Mowing Sports Fields
Mowing is a very important part of the field maintenance puzzle. Timing (or when you mow) is important along with the type of mower, height of the grass, amount of the cut and the direction of the cut. Mowing (along with the color) is the main image everyone makes in their minds of your fields and then judges you and your abilities by that image. This is the part that they all see, so it should be done correctly.
Mowing height or the height of the cut on most hybrid Bermuda grass fields in the southern United States is usually ¾ to 1 ¼ inches. On golf courses the greens are commonly cut to below ½ inch. Common Bermuda can be cut up to 2” because as a much coarser grass, it doesn’t develop the canopy that the hybrids do and won’t shade out the lower growth as much. Common can be cut shorter than 2” with very good results if the plant is healthy and has the right minerals.
Hybrid Bermudas (419, TifSport, GN-1 to name 3) will grow a very dense canopy and will shade the lower stem area and those leaves will die out because of lack of photosynthesis and thus growth in that area. Mowing hybrids which are higher than 1 ¼” is a problem because once the top growth is gone, all that is left are the stems and the field is not only the color of the stems (brown), but the regrowth will be terribly slow and certainly not very even. So when mowing Bermuda – NEVER cut more than 1/3 of the plant at one time and keep it within playing height range the whole year.
Continually mowing at close to playing height is the best practice because it forces the sideways or lateral growth of the plant and that will give better strength to the plant and a much more even playing surface. A clue to the correct height of your hybrid Bermuda is to watch the surface of the grass (as you look across the field) and see if it is all even and at the same height or if it is mottled looking (similar to waves (ripples) in a pond). If it seems to be laying over, it is being cut too long. Start cutting it down in small increments and see if it doesn’t change the look. Then keep it where it wants to be!!
The clippings from the mowing can be left of the field. If you are mowing as you should be, the clippings will be small and organic heaven is just a little ways away for them. If you have clumps and piles, it’ll be too much for the system and you’ll need to get them off of the field.
It is a common misnomer to think that clippings cause thatch. That isn’t true. Thatch comes mainly from the plant material on top of the soil. The clippings pile on, but aren’t the cause. The cause is the inactivity of the microbes in the soil to turn the excess plant material into organic matter. This lack of activity happens generally because the soil is too wet and the roots don’t penetrate into the soil because of lack of oxygen or if the soil is compacted and the roots can’t penetrate into the soil because of no air spaces and probably no moisture there. Either way, the poor soil conditions are the cause of the thatch. You’ll usually notice it outside of the hash marks and in the low areas. Remember, roots will only grow where air and water are available in the correct balance.
Mowing height or the height of the cut on most hybrid Bermuda grass fields in the southern United States is usually ¾ to 1 ¼ inches. On golf courses the greens are commonly cut to below ½ inch. Common Bermuda can be cut up to 2” because as a much coarser grass, it doesn’t develop the canopy that the hybrids do and won’t shade out the lower growth as much. Common can be cut shorter than 2” with very good results if the plant is healthy and has the right minerals.
Hybrid Bermudas (419, TifSport, GN-1 to name 3) will grow a very dense canopy and will shade the lower stem area and those leaves will die out because of lack of photosynthesis and thus growth in that area. Mowing hybrids which are higher than 1 ¼” is a problem because once the top growth is gone, all that is left are the stems and the field is not only the color of the stems (brown), but the regrowth will be terribly slow and certainly not very even. So when mowing Bermuda – NEVER cut more than 1/3 of the plant at one time and keep it within playing height range the whole year.
Continually mowing at close to playing height is the best practice because it forces the sideways or lateral growth of the plant and that will give better strength to the plant and a much more even playing surface. A clue to the correct height of your hybrid Bermuda is to watch the surface of the grass (as you look across the field) and see if it is all even and at the same height or if it is mottled looking (similar to waves (ripples) in a pond). If it seems to be laying over, it is being cut too long. Start cutting it down in small increments and see if it doesn’t change the look. Then keep it where it wants to be!!
The clippings from the mowing can be left of the field. If you are mowing as you should be, the clippings will be small and organic heaven is just a little ways away for them. If you have clumps and piles, it’ll be too much for the system and you’ll need to get them off of the field.
It is a common misnomer to think that clippings cause thatch. That isn’t true. Thatch comes mainly from the plant material on top of the soil. The clippings pile on, but aren’t the cause. The cause is the inactivity of the microbes in the soil to turn the excess plant material into organic matter. This lack of activity happens generally because the soil is too wet and the roots don’t penetrate into the soil because of lack of oxygen or if the soil is compacted and the roots can’t penetrate into the soil because of no air spaces and probably no moisture there. Either way, the poor soil conditions are the cause of the thatch. You’ll usually notice it outside of the hash marks and in the low areas. Remember, roots will only grow where air and water are available in the correct balance.
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