Bermuda mowing height

[George777]

My question is this, I understand that they say to maintain Bermuda 1.5" - 2" high. It seems that here in the south when you cut the turf at the suggested height it looks like crap. My partner and I have been maintaining Bermuda between 2.5 - 3". After cutting it looks good and you can tell that it has been cut.

Can any problems arise be maintaining Bermuda at 3"? , And if so what? It seems that the mentality around here is to cut so short that you can see the circles from the blade imprinted in the lawn. I could see on a lawn that has been prepared right, but with the dips it seems to me that cutting that short just does not make sense. My partner and I will not cut less then 2.5". any comments would be great.

[MikeLT1Z28]

i don't think that the actual height is as big of a deal as is how much you cut off at once. i think one third of the total height is what is recommended. this doesn't take away as much of a percentage of water and leaves the grass darker instead of that brown scalped look. fwiw most of our stuff is cut at 3" though.

[George777]

Mike, I understand about the 1/3rd rule. I got a few bi-weekly customers whose turf is growing about 2" per week. Today I cut a lawn that was 6" high. Man I tell you it was a mess. Had the deck on my snapper all the way up and it was ugly, It took awhile but when we left it was looking pretty good.

the reson I asked this question was because I could not find anywhere the reason why Bermuds has to be maintained at a certain height.

[CSRA Landscaping]

I've seen a previous poster that said that Bermuda looked pretty bad in his opinion if it's cut too high. I think it looks fine cut at 3".

[jasonp]

I think that if the ground is not level with a big mower it will look like crap. If you use a 21 inch mower that would make it look good at 1.5.

[NateinAtl]

Here is what I have learned about bermuda over the years. It looks absolutely best when it is maintained at a height less than 2 inches. The key word being maintained. For whatever reason, if bermuda grass is long, the stalk of the plant is a brownish yellow color. Therefore, if you cut the lawn to 1.5 inches, it will look brown or yellow when finished. You will also see the brown or yellow circular scalps left behind by the blades. If you are mowing high now, it really is too late to change. What I would highly suggest for you to do is next March, when the lawns are in the transition stage, scalp down to 1 inch--taking up the clippings.(you should always begin your mowing season before bermuda comes out of dormancy). After that, mow on a weekly basis at 1.5 inches. I promise you, the bermuda grass will be green all the way to the ground. And even when you have scalp marks because of uneven turf, it will just cause a lighter color green scalp as opposed to a brown scalp mark. Give it a try next year. I promise it works.

[jasonp]

Now you have to remember what the bermuda looks like at the sod farms and I would think they mow at one inch. My last post was just meaning that bermuda is easy to scalp and thats the last thing you wont to do if you want it to look its best.

[KirbysLawn]

I second NateinAtl, scalp it next year at the first sign of green.

Check this out: http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/pubs/ag431.html

[Tropical Trim]

Here in Hawaii we deal with a lot of Bermuda lawns. When Bermuda is cut at a height exceeding 2", the lawn tends to become leggy. We cut our lawns with reel mowers from 1/2" to 1" depending on Bermuda variety. Hybrids 328 and 419 are cut at the 1/2" mark and common Bermuda are cut at the 1" mark. When cutting Bermuda at a short height the lawn tends to become a tight carpet therefore eliminating a lot of weeds. Just check out any warm reigon area and look for a golf course with Bermuda laid out on the fairways...looks like a flat piece of green carpet!

[George777]

In my area I would say ¾ of Bermuda lawns are looking burnt up. Maybe the lco’s are cutting more than 1/3rd of the plant. We have been getting plenty or rain, in fact I think my weekly accounts are getting about 1” of growth per week.

I think next season I’m going to start top dressing. Most residential lawns have to many bumps and dips in them.

Those of you that top dress what do you charge? I have also been wondering if you use just sand or a mixture of sand and compost. Looking for some ways to maximize profit with existing accounts.

My bi- weekly accounts I was thinking about a growth regulator. I think Lesco sells a product that will slow down the growth rate. I don’t have much info on this product but, it is suppose to allow the turf to grow outward instead of upward thus giving a thicker lawn. Has anyone tried that product? I think the Lesco guy said it costs about 400.00 per gallon and will treat 23 acres.

