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How to shorten Bermuda
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Posted by
gearhead36 7 N AL (
My Page) on
Fri, Jul 20, 12 at 12:16
| Since recently moving into a rental house, I've refreshed my research on Bermuda, and I find that I need to lower my mowing height if I want my grass to thicken up and crowd out the weeds. I started at 2", but what I found said that 1.5" is the max recommended, and the shorter the better for thick growth. So, I've been lowering it by one notch (3/8") each mowing. Yesterday I did that, mowing at 1 3/8", and wound up with some brown patches. I suspect that I violated the 1/3 length rule (i.e. don't remove more than 1/3 the length of the grass). Aside from violating the 1/3 length rule, is this wise? Is this the best way to get down to 1" (the lowest my mower will go)? If, as I've read, mowing stresses the grass, then should I mow at the same height a few times before lowering again, and give the grass more of a chance to recover? Or should I just drop it to 1", scalp it, and just accept the brown yard for a few days? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: How to shorten Bermuda
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| It it was mine, I'd wait until next season. Start out in the spring with a scalp as low as your mower will go, and maintain there. You may have to gradually increase the height throughout the season, but since you started at the bottom notch, you will be able to afford to go up. Now, if I WERE to try and lower the height, I'd just cut it down to the bottom notch, raise the mower a notch or 2 and start to maintain from there. |
RE: How to shorten Bermuda
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| Hit submit too fast!!! In regards to scalping now, be sure to keep up with plenty of water. Removing all the leaf canopy will let things dry out faster. And if the lawn is brown after the scalping, you may not know if it needs watering. |
RE: How to shorten Bermuda
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| The only way I was able to get below 1.25 without crop circles was to top dress, then buy a reel mower. |
RE: How to shorten Bermuda
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| What you are seeing with the brown is SCALPING. Does not do any real harm assuming you stop scalping it, just ugly/ I recommend you stop lowering it for now as it is the wrong time of year to do that and can harm the grass in this heat. This time of year is when you raise the cutting height a bit when th ehot dry parts of summer emerge. The time to lower it is next year just before the grass greens up in the spring. |
RE: How to shorten Bermuda
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I'm a little confused about the raising of the mowing height. "September through November
4 to 6 weeks before the first expected frost. Raise the mowing height 1 inch as winter approaches."
I didn't see anything in your bible about raising it when the hot dry parts of Summer emerge. Are you saying we should raise the height in the Summer and again in the Fall before the first frost? |
RE: How to shorten Bermuda
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| Maybe you raise the height in the hot part of summer so the roots go deeper. Tall grass/deep roots short grass/ not as deep roots. (from what i hear) I am in Phoenix and don't raise my height but my water only costs me $3.50 per month :) |
RE: How to shorten Bermuda
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| I never raise the height of cut on bermuda until around Labor Day. |
RE: How to shorten Bermuda
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| I mowed again last night at 1 3/8". That's 4 days growth, and parts of the lawn were too tall/thick for mulching. I think I'll stay at this height. Every 4 days is more often than I really prefer. If I get down to 1", I'll be mowing every other day or two. |
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