Tif 419 Bermuda in Texas

[Skipster]

Originally Posted by Duekster

So they were all managed the same except the mowing?

Yes. All irrigation, fertility apps, and mowign frequencies were exactly the same. I'll post pics soon.

[Think Green]

Slkipster and CGA,
You touch great points on what I consider Golf course cultural practices. I am not maintaining greens here...............most is non irrigated lawns, so cutting the canopy taller will reduce weed pressure.
Irrigated bermuda grass for me is and will be cut at or around 2 inches throughout the season.

CGA, this is the height that is comfortable and easier for me to maintain will few scalps and divot problems.

Skipster... Yes, yellowing will occur when scalped, and yes the canopy architecture is compromised and confused with density. The density of the turf will not be thick if the base is light deficient to allow for more leaf and stem growth.
There is a fine line here of choices of practices in mowing for the betterment of the lawn in question. Not all my lawns is mowed at the same height. Each has their own heights that I will maintain them. It all depends on the grade and the density.

[Skipster]

Originally Posted by Think Green

Slkipster and CGA,
You touch great points on what I consider Golf course cultural practices. I am not maintaining greens here...............most is non irrigated lawns, so cutting the canopy taller will reduce weed pressure.
Irrigated bermuda grass for me is and will be cut at or around 2 inches throughout the season.

CGA, this is the height that is comfortable and easier for me to maintain will few scalps and divot problems.

Skipster... Yes, yellowing will occur when scalped, and yes the canopy architecture is compromised and confused with density. The density of the turf will not be thick if the base is light deficient to allow for more leaf and stem growth.
There is a fine line here of choices of practices in mowing for the betterment of the lawn in question. Not all my lawns is mowed at the same height. Each has their own heights that I will maintain them. It all depends on the grade and the density.

I agree with you. I don't see any reason why any bermudagrass lawn needs to be cut lower than 1.5" and I would prefer to maintain them at 2". The shorter lawns are usually stressed more, require more water and more fert to maintain color, and have more weed problems, which require more PRE and POST apps.

I'm not advocting for golf course practices. All that comment was about was to let the readers of this thread know that Tifway can provide a high quality turf really short or really tall and mowed with a reel or rotary. I don't agree with the crowd who thinks it must be cut only with a reel.

[Duekster]

Most bermuda will perform best mowing it as low as you can provided you do not remove more than 1/3 of the blade. Mowing once per week you will be lucky to get 2" cutson moderately maintained grass.

[cgaengineer]

Originally Posted by Duekster

Most bermuda will perform best mowing it as low as you can provided you do not remove more than 1/3 of the blade. Mowing once per week you will be lucky to get 2" cutson moderately maintained grass.

Without scalping...hence the reason for a sprayer with lawn paint in the lawn truck!
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[Florida Gardener]

Originally Posted by Skipster

I agree with you. I don't see any reason why any bermudagrass lawn needs to be cut lower than 1.5" and I would prefer to maintain them at 2". The shorter lawns are usually stressed more, require more water and more fert to maintain color, and have more weed problems, which require more PRE and POST apps.

I'm not advocting for golf course practices. All that comment was about was to let the readers of this thread know that Tifway can provide a high quality turf really short or really tall and mowed with a reel or rotary. I don't agree with the crowd who thinks it must be cut only with a reel.

Well, think what you want. It is a turf designed to be kept short...if you want to keep a turf at 3"+, go with st Augustine. Lots of guys like cutting that at 2" though, even though it's designed for higher cutting. Try cutting hybrid Bermuda here at 2" with a rotary, youd be fired on the spot. The only reason you would cut higher with a rotary is bc the owner won't pay to have it done correctly. I've seen it many a time. I'm not saying you can't cut it high, just that it's designed for low HOC.
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[Skipster]

Originally Posted by diamondlandscaping

Well, think what you want. It is a turf designed to be kept short...if you want to keep a turf at 3"+, go with st Augustine. Lots of guys like cutting that at 2" though, even though it's designed for higher cutting. Try cutting hybrid Bermuda here at 2" with a rotary, youd be fired on the spot. The only reason you would cut higher with a rotary is bc the owner won't pay to have it done correctly. I've seen it many a time. I'm not saying you can't cut it high, just that it's designed for low HOC.
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Designed? If you look at the history of Tifway (the "Tif" part to signify that it was bred in the USDA/UGA breeding program in Tifton, GA, and the "way" part to signify the original marketing intent as an improved glf course fairway grass), it was a sterile hybrid bred to give finer texture than current varieties (pre-1960) for golf course and lawn use, spanning a large range in cutting heights. To say that it tolerates close mowing is correct. To say that it was designed to be kept short all the time is misleading and incorrect.

