Does cutting short = thicker lawn
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??? What??
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Just an old wives tale.
Taller grass keeps the weeds down,taller grass produces more sugars which produces more roots, which keeps the lawn healthier and fuller.
Taller grass keeps the weeds down,taller grass produces more sugars which produces more roots, which keeps the lawn healthier and fuller.
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Your never, even when grass is dormant,(leaf clean ups etc) supposed to cut grass short. Short to me is like 2.5 inches and below. I cut at 3 and up.(cool season grasses)
I think what Axman means is yeah scalp your lawns now in the fall, because they aint gonna come in too quick in the spring, so you'll have plenty of time to get stuff done before the lawn starts growing..... I think
It aint really an old wives tale......cutting short puts the grass at risk of disease, drys out the moisture in the soil quicker, stresses the grass(when you cut down near the aypical meristem), excess thatch..and Number one in my book, LOOKS LIKE SHIZIT
This obviously doesnt apply to all grass varietys
Bill
I think what Axman means is yeah scalp your lawns now in the fall, because they aint gonna come in too quick in the spring, so you'll have plenty of time to get stuff done before the lawn starts growing..... I think
It aint really an old wives tale......cutting short puts the grass at risk of disease, drys out the moisture in the soil quicker, stresses the grass(when you cut down near the aypical meristem), excess thatch..and Number one in my book, LOOKS LIKE SHIZIT
This obviously doesnt apply to all grass varietys
Bill
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It only kills the grass in this area.
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Mowing short does give a denser turf. Short leaves = more light => more individual shoots can survive. Don't see anything much denser than a golf green mowed at ½" or less. You probably do get more weeds to successfully germinate in shorter turf, but then they are easier to see and hit with a herbicide.
Mowing height recommendations for most cool season grasses are in the range of 1" to 2.5". (KBG is 1.5"-2.5"; TTTF is 2.5-3.0, but some cultivars can be lower. Annual blue is 0.12"-1.25".)
The shorter the mowing height, the more manicured the turf looks to most people. But how many 62" decks (even 36"decks) can look good at 2", LOL? Except on a new or engineered turf.
Mowing height recommendations for most cool season grasses are in the range of 1" to 2.5". (KBG is 1.5"-2.5"; TTTF is 2.5-3.0, but some cultivars can be lower. Annual blue is 0.12"-1.25".)
The shorter the mowing height, the more manicured the turf looks to most people. But how many 62" decks (even 36"decks) can look good at 2", LOL? Except on a new or engineered turf.
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If I were to cut any of our lawns at 1-2.5 inches the lawns would look terrible.Nothing but brown at that height.
Golf greens are bentgrass,and extensively manicured and maintained.....Lawns are not.
Like any plant the more surface area of leaves the more nutrients the plant can produce.A one inch long blade of grass cannot produce the same as a three inch long blade of grass.
Golf greens are bentgrass,and extensively manicured and maintained.....Lawns are not.
Like any plant the more surface area of leaves the more nutrients the plant can produce.A one inch long blade of grass cannot produce the same as a three inch long blade of grass.
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Do a search on 'scalping', you'll find all your real answers there.
The way the grass reacts to a short cut BTW depends on the type of grass and soil conditions, for this particular aspect, one rule does not apply to all.
The way the grass reacts to a short cut BTW depends on the type of grass and soil conditions, for this particular aspect, one rule does not apply to all.
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Yes a 4-5" turf suddenly cut to 2" will be ugly. But six 2" grass blades will make more food than one 4-5" blade. The original question of this thread was if shorter mowing will provide denser turf, and it will, as I noted above. I can't comment on C4 grasses, but all my premium C3 turf was lowered to 2" over the last week and a half. In C3 grasses we are now starting the prime growing time.
My only experience with C4's is zoysia, and that is scalped - down to 1" if possible, at least 1½" - in the springtime just as it starts to green up.
Just check with your state extension on mowing heights for your area. The 4-5" mowing heights are for the benefit of the mowing guy, not the turfgrass plants.
My only experience with C4's is zoysia, and that is scalped - down to 1" if possible, at least 1½" - in the springtime just as it starts to green up.
Just check with your state extension on mowing heights for your area. The 4-5" mowing heights are for the benefit of the mowing guy, not the turfgrass plants.
The intermediate cut (one pass around the fairway and green) is perennial ryegrass is cut at 1". Also, many perennial ryegrass fairways and tees are cut at 1/2" or lower. And yes, they are extremely dense and look good. The only problem that you will notice is that mud will appear as worms come out of their holes. Of course turf this low is cut 3 times a week and I would never use a rotary under 1". I think 2" - 2.5" is perfectly fine for ryegrass and bluegrass, as the disease pressure and nutrient requitements are not excessive. Weed pressure is actually reduced as the denser turf outcompetes weeds better. And many weeds cannot survive at lower heights.
