# Starting to Reel Mow



## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

I know this subject has been brought up multiple times here, so I thought I'd make a video on my experiences with it.

I've created a video tutorial/guide on how to bring your high cut grass down so it recovers to the point where you can start reel mowing on it.

I'll be making a lot more videos this year so if you enjoyed this please subscribe to the channel. Let me know if you guys have any questions or comments!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WytO-en5kMw


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## creediddy2021 (Mar 27, 2021)

Awesome job jrubb! Nice work. After I look at your lawn, trying to maintain that golf course diamond-shaped look takes a lot more precision. Looks incredible!

I would be afraid that shorter grass can create lawn diseases, weeds, excess watering, faster drought,s and more fertilizing as it would need to be controlled substantially rather than mowing higher at 3.5"-4.5" throughout the season. Has this been true for you?


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Good job on video.... oh yeah Go Pack Go


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Great job with the video. I know you had a real tough tie last season and I think this video will help a lot of people who want to get into reel mowing.

Nice work! :thumbup:


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## RCUK (Jul 16, 2018)

Great video, nice one!


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

@creediddy2021 thanks for the kind words! You're now the third person to ask me about inputs on short cut grass compared to long grass. I think I'll make a video about my experiences with that as well. The short answer is

lawn disease: no noticable difference
weed pressure: less with the low cut lawn
water: the same water bill for both HOC's (I think it's a myth that shorter grass needs more water).
fertilizing: same

The main difference for me is how much more often you have to mow and put down PGR to stop the growth. Also the maintenance on a greens mower is kind of a PITA because you need to get in good with a golf course if you're not that handy.

@NJ-lawn Thanks man! No Pack No! Should be a fun season this year.

@Harts thanks for checking it out! Yeah last year was rough for everyone on here that watched me go through it. Haha. I'm older and wiser at this point. I'm hoping it saves some people some of the frustrations I had.

@RCUK thanks!


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

jrubb42 said:


> @creediddy2021 thanks for the kind words! You're now the third person to ask me about inputs on short cut grass compared to long grass. I think I'll make a video about my experiences with that as well. The short answer is
> 
> lawn disease: no noticable difference
> weed pressure: less with the low cut lawn
> ...


I wanted to echo this statement. I have been reel mowing since 2019 and I did not notice a difference in inputs on my short cut grass. I believe that whether you keep you HOC at 0.75" or 3.5" you need to stay on top of your maintenance. Be that irrigation, feeding, disease or weed pressure. The more often you walk your lawn, regardless of cut height, the quicker you'll notice issues before they become issues.

I would also say that PGR is a must with short cut grass. Reel mowers only have the ability to cut so high. If you leave for a weeks vacation and your grass isn't under suppression, you might be faced with 1.5" to 2" long grass when you return and now you'll be working to get it back under 1".


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## creediddy2021 (Mar 27, 2021)

Fanstatic jrubb! You are officially knocking on the door with Allen - LCN and Pete GCI-T!!! Great video work! Very inspiring...


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

LOVE this. Reading through your last Journal and hearing about the issues you faced getting your lawn to where it is means you've learned the ins and outs...


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## creediddy2021 (Mar 27, 2021)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> LOVE this. Reading through your last Journal and hearing about the issues you faced getting your lawn to where it is means you've learned the ins and outs...


We are always learning...We are inspired by stories like his...We are always going to have ups and downs. I believe mother nature corrects all of our issues...LOL!


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## EDEROO (Apr 7, 2021)

@jrubb42 Great video man, honestly wondering if you have a history in editing for youtube, that was really well put together. Very informative even if I'm not nearly ready to attempt low cuts!

One question for all the low cut mavens. Why is it recommended to aim for approx. 3.5 inches to save against heat stress if your 0.5-0.75 HOC isn't having any ill effects at all? Are you watering more/less frequently than someone with tall grass?


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## davegravy (Jul 25, 2019)

Love the video!

Waiting on my new greens mower (any day now!) and about to go low. I did a KBG+PRG reno last fall and have been keeping it at 1.5" with the manual reel. Do you think I need to go through all these steps to drop down to 1" given I'm pretty close already?

I know those who reno and start low mowing on day 1 can skip your steps, not sure where I fit given I've been at 1.5 already for a bit.