[Bluegrass Group]

If you let your bermuda get too high it shades itself too much and will look leggy. It also will be susceptable to disease. 1 1/2 inches or lower if the grades allow is the optimum. If you need to keep a bucket of course sand with you to touch up low areas every visit after a season or 2 you can eliminate a lot of the blade burns. Cutting it short will induce more lateral growth. Growth regulators like Primo will do the same. If it is growing too fast try lowering your nitrogen levels and use iron to create better color.

[65hoss]

Root development is directly related to height of cut. I always cut at 3" to 3.25". It stays a DARKER green than any others. It chokes out weeds great and allows the grass to spead much faster. Oh, because of root development, with the drought last year I only had to water mine once every 7 to 10 days to keep it dark green.

I know, I know, everyone has an opinion. Do your on research and decide. But most professionals in the organic area agree that higher is better for the above reasons. I personally found it to be true.

[NateinAtl]

George,

Topdressing has become the "in" thing to do here in Atlanta. The guys that do it around here are getting about 18 cents a square foot. That price includes everything--aerating, sand, leveling.

Turfco sells a top dressing machine that you pull by hand. Other tools used are Dingos made by Toro, wheel barrows, and the big metal rakes. Most customers are OK with just sand, but you can raise the price if they want a mixture.

Top dressing a bermuda lawn is a really neat service that does wonders.

Make sure you use river sand, about 2 tons per 1000 sqare feet, and make sure the customer waters like crazy when you finish.

There are a few companies that have web sites. Look up sandmantopdressing, Sand Squad, and Bulacon. All of these companies are here in Atl, and you can learn about this service on their sites.

Good Luck

[George777]

Nate thanks for your reply. I have checked into river sand and for 1 ton it costs 10.80. I understand the procedure and have some customers that I would love to sell this service to.

Before I would experiment on a customer’s lawn I think I will do my own first. In fact the front of my property needs it done. I checked into those web sites you listed and I feel the procedure is not that complex. I could see how important watering the lawn will prevent it from burning. I think I will add something in the contract that will state the customer is responsible to ensure irrigation, just as a safety net. Nate what other tips might you have on top dressing?
Thax

[Likestomow]

Each stalk of Bermudagrass is like a little tree, with branches growing up from bottom to top. When it is left to grow long, say 2"-3", the top canopy shades the lower branches, thereby causing them to turn brown.

So when you mow the turf say at 1.5", you see mostly the dead, brown branches on the stalks. But just wait a few days, and after the sun hits it, the lower parts of the stalks will turn green once again.

To maintain a nice thick, lush green look, Bermudagrass must be fertilized often (lots of nitrogen every 4 weeks) and also mowed often, like 5-6 days during the growing season. This way it will never get too long to shade the lower parts of the stalks again and it will stay nice and green.

[NateinAtl]

George,

Make sure you scalp the bermuda down to the ground before you sand. To be on the safe side, I would offer this service between April and August. When you first mow after the topdressing, make sur it is completely dry. Otherwise you will make ruts and be back where you started! It's pretty self explanatory. Make sure you smooth it all out when done, and keep your prices high. Prices for this service has dropped a whole bunch here in Atlanta over the last two years. Good luck

[peeweezr]

Okay, so I had a fescue lawn for about 3 years and used my own Honda Harmony mower and it looked great. I just moved into a new home with a hilly front yard accompanied by bermuda grass. I took the Honda 21" after this lawn and it looks like a blind barber cut the yard. I mean the ground has bumps and dips, not to severe, but my mower just didn't seem to want to handle it. I am looking for any suggestions about the right type of mower to use for bermuda (brand,size, ect.) so that my neighbors are not laughing at me behind their doors. Is my best bet a reel mower? I just want the dips and skid marks to not look quite as noticeable. No, I don't want to pay someone else to do it. I might not have the proper equipment now, but with some help here from the members I will be on the right track. Thanks,

peeweezr

[HOMER]

Well, this goes against the rest of the thread but.................raise the deck up to avoid the bumps and dips. Your going to have to cruise over the top of all the imperfections and the yard will appear to be level. I don't think you need a new mower, just a higher cut.