Where do you get the 3" number? I already said I think the ideal height for a bermudagrass lawn in 2", not 3.

But, understand that there are tradeoffs with height. There is no doubt in my mind that Tifway grows well when maintained at 0.5". That's the height at which I think you maximize its benefits and genetics. However, I don't think that's practical or desirable for a home lawn (or a commercial lawn). I still see benefits of maintaining those lawns higher, although we lose some of the benefits from mowing lower. There's a give-and-take that happens here.

Simply put, most of my southern customers can't or don't want to do what it would take to maintain Tifway at the lower height -- the increased water, increased fertility, increased herbicide apps, and increased mowing frequency. They have bermudagrass for their lawns and they want a cost-effective program. When they buy my program, the ones who mow at 2" have the best lawns. The ones who mow shorter always need more inputs.

[Florida Gardener]

Originally Posted by Skipster

Designed? If you look at the history of Tifway (the "Tif" part to signify that it was bred in the USDA/UGA breeding program in Tifton, GA, and the "way" part to signify the original marketing intent as an improved glf course fairway grass), it was a sterile hybrid bred to give finer texture than current varieties (pre-1960) for golf course and lawn use, spanning a large range in cutting heights. To say that it tolerates close mowing is correct. To say that it was designed to be kept short all the time is misleading and incorrect.

Where do you get the 3" number? I already said I think the ideal height for a bermudagrass lawn in 2", not 3.

But, understand that there are tradeoffs with height. There is no doubt in my mind that Tifway grows well when maintained at 0.5". That's the height at which I think you maximize its benefits and genetics. However, I don't think that's practical or desirable for a home lawn (or a commercial lawn). I still see benefits of maintaining those lawns higher, although we lose some of the benefits from mowing lower. There's a give-and-take that happens here.

Simply put, most of my southern customers can't or don't want to do what it would take to maintain Tifway at the lower height -- the increased water, increased fertility, increased herbicide apps, and increased mowing frequency. They have bermudagrass for their lawns and they want a cost-effective program. When they buy my program, the ones who mow at 2" have the best lawns. The ones who mow shorter always need more inputs.

Right, so as I said, it's the homeowner who doesn't want to pay for shorter...round here, it's kept at .5-.75". These people want perfection and will pay for it. Didn't say you said 3", someone else did....
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[Duekster]

Originally Posted by cgaengineer

Without scalping...hence the reason for a sprayer with lawn paint in the lawn truck!
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Even then, with repeated scalping you will damage the turf.

[Duekster]

Originally Posted by Skipster

Designed? If you look at the history of Tifway (the "Tif" part to signify that it was bred in the USDA/UGA breeding program in Tifton, GA, and the "way" part to signify the original marketing intent as an improved glf course fairway grass), it was a sterile hybrid bred to give finer texture than current varieties (pre-1960) for golf course and lawn use, spanning a large range in cutting heights. To say that it tolerates close mowing is correct. To say that it was designed to be kept short all the time is misleading and incorrect.

Where do you get the 3" number? I already said I think the ideal height for a bermudagrass lawn in 2", not 3.

But, understand that there are tradeoffs with height. There is no doubt in my mind that Tifway grows well when maintained at 0.5". That's the height at which I think you maximize its benefits and genetics. However, I don't think that's practical or desirable for a home lawn (or a commercial lawn). I still see benefits of maintaining those lawns higher, although we lose some of the benefits from mowing lower. There's a give-and-take that happens here.

Simply put, most of my southern customers can't or don't want to do what it would take to maintain Tifway at the lower height -- the increased water, increased fertility, increased herbicide apps, and increased mowing frequency. They have bermudagrass for their lawns and they want a cost-effective program. When they buy my program, the ones who mow at 2" have the best lawns. The ones who mow shorter always need more inputs.

Glad you finally came around.