The lawn is very young so I don't imagine there's a ton of thatch or debris to pull up with my Sun Joe... But hard to say until I scalp it I guess.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

davegravy said:


> Love the video!
> 
> Waiting on my new greens mower (any day now!) and about to go low. I did a KBG+PRG reno last fall and have been keeping it at 1.5" with the manual reel. Do you think I need to go through all these steps to drop down to 1" given I'm pretty close already?
> 
> ...


Going from 1.5 to one inch shouldn't be too much trouble. Likely you can do it in a single mow. If you want to be conservative, mow at 1.25 for a week before dropping to 1 inch.


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## davegravy (Jul 25, 2019)

bernstem said:


> davegravy said:
> 
> 
> > Love the video!
> ...


Ok, so not so necessary to cut below the final HOC for me, and let it grow up like @jrubb42 talks about in his vid?


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

davegravy said:


> Love the video!
> 
> Waiting on my new greens mower (any day now!) and about to go low. I did a KBG+PRG reno last fall and have been keeping it at 1.5" with the manual reel. Do you think I need to go through all these steps to drop down to 1" given I'm pretty close already?
> 
> ...


Thanks for the compliment on the video!

You definitely wont have to go through the same process I did. If I was you I would start bringing it down to 1.25 with the manual reel before you greens mower gets here and that way you can start cutting at 1 inch with the greens mower.

You might even be able to get away with going straight to 1 inch like @bernstem said. If you want to be cautious, just take it down to 1.25 with the manual reel before it gets here. You should have no problems getting to one inch, unlike I did


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

EDEROO said:


> @jrubb42 Great video man, honestly wondering if you have a history in editing for youtube, that was really well put together. Very informative even if I'm not nearly ready to attempt low cuts!
> 
> One question for all the low cut mavens. Why is it recommended to aim for approx. 3.5 inches to save against heat stress if your 0.5-0.75 HOC isn't having any ill effects at all? Are you watering more/less frequently than someone with tall grass?


Thanks man! I actually do video production for a living so it was a pretty easy transition. What is NOT easy is being in front of the camera and behind the camera at the same time. Being a one man production team and the host is definitely a struggle compared to what I'm used to. I actually wish I could up the production value even more with really cool shots, but it's close to impossible by yourself.

As far as your question goes. I haven't noticed a difference in water between high cuts and low cuts. My bill was about the same from years past. I think it's recommended to mow at 3.5 inches because there's a lot more forgiveness on the 1/3rd rule compared to mowing low. Which means less stress on the grass. Taking care of low-cut grass compared to high-cut has not been much different for me other than having to mow more often.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Nice video man! Lawn is looking great coming out of dormancy. Fortunately I started out low with my reno so I don't have to go through all that trouble. Subscribed to your channel and will keep watching future videos for sure.


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## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

@jrubb42 
Great job on the video man!
Very jealous I'm not reel mowing. Wife thinks I spend to much time and money on the lawn 🤷‍♂️

Keep up the great work. Should make more videos geared towards lawn care, fertilizering, irrigating etc... 
You got a knack for it. 🍻


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

@bf7 Thanks for checking out the video man! I appreciate the sub! You got off easy with starting from scratch haha. I'll be keeping an eye on your journal this year. Good luck!

@Justmatson I know how that goes with the time thing. My wife thinks I spend too much time in the yard as it is also and now I'm dragging around camera gear and talking to it like a crazy person. But I really do appreciate the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. My plan is to keep doing videos this year..until my wife mentions divorce...lol


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

I answered some of the questions you guys asked about in this thread in a new video.

These are my experiences between maintaining short grass and long grass. These are not scientific facts, just experiences I've had the last few years.

https://youtu.be/pAzs9zzwAlc


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## NeVs (Aug 17, 2018)

davegravy said:


> bernstem said:
> 
> 
> > davegravy said:
> ...


Think it depends on where your crowns are. If they are at 1" then you'll need to drop it back further before maintaining at 1.


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

jrubb42 said:


> I answered some of the questions you guys asked about in this thread in a new video.
> 
> These are my experiences between maintaining short grass and long grass. These are not scientific facts, just experiences I've had the last few years.