[peeweezr]

Hey, thanks Homer. I raised the mower as high as it goes, and it still made a couple of uneven marks. It seems the grass was much too high and the few dips in the ground just added to the overall distance from ground to the top of the grass. Would a reel mower make any difference? I will look and search for more results to these questions.

peeweezr

[KirbysLawn]

Some of the best advise here has been given by NateinAtl. Bermuda is a grass that should be mowed at a low height, 1.5-2" in ideal conditions. Bermuda will grow and look ok at 2-3" but is more likely to develope disease and look thin.

When Bermuda is mowed high, it grows high (up) instead of out, when mowed short it grows out and fills in very nice. If you find yourself mowing alot of bermuda lawns consider buying the proper equipment to do the job right, a reel mower. Gang reel mower mows up to 10'+ at a time and large jobs would be no problem. I plan on expanding on this service next spring.

Ray

[Island Lawn]

I told my bermuda customers that I don't have the optimum equipment for the job. But they are willing to pay me cause I'm so good at showing up and all.


Kirby, I remember you got that good deal on E-bay!

As I understand it reel mowers are high maint!
How do you sharpen those blades?
I've heard the bed knife can get knocked out of adjustment from simply riding in the trailer.


I mow bermuda at 3" w/ my 48" eXmark wb. I see some yellow when I'm done. It greens up nicely in a day, maybe two. It does tend to lay down when trimming at that length.


My extension agent has warned me that mowing too high will increase thatch build-up.

But it does choke out the weeds and fil in the thin spots.
All things equal, it has deeper roots and is more drought tolerant at longer heights

[Meier]

Here is what I have figured out about cutting height for common & tiff bermuda:

Nothing.

No. Seriously. The only thing I know is this: Most (90%+) of the homes around here in the North Dallas suburbs are tiff bermuda. As the summer progresses, and if it's been rainy at all, the only way for the lawn to look better after it's mowed is to mow the grass taller than it has been mowed in the past. Aside from that, these bermuda lawns look yellow/brown right after they're mowed.

As long as you're cutting leaf balde, it's green. If you're cutting stem, it's yellow/brown.

Some have advocated mowing at 3" all summer. I guess the logic is that the bermuda stems will never grow above 3".

However, the universities don't recommend cutting any variety of bermuda over 2" high.

As far as 3" being too tall for Bermuda stems, I can say this: I've had new customers sign up with bermuda that hasn't been mowed in 6+ weeks. The bermuda is over 6" tall. When I mow it at 3", it's still yellow and brown when I'm done.

I honestly can't believe that I can't get a straight factual answer on this bermuda cutting height question. For every person who says to mow it at 3" all year another equally qualified person says to never mow it above 2".

My conclusion is that you just have to mow it higher and higher throughout the season and even then, it only looks really green a handful of mowings throughout the year...right after you increase the cutting height.

Later,
DFW, TX

[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

I know I'm brand new but I actually know the answer to this one no matter what height you cut bermuda it will look like crap unless you consistently mow it twice a week the optimum height for Tif is 1" the optimum height on common is 1.5". If you don't stay on top of it twice every week forget about it you have to mow at 2.5" to 3". If you start mowing at 3" you will start getting weeds.

Thats my answer and I'm sticking to it.

[Sooners]

I'm with 65Hoss. I actually prefer to cut mine at a lush 3.5", and I've got some here that tell me it's too short. I think bermuda looks good when maintained at whatever height is chosen, whether it's 1.5" or 3.5". Each have their own look. You just can't grow it high and cut it short.

[Meier]

Mike's,

Agreed. The golf course fairways around here are always green and never yellow/brown. At Lake Park in Lewisville, they mow M-W-F. Three times a week.

Are any of your customers willing to pay for two or three mowings per week?

