How to Start Cutting Your Grass Short in 3 Easy Steps!!

If you're looking to reel mow, there is a process that needs to be done in order for your grass to get used to being cut so short. Going from tall cut grass to low cut grass will get the neighborhood really talking! With the help of a few members from thelawnforum.com, I give you a 3 step process in how to achieve mowing low. There is a lot of work that goes into this process, so it is definitely not for the faint of heart.
This process is being done on Kentucky Bluegrass. There are other ways to achieve getting similar results, this is just the one I've chosen to do on my lawn.
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Disclaimer: Results may vary with location, weather, application rates, and applicator. Follow your local laws and application guidelines. Wear proper PPE.
LAWN LIFE assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video.
Due to factors beyond the control of LAWN LIFE, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result.
Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, products or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not LAWN LIFE.

[@riflebear1711]

What i ike nost about this channel, is i feel like this is one of my homies, just a normal dude going through the highs and lows of lawn care not pretending that he knows everything. Shout out to jesse.

[@febreasy6404]

Man, I can't wait to have a yard of my own.

[@RionPhotography]

I love watching these videos as I'm sitting here waiting for my seed to germinate. I swear the first 7 days is so nerve-wracking, especially knowing your neighbors are all watching your yard too to see if it all comes in or not. lol

[@craig9280]

Mannnnnnn, you said it so well. I’m going through the same thing right now!

[@RionPhotography]

@@craig9280 Just starting a leveling project so my lawn looks like a sandbox again 😂

[@craig9280]

@@RionPhotography that’s awesome! Gosh, such a funny coincidence. I’m on day 7, all the neighbors watching, germinated yesterday and finally seeing some sprouts. As I walked up the driveway to examine them, I noticed a few spots that I DIDN’T level, and I’m kicking myself for not focusing on that. And then I see your reply one year later. Looks like I know why I’ll be doing next year. I’ll have to continue our thread then haha

[@lobo11141]

I lost it when the dog took a shit. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@EvanMauck]

Went ahead and went down to an inch on my back yard yesterday.. also dethatched for the first time and fertilized. Looks terrible at the moment but I’m going to trust the process!

[@LAWNLIFE]

Give it a month. Make sure you start mowing a little higher than 1 inch since you scalped it at that height

[@EvanMauck]

@@LAWNLIFE should I wait that full month to cut again? I was going to cut it at 1 3/4 or so

[@DavidJones-uc6qx]

That is awesome brother man I love Minnesota to and I’m trying to figure out my lawn will stay in touch

[@davewheeler5085]

Short and sweet. To the point. You highlighted the cornerstones of a great yard

[@benharrison5816]

I'm in the middle of transitioning to under 1", eventually, but I'm trying to follow the 1/3 rule and transition more slowly rather than just scalping at the start, since I did leveling and overseeding last fall, and more overseeding a few weeks ago. I gotta wait for it to develop more, but it's thickening up nicely. I have a 70/30 mix of prg and fine fescue here in the PNW.

[@LAWNLIFE]

There's definitely more than one way to do this process and what you're doing is perfectly fine. Especially if you've already leveled. The scalping won't be bad in certain areas then. You'll love it once you start mowing low!

[@thomasflynn6307]

You ain’t kidding it’s a lot of work

[@NGILBE]

Amazing first video! You are a pro already Jrubb

[@shion_lwn]

Back to your video again:) I still have been cutting taller (3"-3 1/2"), but I told myself "I'm gonna do it." Your video is the most detailed step by step for transitioning to low cut. One thing I wanted to ask is that did you feed your lawn after scalping? did you wait until grass recovered and started mowing again?

[@frupsn1960]

It was very useful that you included footage of actual scalping and discussed potential issues. Did you sand or topsoil level your front lawn to get the bumps out and make it flat?

[@LAWNLIFE]

I have never leveled my front lawn and it's a lot bumpier than it looks on camera. The greens mower is VERY forgiving. Let me know if you have any other questions man!

[@davebrown5130]

Dont believe you’re looking g at bent grass but rather Nimblewill. Nimblewill is very common and resembles the look of bent grass. Keep up the great work with your videos👍🏻

[@bucky5063]

Always great videos, clear consice directions

[@wayne7177]

Greetings from WI. Nice video and good information. Appreciate the content. Best of luck to you on your KZbin adventure.

[@LAWNLIFE]

Thanks Wayne! I hope I can bring you more information in the future!

[@Upsidedownbubble]

I want to do this to my front yard but I have tall fescue mix with Kentucky bluegrass and don’t know how that would look and I don’t really want to kill it off. Probably going to over seed with just Kentucky blue and cut low. Hopefully it won’t look to bad and it takes over the tall fescue. I cut my Bermuda backyard low and love it!

[@LileCremeans]

Hey! Happy 1 year anniversary today!👍

[@troyhenry3267]

Enjoyed this video. I have bermuda turf I'd like to start manual reel mowing it at 1 inch to start, then possibly 1/2 inch.