PS - most golf course greens are mowed at 1/8" or less.
PS - most golf course greens are mowed at 1/8" or less.
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Sorry Groundkprs still don't agree with your theory.
Neither do most of the authors I have read.
Again we are not taking care of golf courses we are taking care of lawns.Different animal.
Short grass dries out the soil quicker,alows more weeds to grow,
produces less sugars in the plant,etc.etc.
Neither do most of the authors I have read.
Again we are not taking care of golf courses we are taking care of lawns.Different animal.
Short grass dries out the soil quicker,alows more weeds to grow,
produces less sugars in the plant,etc.etc.
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Not discussing a theory, but fact and science. There are negatives to mowing short, but the original question was: "I'm only talking about cutting short in the fall. Does it help thicken up a lawn at all? One big problem with LawnSite threads is that people look to pick at responses, and get away from the original question.
As long ago as the 1950s: "It is believed that frequent mowing adds to the quality of the turf. It causes the grass to stool more readily and, therefore, there is a denser population of grass leaves making up the turf. In turn, there is a greater amount of leaf surface available for the manufacture of food. If a turf is mowed less frequently, the grass has a tendency to grow taller before branching to form more leaves, and when it is cut, a relatively large portion of these leaves is removed. Only stems with relatively few leaves remain, the turf is thinned out, and is not so dense nor compact. Height of mowing is important, but if one speaks of height without taking into consideration the frequency of mowing, then his reasoning is apt to be in error because the two factors go together in the formation of a good, healthy turf." (From Michigan State: http://turf.lib.msu.edu/1950s/1955/550227.pdf)
From 2002: "Mowing at the low end of the species tolerance range will stimulate shoot growth, increase tillering/shoot density, and encourage a finer leaf structure" (From Rutgers: http://www.turf.rutgers.edu/PROCEEDINGS/2002/195.pdf) This doc also states the negatives of shorter mowing; these negatives are not that critical in fall as C3 grasses just begin their life cycle.
The original questioner asked if shorter mowing only in the fall would thicken turf, and I wanted to help him by stating from my education and experience of 20+ years that it does. My best looking lawns are now being mowed at 1.75" to 2.25" to groom them for next season. It was never my intention or dfor's intention, from his statement, to advocate consistent mowing at lower heights.
As long ago as the 1950s: "It is believed that frequent mowing adds to the quality of the turf. It causes the grass to stool more readily and, therefore, there is a denser population of grass leaves making up the turf. In turn, there is a greater amount of leaf surface available for the manufacture of food. If a turf is mowed less frequently, the grass has a tendency to grow taller before branching to form more leaves, and when it is cut, a relatively large portion of these leaves is removed. Only stems with relatively few leaves remain, the turf is thinned out, and is not so dense nor compact. Height of mowing is important, but if one speaks of height without taking into consideration the frequency of mowing, then his reasoning is apt to be in error because the two factors go together in the formation of a good, healthy turf." (From Michigan State: http://turf.lib.msu.edu/1950s/1955/550227.pdf)
From 2002: "Mowing at the low end of the species tolerance range will stimulate shoot growth, increase tillering/shoot density, and encourage a finer leaf structure" (From Rutgers: http://www.turf.rutgers.edu/PROCEEDINGS/2002/195.pdf) This doc also states the negatives of shorter mowing; these negatives are not that critical in fall as C3 grasses just begin their life cycle.
The original questioner asked if shorter mowing only in the fall would thicken turf, and I wanted to help him by stating from my education and experience of 20+ years that it does. My best looking lawns are now being mowed at 1.75" to 2.25" to groom them for next season. It was never my intention or dfor's intention, from his statement, to advocate consistent mowing at lower heights.
I'm not an expert in lawn care, so this isn't my two cents. But to qoute an extension agent for Purdue University (turfgrass dept.): "Never, ever cut your lawns short. More disease, weeds, mowing more frequently, less drought tolerance... Set the mower at 2.5-3 and leave it alone for the season unless this violates the 1/3 rule."
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Sorry, grabbed the wrong quote from the 1950s document above. That quote refers to the need for frequent mowing when mowing short.
But I have never had to mow more frequently than 5 days in the fall, and then just for a couple of weeks. Usually a weekly schedule is sufficient in fall even at 2" height.
And "Set the mower at 2.5-3" is a good general recommendation. When you work with turfgrass long enough, and observe and learn, you can find that different heights do different things to different grass types.
But I have never had to mow more frequently than 5 days in the fall, and then just for a couple of weeks. Usually a weekly schedule is sufficient in fall even at 2" height.
And "Set the mower at 2.5-3" is a good general recommendation. When you work with turfgrass long enough, and observe and learn, you can find that different heights do different things to different grass types.
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I was answering the original question,We just happen to disagree thats all.Nuff said on the subject for me.
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