Later,
DFW, TX

[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

Meier,
I've got one in a golf course community that gets cut twice a week Tuesday and Friday he waters and has Sprayed by one of the big boys. This is the guy that comes out says I'm cutting him too short he didn't like the brown patches, I said actually I'm cutting you too high let me do you twice a week and lower the blade too 1.5" I told him in one month he would see good results I'm still doing him twice a week. And his grass looks a lot better.

[Bluesteel]

Great points. My response is that the best height “depends.” If the customer waters as needed, the terrain is smooth, the lawn is small, and you can cut as needed (not just on a schedule); then shorter is better.

However, as Hoss pointed out, the root growth is key to healthy plants. If the grass plants are very short (cut below 2”), then they’ll spend most of their energy replacing above-ground growth. The customers that let me cut at 3” and above stay greener in the heat of the summer.

Longer grass looks better on larger properties. Plus it grows slower. I don’t cut Bermuda at the same height. It just depends.

[EvandSeby]

I have been able to convince exactly 1 customer to mow bermuda every 5 days in the fast growing season. I cut it at 2 inches and it is the best looking lawn on the street. Most people simply can't afford the extra service.

[yardmonkey]

Originally posted by Mikes Lawn Landscape
If you start mowing at 3" you will start getting weeds.


Why do you say this? I tend to think the taller the grass, the more it shades out weeds. Perhaps it can fill in thicker at a lower height?

[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

Yardmonkey,
with bermuda at 3" it can get thin and the underlying soil is exposed for weeds to germinate. It depends on a lot of factors but you'll slowly start seeing the weeds creep in. That is when you start to need weed control which is great if thats part of your service, not so good if chembrown does it then they end up screwing up your hard work. Bluesteel is absolutely correct each property is different I've got 1 I do at 1.5" and from there they go from 2" to 3.5" but the taller ones are more weeds than Bermuda anyway. If you are mowing below 2.5" or so bermuda just doesn't look good unless its mowed twice a week. Mowing low causes bermuda to spread instead up growing up. It gets thick and inhibits weed germination. Bermuda is probably the hardest grass to manage but if you can do it it looks great.

[65hoss]

Man, I had to go back and read what I put down 2 years ago. I do still cut my bermuda at around 3", but in the early spring before greenup I cut it down to almost scalp height. It made all my lawns greener and heathier this season.

[Meier]

Yeah. In my opinion, you've got to scalp before it breaks dormancy. That way, you can raise the cutting height 3 or 4 times during the growing season. The bermuda will look best the first day after you raise the height, then as time goes on, each cut will be browner and browner, until you raise the height again.

If you don't scalp, you can't raise the height. You've just got to start out high and stay high all season.

[TotalCareSolutions]

This is a good discussion on Bermuda. Nateinatl seems to have it pegged. Mowing height seems to vary with the thickness of the thatch on each yard. The thick thatch of these warm grasses is a great defense against weeds. Train the grass early cutting low. Scalp it early green it up with Iron.

Notes of caution w/ Bermuda:
1. Hilly, bumpy yards. River or pool sand to level.
2. Infrequent mows, once a week minimum. Educate the customer when needed.
3. Dull blades.
4. Stopping and reversing unecessarily. Keep going.

As far as topdressing, after cutting, tearing or puncturing the thatch of this grass, help the recovery with more than sand. Add compost or some other nutrient, humus rich organic matter. Get that to the root system while the roads through the thatch are open. The dressing left on the top of the soil is supposed to help hold moisture and cool the ground while it recovers.

[Team Gopher]

Here is some information from this site. (http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/horticulture/g517.htm)

<table CELLSPACING=4 border=1>
<tr VALIGN=TOP><td><b>March 20 to April 10</b></td><td>Clean lawn of debris (i.e. rocks, sticks, etc.). Mow lawn as short as possible and remove clipping debris.</td></TR>

