What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass?

   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #21  
According to the studies Bird the optimum health of grass was 6" for most varietes. I know it has made a huge difference in our pastures. Now that we rotate and never let the grass get below 6" in the growing season we have been able to almost double our pasture production.
 
   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #22  
We use a special 12 oz. organic brew, you insert on into the operator prior to any mowing and it keeps the operator refreshed and the lwan nice and green /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif We also mow at 3 inches or a bit taller,looks great and stays nice and full
 
   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #23  
My grass has been growing like crazy this spring.. I've been using the highest setting on my bag push mower.. it's been hard to keep up with just around the house. If it's not raining.. I mow a section every evening.. and feed the bagged grass & clover to the cows. Now every time they hear the mower.. they line up at the fence!

I just got new tires for my 3pt mower for the tractor.. the solid filled ones I have.. after 3 years of use.. seem to have deflated/detoriated so much that even at the highest setting there wasn't much clearance. It'll be good to get this mower back in service to help me tame this rapid spring growth. I'm taking tomorrow off to put on the new tires and service the mower. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif It'll be fun!
 
   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #24  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( and feed the bagged grass & clover to the cows )</font>

Did you know that bagging the grass causes the grass to grow faster? Yep, if you leave the clippings -- not only is it great for your grass -- it won't grow as fast.
 
   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #25  
And right you are! But oh to change the mindset. Think of all that advertising gone to waste promoting usless attachments.

Egon
 
   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #26  
Here in N. Texas, I mow my bermuda to about 1.5". Spray with 2-4-D in the spring to control the broadleafs, and MSMA for any grass burrs the birds and county mowers drop off in the ditches.
 
   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #27  
I don't have a lawn, I have a yard which is an entirely different thing. It has some grass of mongrel blood lines, and what a lot of folks think of as weeds. Heck, I've even got plantain in tha shadier spots, which makes great rabbit food. I have to run the mower set at its highest setting, and it still scalps some spots depending on the direction I'm driving. A mere 7 years ago this was a forest, and roots keep surfacing, to smooth it out would require more work than I'm capable of. That was probably the single most important factor in the decision to forgo a lawn. I'd cut it with the bush hog, but the danged tractor won't fit is some of the places where we've put in fruit trees, garden fences, wood yards and all that important stuff. I hope this help you to make the right decision. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #28  
You have a proper lawn Slamfire. I would love to be able to plant some original prairie grass and flowers in front .

Course with my Brown Thumb ???

Egon
 
   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #29  
Hey, Doc.

I've read those studies too, and you are absolutely correct that the 5-10" height creates a healthier grass plant for cool season pasture grasses. However, most folks growing cool-season ornamental grasses (fescues, etc.) will benefit form cutting between 3 1/2 - 5" . This especially applies to Tall-type fescues that are not rhizomatous (sp). That is, the fesuces that propagate only by seed and mature into clumps.

When most tall-type fescues experience competition, they will display a finer grass blade and the stand will remain thicker. The only way to accomplish this with tall-type fescues is to routinely overseed and keep the established grass height between 3-5" so that individual grass plants do not become dominant (in clumps). Once tall fescue gets tall and clumpy, the blade become more course, "good" competition drops off, weed seeds find purchase, etc. Ultimately, a clump of fescue is more resilient than a plant tighter stand, but it looks worse and more soil is exposed. Fescue is naturally adept at tolerating drought because it goes in and out of dormancy so easily. Even the tighter stand recovers quickly. Having said all that, cutting fescue any shorter than 3" does, in fact, create a more shallow root system. So, the sweet spot is where the root system grows deeply, the stand stays fairly thick, and the lawn looks pretty. A taller grass will withstand grazing and rough cutting better than a shorter grass, which is the objective in pature grass applications.

I cut my K31 fescue lawn at 3 1/2 inches until June rolls around, then up to 4" over the summer. Once October comes, I go back down to 3 1/2. I aerate and overseed thin spots each Fall. Also, I apply 70% of my fertilizer in the Fall and only pre-emergent/light fertilizer combos in the Spring.

As far as organic fertilizer, alfalfa pellets are great. Some folks claim corn gluten meal (not corn meal) provides good nutrition and has a pre-emergent action when applied in the Spring. Applying compost is often touted, but, unless you have the ability to build your own compost, it's pretty expensive to buy and tough to spread unless you have a small manure spreader.

Warm season grasses are often advised to be cut shorter. Bermuda, Bent, etc. do well under 2 1/2 inches or even shorter. Most finish mowers cut at heights only up to 4-5". I'd say cut it as high as your can and still satisfy your cosmetic preferences.
 
   / What Height Do You All Cut Your Grass? #30  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Organic fertilizer is either cow/horse dung or it's composted from food, leaves, dung, etc. for months and then put on as organic fertilizer. I've got all you would ever want just for the taking!!! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Organic for the most part is just a buzz word. )</font>

You mean Organic fertilizer is not recycled beer??? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 

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