[WBrown999]

Please bear with me here:

I am a first-time homeowner, and I have a St. Augustine lawn. Living in a heavily shaded neighborhood with mature oak trees in my lawn, any kind of shade-resistant grass types are out of the question.

I grew up in Central Texas, where Bermuda was king. I am used to low HOC, and I actually prefer the hardiness, aesthetics, and walkability of Bermuda. That is not an option where I live. All the advice I have received re: maintenance of St. Aug has been pretty standard, the most common of which has been a mow height of 3-4".

Here is my question: Is there a feasible way to cut lower and still maintain a healthy, green, thick St. Augustine lawn? Or am I stuck with this (comparatively) super-tall grass? Is it something I just need to get used to? Will I learn to love the T H I C C grass?

Thanks everyone.

 

[SCGrassMan]

I grew up in League City and have family in Friendswood and Webster still. With the shade, I think you may be stuck with it, unfortunately. That's what everybody I know down there has. You can probably cut lower in the spring. Bonuses: dog pee resistant, fairly weed resistant.

 

[WBrown999]

I grew up in League City and have family in Friendswood and Webster still. With the shade, I think you may be stuck with it, unfortunately. That's what everybody I know down there has. You can probably cut lower in the spring. Bonuses: dog pee resistant, fairly weed resistant.

I am in Cypress, so not quite as coastal as League City. One guy down the street has Bermuda, but the neighbors just about burned him at the stake when he chopped down his oak trees and nuked the yard. I wasn't there for this event, but I still hear about it through the grapevine years later.

 

[J_nick]

I grew up in League City and have family in Friendswood and Webster still. With the shade, I think you may be stuck with it, unfortunately. That's what everybody I know down there has. You can probably cut lower in the spring. Bonuses: dog pee resistant, fairly weed resistant.

I am in Cypress, so not quite as coastal as League City. One guy down the street has Bermuda, but the neighbors just about burned him at the stake when he chopped down his oak trees and nuked the yard. I wasn't there for this event, but I still hear about it through the grapevine years later.

What a legend, sounds like my kind of guy :mrgreen:

 

[WBrown999]

What a legend, sounds like my kind of guy :mrgreen:

I know, I wish I had the stones to do the same. The oak trees are very pretty though, and they shade my house during the hottest part of the Texas summer day, so they certainly save me some serious cash on electricity bills.

I have heard Palmetto can be cut 1.5"-2" and is very shade tolerant. Anyone have experience with this cultivar?

 

[SCGrassMan]

Yeah I had to remove an oak tree in my back yard for the benefit of my solar panels. The upshot of that though, is that it opened up my back yard in the areas the grass didn't grow.

 

[Redtenchu]

Here is my question: Is there a feasible way to cut lower and still maintain a healthy, green, thick St. Augustine lawn? Or am I stuck with this (comparatively) super-tall grass? Is it something I just need to get used to? Will I learn to love the T H I C C grass?

I have no experience with SA, and the common knowledge is that 3-4 is the best HOC. SA isn't used on sports fields due to it's low tolerance to heavy traffic, because of that reason I don't think any "pros" have mowed the grass at a fairway HOC.

BUT

If it was me, I'd set up a small-medium test area just to try out a lower HOC. I'd shoot for 2-3inches a full season, if that range is successful in the test area go for 1.5-2 in the test area the next season. You could be the MQ of SA!

 

[SCGrassMan]

Also LOL @ T H I C C

 

[Topcat]

Here are some pics I just snapped of the St Aug that I reel cut at less than 1" last summer. I was brutal and cut as low as half an inch in he hopes of stressing it out so the Bermuda could thrive. This small portion took it and was hardy enough to go thru the winter unscathed. There is not Bermuda in this portion of the lawn. Yet. The other part of the lawn where I had more Bermuda coming in doesn't look as good. This is Palmetto St Aug.

It looks bushy and unmancured right now cause I've not cut it this year yet.

 

[WBrown999]

Cool experiment. Strange, with the low HOC, seeing the stolons almost makes me... sad? Like I feel bad for the grass.

