontal, something it never did with the rotary. Then today I cut it at .500".

Instant amazing lawn.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Looking really good! You can take some credit yourself, we won't blame you.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Maybe I need to do one low cut at 0.3 or so with mine and drop to 0.5. I'm at about 0.75 right now. Lateral growth would be ideal right now.


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## Bunnysarefat (May 4, 2017)

@Movingshrub you were asking if a reel really does make a big difference. It does! You have to see it to believe it.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> Maybe I need to do one low cut at 0.3 or so with mine and drop to 0.5. I'm at about 0.75 right now. Lateral growth would be ideal right now.


Zeon absolutely hates scalping. Only time I do it is the first mowing after I have taken over from someone who was doing it wrong. It then takes up to one nerve wracking month to grow back. Best thing I can tell you if it is thin is to fertilize. Zeon does not act like other Zoysias I have dealt with. What I do to Emerald or El Toro would kill Zeon.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

@Rockinar, imagine this as the face of your neighbors when you scalp the front yard, then you have results like you did in the back yard.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

Colonel K0rn said:


> @Rockinar, imagine this as the face of your neighbors when you scalp the front yard, then you have results like you did in the back yard.


lol lol


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe I need to do one low cut at 0.3 or so with mine and drop to 0.5. I'm at about 0.75 right now. Lateral growth would be ideal right now.
> ...


Here's some type of Zoysia patch in my yard. Its not looking bad cut low. But I scalped it when I scalped the Bermuda. The bermuda has filled in mostly. But this Zoysia is SLOOOOOOOOW............this thing is going to be another month it seems.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Do you want to keep the Zoysia? That is something I actively kill unless someone bought it as their lawn. How you maintain and treat the Zoysia in order to keep it nice is different from what you are supposed to do to Bermuda. For one thing, it will act differently when you are fertilizing and it then warms up enough for the Zoysia to grow. The Zoysia will stick out as this tall, coarse grass that grows faster than the Bermuda. It will also have a different color. Most Zoyisias are more yellow green. Other thing I can think of is how it reacts to being mowed low. Especially if it is some kind of wide bladed Japonica selection. What will happen, is that it will always look scalped.


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Colonel K0rn said:


> , imagine this as the face of your neighbors when you scalp the front yard, then you have results like you did in the back yard.


I had no plans at all on doing the front. I was just going to do the back since its an easy large rectangle. I might do the front a little bit. Just to show the neighbors "I could dominate you if I wanted".


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> Do you want to keep the Zoysia? That is something I actively kill unless someone bought it as their lawn. How you maintain and treat the Zoysia in order to keep it nice is different from what you are supposed to do to Bermuda. For one thing, it will act differently when you are fertilizing and it then warms up enough for the Zoysia to grow. The Zoysia will stick out as this tall, coarse grass that grows faster than the Bermuda. It will also have a different color. Most Zoyisias are more yellow green. Other thing I can think of is how it reacts to being mowed low. Especially if it is some kind of wide bladed Japonica selection. What will happen, is that it will always look scalped.


Unless you know of an easy way to kill it without much effort, I was just going to leave it. It does not bother me really right now.

Everyone in my neighborhood all had bermuda sod when built a couple years ago. Now they are being infested by St Augustine thanks to their yard guys bringing it in on their mowers I suspect. Not sure where else it would come from.

As long as I avoid the dreaded St Augustine invasion, I'm fine.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

What have you got herbicide wise? I know of a program that will selectively damage the Zoysia, but the chemical investment is about $200. @kur1j is on that program.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe I need to do one low cut at 0.3 or so with mine and drop to 0.5. I'm at about 0.75 right now. Lateral growth would be ideal right now.
> ...


It's about time for fert - going to do it today or tomorrow before the rain comes to water it in for me.

What else can I do to encourage lateral growth, anything?


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Bunnysarefat said:


> Movingshrub you were asking if a reel really does make a big difference. It does! You have to see it to believe it.


Sigh. That's what my wallet was afraid of. I already warned the wife that a reel mower was in the timeline for the next two years; Now just to pick a make/model.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

@Rockinar Your lawn is looking really good. What led you to select the JD reel mower versus some of the other options?


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Movingshrub said:


> @Rockinar Your lawn is looking really good. What led you to select the JD reel mower versus some of the other options?


I bought the JD mainly because I thought it looked cooler than the red machines, it was only $600, and I also have a JD dealer nearby who can service it.

If I did not get the JD, I might have went with the Swardman.


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> What have you got herbicide wise? I know of a program that will selectively damage the Zoysia, but the chemical investment is about $200. is on that program.


All I have right now is big box store stuff for broadleaf and some Celsius.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

It might be worth it to kill that spot dead with RoundUp, Sod cut it out. Then put down new sod.


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## Kicker (Apr 5, 2018)

Movingshrub said:


> Bunnysarefat said:
> 
> 
> > Movingshrub you were asking if a reel really does make a big difference. It does! You have to see it to believe it.
> ...


Same boat. I already planted the seed of a swardman with my wife. Just going to water like crazy till it germinates.


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## Davie_Gravy (Mar 2, 2018)

It looks great, Rock. Which model JD did you buy? $600 sounds like a nice price...where did you find it?
I need to get a reel but just waiting to stumble across a deal on a JD, Jake, or Toro GM. If I don't find this deal then I may just pull the trigger on a reel in the off season at a higher price.


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## Bunnysarefat (May 4, 2017)

I like the Swardmans. It would be at the top of my list if I were buying new. Haven't looked into all the other options out there much but it looks like they have a good product.


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Davie_Gravy said:


> It looks great, Rock. Which model JD did you buy? $600 sounds like a nice price...where did you find it?
> I need to get a reel but just waiting to stumble across a deal on a JD, Jake, or Toro GM. If I don't find this deal then I may just pull the trigger on a reel in the off season at a higher price.


I bought mine online from Weeks Machinery.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> Redtenchu said:
> 
> 
> > Rockinar said:
> ...


+2!


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

I scalped my front yard down to the dirt yesterday. Unfortunately its too small, too many roots, slight slopes etc and I don't think I will maintain it with the greens mower. I had to try though. The funny part was after I scalped it, I was using my rotary to vacuum up the cuttings. As you know its really dirty and nasty process. So I put my welding respirator on so I'm not breathing the grass clippings. So picture this. The entire neighborhood has green grass. I'm out front of mine that's down to the dirt, I'm pushing my rotary around randomly in no particular fashion, and I'm wearing a respirator. I imagine theres some people that thought I was having a mental breakdown.


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