[@rxlo1062]

Excellent video

[@hammerhead1000]

Found the link on TLF. Was following your journal there. I might be your first subscriber from overseas LOL. Great work. If you keep going and putting out content i predict you will have 20,000 followers by the end of the year :). Wish you all the best.

[@LAWNLIFE]

You're definitely my first overseas subscriber! That's awesome! I'm actually working on another video as we speak and hope to drop it in the next day or two. I appreciate you following along!

[@richard2845]

Thanks for sharing

[@troylindsey1444]

Same procedure for warm season grass. If you want level it. Try aerating, rolling, then aerating again. If you have any deeper holes, you will need to fill those in.

[@CaptainQueue]

Your lawn looks awesome but I just have to question why we need them to look like perfect carpets. I'm in hot northern Louisiana and have migrated away from perfection level to OK level and cut my grass 1 notch from the mower's top height. Occasionally it looks a little shaggy as I purposely let the grass get to seed head height. Most ppl here cut their grass way too short in this heat. I spend less time than in previous years. I'm trying to get the fert / weed / insect applications down from 6 times a year total to 4 times a year.

[@chandlerhall3600]

Great video! Thanks for making it!

[@MilosStevanovic1]

Love the video. Mine is as bad as yours was and I am afraid to tackle it, I fear I will destroy my gras completely….

[@RacerKris23]

Id like to take my tall fescue here in Michigan down and start mowing it as short as I can get with a zero turn. Haven't bought a reel mower yet as I have almost half acre of grass. Can I take tall fescue and mow it low?

[@loupepe5413]

@lawnlife live in pa . Took my lawn to like an inch by accident. Few spots not as green and a little short. Raised the setting. Temps in 60s to 70s. Should it recover well?

[@trevormuggeridge4560]

First Aussie 😁. Great video. 😎👍👍

[@LAWNLIFE]

Awesome man! Thank you!

[@itsezactually]

Great video! I’d love to see some updates on the back yard! Thinking of going low on my ryegrass.

[@LAWNLIFE]

I'll get you an update soon my man. It's starting to fill in nicely.

[@thomasflynn6307]

Makes you feel like that yard is huge I have 100x100 and that feel huge

[@aprilgeneric8027]

i know that swamp. wouldn't mind driving by when i am on my way to alpine some day and looking over that lawn to see how much cross breeding it did with the golf course over by hwy10

[@ceddy97]

It also works with warm season grass if not better. Nice Content young man

[@LAWNLIFE]

Thanks Cedrick!

[@user-mh8rw1wu7y]

What I would of done with rider is take bagger off mow low blowing it around then put bagger back on same height and picked it all up if wanted to bag. That would of worked?

[@user-mh8rw1wu7y]

I also have that exact same John Deere and honestly in my opinion if it wouldn’t of worked it’s because that mower doesn’t do as good of a job bagging. I have the same mower but Craftsman and the Craftsman does a way better job bagging sucking up all the extra debris and makes cleaner looking cuts.. just my opinion..

[@shion_lwn]

glad to have found your video. I am new to reel mowing. I have been wanting to cut lower but my lawn is bumpy. Even with rotary mower I have to change HOC so I don't scalp some areas..Have been adding topsoil/sand but still long way to go to level :/ Thank you for sharing your experiences and tips. it is very helpful!

[@shion_lwn]

as for dethathing.. I overseeded early Spring, and now many large spots in my lawn are yellow because of dead poa from the heat :/ Do I wait to dethatch until fall ? I fertilized 4 days ago and haven't cut the grass yet. if I cut the grass at 2.5in or lower, it will look yellow even more 😵 I am very new to reel mowing. I keep switching around with rotary mower since I was worried about scalping so much ekk

[@LAWNLIFE]

What kind of grass do you have?

[@shion_lwn]

@@LAWNLIFE mixture of PRG and KBG. I moved to my current home 2 winters ago. I had no idea about lawn care. I believe previous owner had Tall fescue and some other grass (probably KBG/PRG). I overseeded 70% KBG & 30% PRG this Spring and will stick with that going forward.

[@LAWNLIFE]

@@shion_lwn I would wait to dethatch until the fall. You don't want to stress your grass out anymore than it needs to be with the heat. Dethatching really puts a number on the stress of the grass.

[@shion_lwn]

@@LAWNLIFE Ok, thank you for your advice!:)

[@Mr.sunnyrai]

I need to get my grass low. But it’s very bumpy. Do you recommend leveling off first? I have detached last spring and get it down to 3 inches and kept it there. It’s a burnuda grass. I’m in hot califnia weather as well of 100 degree heat in summers. I’m not sure if short grass required more water?

[@RionPhotography]

You might need to do more than just leveling if it's super bumpy. I took my utility tractor and box blade this summer and just started dragging all the bumps out because there was no way I was going to be able to just fill them in with dirt.

