So I see conflicting inromation on this.

Neil Sperry says "tall grass is week grass" and recommends mowing it at 2 to 2.5in.

Randy Lemmon says mow as tall as your mower allows

TAMU is in line with Neil Sperry

This board agrees with Randy Lemmon.


What gives?

Randy Lemmon is a radio/media personality with a degree in journalism who's monetized his hobby. He makes blanket recommendations for his sponsored brands of fertilizer and weed control, while rarely mentioning the idea of testing your soil to see what it actually needs.

Neil Sperry has a master's degree in horticulture and has been involved in education and research for almost 50 years. He rarely makes a recommendation without sending you to get soil tested, or to see a certified arborist or master gardener for a recommendation on your specific application.

HTH

Now on your highest setting for a year and see how your grass does. Then do Neil's version of care for a year. You pick your poison.

As stated above follow Neil Sperry's advice. Randy Lemon will sell his soul for money. Now he is selling a trip to London in addition to foundation repair. His replies to callers is read my tip sheet. He does not even do his own yard.

I agree that Neil is superior to Randy in pretty much every why. Why then do so many on this board, including our resident turf experts/agronomists, recommend mowing high?

Cloud said:

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I agree that Neil is superior to Randy in pretty much every why. Why then do so many on this board, including our resident turf experts/agronomists, recommend mowing high?

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Maybe it's relative? Most people have experience with bermuda or st. augustine. You should mow Bermuda short, at 1 - 1.5 inches. It is recommended to mow st. augustine at twice the height, at 2 - 3 inches.

Same reason people will say NEVER scalp St. Augustine. However I do drop my mower incrementally over the first two or three mowings of the season coupled with a good raking to de-thatch and thin things out a bit. My lawn seems healthier for it in the end.

Kenneth_2003 said:

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Same reason people will say NEVER scalp St. Augustine. However I do drop my mower incrementally over the first two or three mowings of the season coupled with a good raking to de-thatch and thin things out a bit. My lawn seems healthier for it in the end.

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What's the reason people say never scalp St. Augustine? Both Neil Sperry and TAMA mention it as viable options.

Edit: Neil also mentions it in a column about early spring lawn care, although he doesn't call out St. Augustine specifically: http://neilsperry.com/notes/2015/02/early-spring-lawn-care/

I've seen it mentioned on this board several times...
I only do it on the first few mowings in small increments as part of an overall dethatching process, then I let it start growing taller. Lawn looks like trash for a couple weeks, but it comes back very nicely.

I've always "scalped" (one notch lower) and bagged the first couple of cuts each year. Gets thatch and weeds before they drop seeds.

Next mowing goes back to higher level.

I've had success following Randy Lemmon's schedule, but read Sperry's stuff as well and use some of his tips as well.

Always good to have multiple outlets for advice and then make the best decision for you.

I mowed last season at "the tallest your mower allows" which is about 4 inches. For science I'm going to follow Neil this season and mow it lower. First mow I bumped it down a notch to 3.5 and 2nd mow down to about 3in. We'll see how it goes. This is the first time I've dropped it down and bagged the first couple mows and I will say early results look pretty good. It's only March though.

As an Agronomist, I say mow it in the 2 - 2.5 mark, and agree with others that it helps by lowering the height early in the season to help get rid of some of the thatch that's starting to form. While personally, I don't think I'd scalp St. Augustine to the ground like I do with Bermuda, mostly because St. Augustine spreads by stolons above ground, whereas Bermuda spreads through rhizomes and stolons. As long as you drop the mower a notch or two below 2.5, you're good.

We have a hybrid Bermuda and use a professional lawn service which mows weekly. I don't have the time to mow or jack with a reel mower. Our lawn service does not offer a mowing option with a reel mower. What realistic expectations should I have for my yard using a professional mowing service? I am not sure how low their rotary mowers will go and is it unhealthy?

I think Lemmon likes to give catch-phrase advice, like "highest setting". My last mower, the highest setting was about 4.5". I would set it to be around 3-3.5", as 4.5" was just ridiculous. I started getting my neighbor's son to mow a few times last summer, and found the highest setting on his mower was about 3", so the advice actually applies to some people.

My backyard needs leveling, so longer helped the grass thicken over the the ruts and roots.

I've come to believe the most important factor is frequency of mowing. The least you can cut off the top each time the better.

the key is you are only supposed to cut 1/3 of the blade off during a mow. If your grass is tall, then you can only cut so much.

If you want to keep short grass (2" or less), well, you better be mowing every 4 days.

My lawn gets mowed weekly at about 2.5 to 3" and it's immaculate.

I skin that ****er to the ground.

This time of year...2.5" or shorter depending on what level of scalping I want on uneven areas. The only time I mow tall is when its summer and I don't want to water.

In my experience, it is always better to leave your grass much higher when it starts to heat up as others have mentioned. I don't know the exact height, but it was probably 3"-3.5" on my Toro...just a notch or two down. The grass appeared healthier, thicker, kept more weeds out, and shaded its roots. I also personally found it more enjoyable to walk on.

I would see my neighbors do the opposite: cut so short to give it that golf course-esque appearance. I'd see them watering it far more often too.