I'm gonna be subbing to your channel. I just started reel mowing this year but it's a brand new reno from last fall. It was mowed last year in the 3"-3.5" range but was laying pretty short this season and I started mowing it with a manual reel at 1.75" before it was even really awake and growing. I just picked up a GM1000 and took it down to 7/8" but maybe I should go slightly lower still? 1.75" wasn't really taking much off but 7/8 took a fair amount. Id like to be around an inch this year so I'm not sure where to start. I figured the thatch isn't much as it was a fresh start but I'm seeing some yellowing in spots and maybe that'll stay that way until I scalp lower, just nervous being that's it's a brand new lawn.


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

Togo said:


> jrubb42 said:
> 
> 
> > I answered some of the questions you guys asked about in this thread in a new video.
> ...


Do you have photos of what it looks like at 7/8ths?


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

Friday


Today




There are a couple spots showing brown and yellow but don't have an up close pic but I think it was more the leaves and not the crown being close to the HOC


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## davegravy (Jul 25, 2019)

@jrubb42 another great vid  keep up the good work.

I like the look of long and short grass, and maybe this is semantics but I think one reason why short maybe generates a lot more compliments is that it's so unusual. Short grass turns heads and gets a lot more notice because it's strikingly different from everyone else's lawn.

It's kind of a fashion statement.


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## davegravy (Jul 25, 2019)

davegravy said:


> @jrubb42 another great vid  keep up the good work.
> 
> I like the look of long and short grass, and maybe this is semantics but I think one reason why short maybe generates a lot more compliments is that it's so unusual. Short grass turns heads and gets a lot more notice because it's strikingly different from everyone else's lawn.
> 
> It's kind of a fashion statement.


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

Togo said:


> Friday
> 
> 
> Today
> ...


It honestly doesn't look that stressed or scalped from those photos. You're probably good at staying at an inch for a week or two and seeing how it responds. If the yellow areas stick around, I would say move your HOC up a quarter inch or so and allow it to heal, but I'm willing to bet you're good at that height from your photos.


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

jrubb42 said:


> It honestly doesn't look that stressed or scalped from those photos. You're probably good at staying at an inch for a week or two and seeing how it responds. If the yellow areas stick around, I would say move your HOC up a quarter inch or so and allow it to heal, but I'm willing to bet you're good at that height from your photos.


Thanks for the help, I'll stay where I'm at for now and see how it does. :thumbup:


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

davegravy said:


> @jrubb42 another great vid  keep up the good work.
> 
> I like the look of long and short grass, and maybe this is semantics but I think one reason why short maybe generates a lot more compliments is that it's so unusual. Short grass turns heads and gets a lot more notice because it's strikingly different from everyone else's lawn.
> 
> It's kind of a fashion statement.


Thanks man. Not gonna lie, I kinda cringed at that part of the video. Made me sound kind of douchey and you're right. Long grass can definitely look super good and it's more of a taste thing. I was already past the point of recording when I realized I sounded like a douche, so I kind of had to stick with it. Lesson learned with that. It's hard to get out everything you want to say, and how you want to say it, when you're talking in front of a camera. Everything turns into a blur lol.

Thanks for watching!


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## davegravy (Jul 25, 2019)

jrubb42 said:


> davegravy said:
> 
> 
> > @jrubb42 another great vid  keep up the good work.
> ...


Haha, don't beat yourself up - I didn't think it was douchey. I think it's probably true, that short grass gets more compliments. Maybe I'll be able to confirm this very soon (I hope!)


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Togo said:


> Friday
> 
> 
> Today
> ...


You're off to a great start. That looks like mine did a few years ago when I started reel mowing. Keep doing what your doing and it will green up over time.


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

Harts said:


> Togo said:
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> 
> > Friday
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Appreciate the support and encouragement. I'm already addicted to the low HOC and really want it to take off so I certainly appreciate everyone's knowledge and input on this.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

@Togo I should also mention that I began reel mowing in the middle of June. You have started at a more ideal time.


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

Harts said:


> @Togo I should also mention that I began reel mowing in the middle of June. You have started at a more ideal time.


I kinda figured spring was a good starting point since it's actively growing and less stressed. I would be too nervous to do it come June. Props to you on that because I've seen your journal and the lawn looked amazing at your house last year before you sold it.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Togo said:


> Harts said:
> 
> 
> > @Togo I should also mention that I began reel mowing in the middle of June. You have started at a more ideal time.
> ...


Thanks. I appreciate that! :thumbup:


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