 

[Greendoc]

It can be done on St Augustine. I have seen St Augustine sod from my local sod farms. They reel cut all of their grasses. The St Augustine is incredibly green at 1/2". Is it healthy for the grass? Maybe. Can a homeowner on average soil and perhaps not on an irrigation system keep it up, maybe not. I also know that St Augustine taken lower than 1/2 where I am at does not fare well.

 

[WBrown999]

It can be done on St Augustine. I have seen St Augustine sod from my local sod farms. They reel cut all of their grasses. The St Augustine is incredibly green at 1/2". Is it healthy for the grass? Maybe. Can a homeowner on average soil and perhaps not on an irrigation system keep it up, maybe not. I also know that St Augustine taken lower than 1/2 where I am at does not fare well.

I was really hoping for something more like 2"... I wonder if that would be tolerable for a normie-tier St. Aug, not some fancy pants Palmetto.

 

[Greendoc]

You might be able to. I always thought of McLane and Tru-Cut mowers as ones intended for reel cut St Augustine based on how they do acceptably set high. Other mower to look at is the new Swardman. That one is actually designed to mow cool season grasses. When mowing high, the fewer blades on the reel, the better. I see the Swardman has a 5 blade reel. McLane starts at 7.

 

[WBrown999]

You might be able to. I always thought of McLane and Tru-Cut mowers as ones intended for reel cut St Augustine based on how they do acceptably set high. Other mower to look at is the new Swardman. That one is actually designed to mow cool season grasses. When mowing high, the fewer blades on the reel, the better. I see the Swardman has a 5 blade reel. McLane starts at 7.

I was looking at some of the pricing on those nice reel mowers... holy guacamole. I just cannot justify dropping multiple thousands of dollars on a piece of lawn equipment. My wife would tan my hide.

 

[Rockinar]

I saw a video before where a kid was cutting St Aug with a Tru Cut. I don't remember it looking that bad.

 

[Greendoc]

I saw a video before where a kid was cutting St Aug with a Tru Cut. I don't remember it looking that bad.

Tru-Cut is able to be set over 1" and I believe to 2" That is why I do not like to see them in the hands of lawn crews. When they are supposed to be mowing lower because the grass is getting out of hand, they raise HOC so it is less work for them.

 

[Greendoc]

You might be able to. I always thought of McLane and Tru-Cut mowers as ones intended for reel cut St Augustine based on how they do acceptably set high. Other mower to look at is the new Swardman. That one is actually designed to mow cool season grasses. When mowing high, the fewer blades on the reel, the better. I see the Swardman has a 5 blade reel. McLane starts at 7.

I was looking at some of the pricing on those nice reel mowers... holy guacamole. I just cannot justify dropping multiple thousands of dollars on a piece of lawn equipment. My wife would tan my hide.

It is a better and less harmful habit than gambling or drinking. But at the end of the day, she is the boss.

 

[WBrown999]

You might be able to. I always thought of McLane and Tru-Cut mowers as ones intended for reel cut St Augustine based on how they do acceptably set high. Other mower to look at is the new Swardman. That one is actually designed to mow cool season grasses. When mowing high, the fewer blades on the reel, the better. I see the Swardman has a 5 blade reel. McLane starts at 7.

I was looking at some of the pricing on those nice reel mowers... holy guacamole. I just cannot justify dropping multiple thousands of dollars on a piece of lawn equipment. My wife would tan my hide.

It is a better and less harmful habit than gambling or drinking. But at the end of the day, she is the boss.

Well, I do have my vices...

The problem isn't a lack of money, per se. Rather, the money we have is already earmarked.

Student loans are a bitch.

 

[SGrabs33]

You might be able to. I always thought of McLane and Tru-Cut mowers as ones intended for reel cut St Augustine based on how they do acceptably set high. Other mower to look at is the new Swardman. That one is actually designed to mow cool season grasses. When mowing high, the fewer blades on the reel, the better. I see the Swardman has a 5 blade reel. McLane starts at 7.

@WBrown999 CalTrimmer offers a new High Cut version of their REEL. It has range of sub .5 and up to 2.25 with a 5 or 7 bladed REEL. Let me know if you have any interest and I'd be happy to shoot you some additional info!