<tr VALIGN=TOP><td><b>April 10 to June 15</b></td><td>Mow lawn at 2.0 inches. Mowing frequency should be dictated by growth rate, never removing more than one-third the mowing height at any mowing.</td></TR>
<tr VALIGN=TOP><td><b>June 15 to Aug. 30</b></td><td>Raise mowing height to 2.5 inches.</td></TR>
<tr VALIGN=TOP><td><b>Sept. 1 to Oct. 15</b></td><td>Lower mowing height to 2.0 inches.</td></TR>
<tr VALIGN=TOP><td><b>Oct. 15 to Nov. 15 </b><br>(<b>or last mowing)</b></td><td>Lower mowing height to 1.5 - 1.75 inches.</td></TR>
<tr VALIGN=TOP ><td><i>Alternative Mowing Schedule:</i></td><TD></TD></TR>
<TR><td><b>March 29 to last mowing</b></td><td>Maintain 2.5 inch mowing height throughout season to promote rooting and stress tolerance.</td></TR></TABLE>

[quiet]

Interesting discussion. And Meier notes some of the frustration by saying he's learned nothing. Sometimes it seems the only rule is, "There ain't no rules."

I like to keep Bermuda lawns as short as possible, 1-1/2 to 2", and customers that let me maintain their lawn properly, and have fairly level terrain have thick, dense deep green turfs that choke out weeds, and survive and even flourish during the extreme summer heat. Bumpier lawns get mowed at 2-1/2" to minimize the scalps. During the extreme heat (temps consistently over 100) on lawns that were maintained regularly, but not at a "high" level of fert, water, etc., I raise the height a 1/2". After the heat broke, cutting height is reduced back down to previous level.

The highly fussed over lawns were not lengthened. Cutting height stayed at 1-1/2" to 2" throughout, and did great.

I've thought that raising the height in the fall was desirable for Bermuda, but the chart Team Gopher just posted says to lower the height. I'd like to hear thoughts from others . . . xpnd in particular as he's closer to my area and deals with our caliche soils, and extended droughts here in TX. He's in the Northern DFW area, I'm near Austin.

[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

Just to clarify the Calendar Team Gopher posted relates to Kentucky Blue Grass not Bermuda

[quiet]

Thanks for clarifying that Mike!

What are you mowing tif at now? Raised heights? Same heights? Growth has slowed a lot here, but we're 6" below normal in rainfall - no significant rain for 3 weeks and a spate of below normal temps. Skipped a few lawns this past week for the first time all year. . .

[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

I'm still taking it on a lawn by lawn basis some have slowed my "weed" lawns are still going strong but for the most part I am raising the mower 1/2" for winter. We just got a bunch of rain today so the weed lawns will be flourishing might stay busy for a while. Some customers have already gone to two weeks.

[Ryan Lightning]

Im scalping all my bermuda lawns down right now , and over seeding with perrenail rye grass, I keep them at 1"-2" all winter and try to keep them short if I can. Then in the summer Ill let them get taller to 2.5" So when I scalp them down again it easyer to see dirt by going to 1"-1.5" then rye grass again, If I keep them to short before scalping , they get thick and its hard to get them short enough to see dirt. Once I can see dirt the seed will hit it, and thats all i need.

[KirbysLawn]

Originally posted by yardmonkey
Why do you say this? I tend to think the taller the grass, the more it shades out weeds. Perhaps it can fill in thicker at a lower height?

REad my answer 2 years ago, still of the same opinion. Bermuda is a better lateral growing grass than a vertical grass. When it is allowed to go up it is a very thin grass and weeds easily grow. If cut short the grass grows out and thickens, that makes for a better looking lawn, simple. Same for Zoysia.

Here is Zoysia mowed at .75", notice the blades are growing out, not up:

[KirbysLawn]

Bermuda mowed at 2":

[o-so-n-so]

NateinAtl is right on.....Scalp that Bermuda in mid march or when the ground temp is around 55 degrees. ( Bradford pear trees are at full bloom at this time) Be sure to bag the clippings. It works....I promise.......

[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

Originally posted by KirbysLawn
Bermuda mowed at 2":

Sweet!

Is it Tif or Common:p

[quiet]

Kirbyslawn - beautiful! I recall the pics from a previous post - the dime in the zoysia lawn.

Do you adjust the cutting height this time of year for either the tif or zoysia?