Cutting Bahiagrass

[jrepp]

Bahiagrass is a very tough grass to cut [some people say if you cut it at night you can see sparks ] My current riding mower (18hp CC) just pushes the tall seed stalks over and they pop right back up after a few minutes. Can anyone recommend a riding mower powerfull enough to acutally CUT Bahiagrass. Thanks.

 

[geneP]

I have a 3-blade mower on my CC and have areas in my yard with the Bahiagrass. The speed I run has everything to do with how well it cuts. I know to slow down in the areas with the bahia stalks or be prepared to go back over it.

 

[Logan]

Sharp blades, slow mower speed, and high blade speed is the only thing I have found that will tame a heavy stand of bahaiha grass. I usually sharpen my blades at least every other mowing.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Bahiagrass grows fast whether fertilized or not, but if it is fertilized it makes it more tender to cut, cutting early in the day helps, and as an earlier poster stated sharpness of blades and speed of cut also make a difference.

 

[PSDStu]

Like others have said, cutting Bahia is like cutting rope....... best to use sharp blades, go slow, and try and cut it with dew on it seems to work best for me.

I also have found that if you can it close to the ground it seems to cut better also.

I know when I bushog my acres and acres of Bahia I have to go much slower then I would like to..... but if I don't it doesn't get cut very well.

Best of luck!

 

[bontai_Joe]

Judging from the locations of the posters, this is a southern grass? Sound like it's a tough one to cut. Do you guys grow this stuff on purpose, or is it a invasive thing that you just learn to deal with? I ask, because I am totally unfamiliar with this kind of turf living in northern PA.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Joe around here it seems that not to much of anything can outdo bahiagrass it requires very little maintenance and is good grazing for our cattle, you can cut it down to 2'' today and by this time next week it will be 1 foot tall and it is very drought resistant, it just does'nt make good yard grass.

 

[Logan]

The state uses it to seed roadway projects. No one would plant it in their yard on purpose.

 

[BLUEBONNET2]

good morning,

you can kill it with "pasture clean".....get it at a feed store...follow the instructions..i have it everywhere...spray and wait about ten days before cutting, kills johnson grass also.......in the spring....supposedly developed by texas a&m for hay and pastures.....i have a guy that has a 100 gal. boom sprayer and he charges $150 plus chemicals...7 ac. done in about 3 hrs...once a year....

the seeds are spread by animals and hay trailers along the roadways....it goes from there....

other than that, sharp blades and slow....


good luck,
bluebonnet2

 

[J_J]

I use to cut a lot of Bahia, and you have to go back over it if you want a good clean cut. The length of the mower blades seem to have an effect on the grass whether you get a good quality cut. Sharp is good. Mole crickets love it. You can almost watch it grow. It reseeds it self. There are at least two kinds of Bahia grass, Argentina, and Pensacola .

http://www.hancockseed.com/index.ph...1uaeljgjbpi1&gclid=CKP5gqi9oJsCFRdinAod8RW1Bw