Side cut picture of Patriot Bermuda at 2"

[KB in MD (21740)]

Did this ever get answered from the OP? I didn't feel like reading all the bickering
"What would be the negatives of cutting a hybrid Bermuda that high?

[HitEmTrue]

Did this ever get answered from the OP? I didn't feel like reading all the bickering
"What would be the negatives of cutting a hybrid Bermuda that high?

I'm going with "none". Unless you don't like the way it looks at that height.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[ajmikola]

Did this ever get answered from the OP? I didn't feel like reading all the bickering
"What would be the negatives of cutting a hybrid Bermuda that high?

I'm going with "none". Unless you don't like the way it looks at that height.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Agreed on this one. There really are no true negatives to cutting high (i think). It truly is personal preference.

So i'll throw up the white flag here and say to each his own.

But one quick note on reel mowing. The research and documentation is clear that reel mowing is healthier because of the way it clips the grass. It doesnt "tear" the grass like a rotary. The shredded grass tips from a rotary mower are more susceptible to disease and yellowing.

[Abyss]

Nice looking turf Abyss, hope you have good success keeping that bermuda in shape up there in Philly! I used to mow mine with a manual reel also but I finally stepped up to a power reel this season.

I think Billy's point about the grass being under stress at a low HOC is correct. I just read an article last night that talked about how pushing hoc lower and lower in order to have faster putting greens has put the turf under more stress. I suppose this is great for golf (I'm not a golfer, just love the turf) but not so much the grass. The article wasn't specifically about bermuda greens but nonetheless I think it relates in a similar way. I feel like the hoc that sod farms recommend has to be in the optimum health and performance range. My 419 bermuda came from super sod 8 years ago and I think they recommended a hoc of 0.75"-1.5".

I used to mow with a rotary between 1.5"-3" and my bermuda was just as dense as it is now mowed a little lower with a reel. I feel like a lot of that has to do with nitrogen and water input though. Of course the growth habit is way different when mowed lower but I don't think my grass was less healthy because I used to mow it high. I think it was actually more heat and drought tolerant at a higher hoc or maybe heat and drought stress were less noticeable at the higher cut. At the end of the day though, I really enjoy the lower cut and the challenges it presents as I try to mimic the work of a turf manager on my home lawn.

[ Post made via Android ]

Thanks, this is reassuring! I really love how this summer has gone with the Bermuda up here, it's done really well through the summer. It's going to be October and I'm still a ways off from it losing any color to dormancy.

My biggest worry was a little about overall health, extra thatch building with more plant being there, greater chance for disease building under the canopy etc.

My biggest issue as far as mowers go is that I live in a center rowhome, and having a manual reel is nice because I can carry it through the house instead of dragging it around the houses. With a manual reel it doesn't get the blades spinning fast enough and makes the bed knife bounce causing the washboard. If I mow every 2 days it was on the edge of washboarding pretty bad. The other negative is that it only drops to 1/2", so if I were to scalp it down to that, I'll have to maintain higher then that.

There's an electric powered manual reel that drops to about .4", but I don't know about spending $400 on it and not being any better off then I am with the manual reel I have now. Or I can go with a manual powered greens mower that looks pretty nice that only weighs 80lbs, has a quick transport function so it's easy to pick up, and could still carry it through the house if I get to lazy to go all the way around. It's like $1400 though to only cut like 600 sq/ft





Sent from my iOS device using the Yard Help App

[hambone79]

You are gonna find differences with every cultivar of bermuda out there. For the most part, 419 has a range from about .5" to 1.5" in which it performs its best. You take it much under .5" for extended periods and it will start declining over time. Bermuda greens are different cultivars that require being mowed closely or they start declining when they are mowed too tall. That said their are also many more cool season grasses that can be mowed and maintained at .5" or less. There are way more cool season varieties that can withstand closer mowing than bermuda. Bentgrass is still the preferred grass of greens for most professional golfers and probably always will be. I can tell you from experience though that if you allowed most golf course superintendents to maintain their grass at whatever height they desired it would all be around 2" because its easier and would make the job tons easier for them. Golfer demands drive most of the maintenance in the industry and a lot of it is detrimental to the turf, but it is done anyway cause greens committees demand it.

[Billy]

But one quick note on reel mowing. The research and documentation is clear that reel mowing is healthier because of the way it clips the grass. It doesnt "tear" the grass like a rotary. The shredded grass tips from a rotary mower are more susceptible to disease and yellowing.

Interesting. I didn't know that research comparing the effects of the two mowing technologies on turf health had been conducted. Can you post a link to that work so we can see it? Thanks!

[ajmikola]

I will certainly call myself out on this one. I guess what i meant to say is Everything i've read shows that reels produce a much better cut, thus appearance.

Obviously a reel wont cut tall grass so its at low HOC that a reel performs so well.
A rotary blade that is dull will cause tearing and lead to disease, etc.