How high do you mow your grass?

[Walt 2002]

I cut to about 3-1/2" and regularly, lady behind us cuts grass when it is about 4" - 5" tall and cuts it as close to the roots as possible, killing the engine frequently and throwing the cut grass over on us and cutting erratically into our lawn. I try to cut along our line when I think she is getting ready to mow but she doesn't take the hint. Guess we will have to have a conversation.

Walt Conner

 

[sld]

Southern Kansas fescue, mowed at 3 - 3.5 in spring and 4.0 in summer. Come fall it goes back down to 3 - 3.5.

It really depends on type of grass and location.

 

[grnspot110]

Set the NTM JD F725 at 3" this morning, mowed this afternoon, going higher next time!

 

[RSKY]

When I was in high school, a long time ago, I was cruising around town one Saturday night when I was flagged down by a couple girls. Of course I stopped. I attended a county school and both the girls lived in the county but attended the 'city' school. Anyway, I was directed to drive out of town to one of their parents home. Told to drive around back and blow the horn. Then I opened the trunk, as directed, while the two girls drug out a 50-lb bag of ammonia nitrate each. I refused to load it until I saw the mother waving from the back porch. So I loaded it as directed but they wouldn't tell me why. Then as directed I drove back in town to a certain street and house where the girls got out and spread the 100-lb of fertilizer in a yard that was maybe 100' by 60' in the front and back. Apparently it was a teachers house that both had been in trouble with and they knew he was out of town.

It was raining.

I tried to drive by every now and then but all I remember is tall brown grass. Very tall grass.

 

[sixdogs]

I'm the OP and decided to go with 3 1/2".

Thank you all.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The height indicator says 2.5", mostly k31 grass. this is 3rd from the highest setting of 3.5", it can go much lower. Now I have never measured to see how accurate the scale is.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

When I was in high school, a long time ago, I was cruising around town one Saturday night when I was flagged down by a couple girls. Of course I stopped. I attended a county school and both the girls lived in the county but attended the 'city' school. Anyway, I was directed to drive out of town to one of their parents home. Told to drive around back and blow the horn. Then I opened the trunk, as directed, while the two girls drug out a 50-lb bag of ammonia nitrate each. I refused to load it until I saw the mother waving from the back porch. So I loaded it as directed but they wouldn't tell me why. Then as directed I drove back in town to a certain street and house where the girls got out and spread the 100-lb of fertilizer in a yard that was maybe 100' by 60' in the front and back. Apparently it was a teachers house that both had been in trouble with and they knew he was out of town.

It was raining.

I tried to drive by every now and then but all I remember is tall brown grass. Very tall grass.

That's about the right amount. It will kill most of the weeds, but you have to mow it about twice a week. I thought you were going to say that they spread the fertilizer in a manner to spell some sort of profanity. It' a bit disconcerting to see the word "chit" on the lawn in bright green against the brownish-yellow background.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

How high? Well, usually no more than 4 rum and cokes.

 

[sixdogs]

As mentioned, I did go with 3.5" but just happened to find my old note on the manual that suggests 2.5" to 3" for bluegrass and 2.5' for fescue. Mine is a blend of the two.

The 3.5" is easier to maintain and does look a little more lush. Not that I care about lush but I figure I won't have to mow as often and it will be easier. That's the plan.

 

[EddieWalker]

I cut my lawn as close as I can. I keep trying to kill it, but so far no luck. I hate mowing, so it grows up to about 3" before I cut it again. When the dry part of the summer comes along the neighbor, that pampers his lawn, has a brown lawn. Mine, to spite me, is still green and growing. I can't win.

Too funny!!!! I also like to mow mine as short as I can in my yard and the areas we like to hang out. I never do anything for my grass, I never water it or fertilize it or weed it. I just cut it as short as I can without scalping on the dirt. One inch is ideal for me, but if I was to guess, I'm probably closer to 2 inches. Most of the grass is common Bermuda, which is pretty hard to kill once it's established. There is also some Bahia in there which is impossible to kill!!!! I've tried without success. Even after spraying it with roundup, it just comes back after turning brown and pretending to be dead.

My reason for cutting it short is that I have a lot of snakes here and it's impossible for them to hide in really short grass. Last year my daughter in law was out mowing with the zero turn near my pond and the next day some friends where over and found a dead copper head that she had ran over without ever knowing it. I had a cotton mouth running away from me while I was on the zero turn one time that stopped and challenged me as I got close to catching it. At the last second, I chickened out and veered away from him. I was afraid that if he didn't go under the mower deck, he would be up on the mower next to my feet.

For the rest of my land, I just bush hog it at about 4 inches to keep it under control. Trees are like weeds here and if you don't bush hog at least once a year, you will have ten foot tall trees everywhere. And that's with all the species I have growing here, pines, oaks, cedars, beech, birch and so on. They are my biggest challenge to keeping a pasture in grass.

Eddie