[@joelucero6703]

Ha... my life! Life struggles that’s played out in grass. So my life

[@LAWNLIFE]

It's no fun if everything goes right! Lol

[@dukesilver3619]

Have you ever gave details to the cameras you use? Best visuals hands down. Must be your main career or something.

[@LAWNLIFE]

Haha thanks. I have my cameras listed in the description, but I actually just upgraded this winter. Should be a little better quality coming soon!

[@davidgonzales-ec8bo]

Lol good video

[@josephpuchel6497]

Hey Excellent video. I would like to take my lawn low but might stay at around 2” inch then thatch , seed and fertilize. I will go from there. My Neighbors Zoysia is creeping over and I don’t like it. Maybe tenacity would help keep it out not sure. I like your technique.

[@LAWNLIFE]

Thanks man! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. Let me know how it goes for you!

[@kevindaniels4302]

How did you get rid of the moles. I have been using caster oil pellets it seems to be working. but i have to do it every 2 months 5 bags at 11 dollars is not cheap.

[@LAWNLIFE]

I used these and they work great. Moles are basically gone. Victor 0631 Out O’Sight Mole Trap - Reusable and Weather Resistant www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RAMY/ref=cm_sw_r_sm_apa_glt_fabc_H0QABQ4NYT6H1HG773DX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[@careyedwards5662]

I let my cat out in the backyard and he took care of my mole problem in one season.

[@melchorpozuelos8350]

When is the best to start this spring or fall... Im on 2inches right now and i can see dirt already i have mix of kbg and rygrass....

[@toddlerbakken734]

Awesome Job, Keep the videos coming!

[@nstasik1981]

How difficult is this to maintain during July/August when the temps are in the 90s? Does mowing this low require a ton of water to keep in alive during the heat? Or can it go dormant and come out in the fall like normal. Great job on your first video!

[@LAWNLIFE]

Thanks Norbert! I had the experience of using my irrigation on long grass and short grass in my lawn and I can tell you with 100% confidence that there is no difference in the amount of water it takes to keep your lawn green through the heat of the summer. My short cut turf did not go dormant at all through the summer and looked great with the same cost on the water bill.

[@brahambaseball]

@@LAWNLIFE any difference in your fertilizer routine between tall and short cut? Do you have to level spots off if there’s dips and such in the lawn? Last question! How often do you have to mow when you keep it short?

[@LAWNLIFE]

@@brahambaseball thanks for checking out the video. I've been getting hit with these questions from everyone since the video has dropped (here and other platforms), so I'm planning on making a detailed video on all of these questions, plus more, tomorrow. I think that's just the easiest way to answer everyone at this point!

[@brahambaseball]

@@LAWNLIFE I appreciate it. Thank you!

[@LAWNLIFE]

@@brahambaseball Hey man, just wanted to let you know this video is still coming. The actual discussion part has been recorded and edited for days already, I've just been waiting on this crappy weather to pass so I can get some more b-roll. Hopefully I can get enough of it tomorrow and drop it this weekend. Sorry for the delay!

[@daredevilcm91]

How would you recommend ir is it even possible to mow low if your yard is slightly sloped?

[@joelucero6703]

I want to learn!!!

[@evanshepard1]

What month of the year would you suggest attempting this with long fescue grass in TN?

[@devin9880]

GO PACK GO !!! I just SUBBED :)

[@LAWNLIFE]

No pack no!! Haha. Thanks for subbing ☺️

[@LileCremeans]

Good video! Informative and timely. Nice production too. Edited well, good shot selection, plenty of information but not too long, nice graphics. Very professional looking video.

[@dlandes14]

Would love to make the transition but my yard is so bumpy and uneven. I also have a tree in my front yard with some pretty bad surface roots in some areas. Also the last couple years I've overseeded with a pennington seed that is primarily perennial rye which I know can be cut low as well as KBG but there's also some tall fescue in it which I know probably won't tolerate it. Would probably need to do a leveling this fall and overseed with straight up KBG or perennial rye to try to get a more consistent grass type I imagine before considering making the switch. Just a saw a greensmaster on marketplace for $1000 in my area too 😪

[@LAWNLIFE]

I have a root on the side of my yard and it's a pain in the ass. So don't overlook that. You would be surprised how well a greensmower does with bumps. Take a manual reel over your lawn and see how it does. The greensmower is even more forgiving than a manual reel. Good luck!

[@ituness100]

how does this work for yards that are super uneven? i want to cut low but feel like my yard is a rollercoaster in places

[@user-tb2wz1tr8y]

I wouldn't recommend it, personally. When I've went real short prior to over seeding, those bumpy areas were completely scalped. Fixable but a bit annoying.

[@joelucero6703]

Subbed!!

[@LAWNLIFE]

💪💪 thanks man! Got another one dropping soon!

[@cameroneshleman4833]

I'm big into rc cars, and I cut 3 1/2 and I really want to cut low so my rigs don't have to work as hard to get through it

[@wollins2]

Hey Jesse, new subscriber here ... really enjoying your vids. Quick question ... can you do/maintain a low cut lawn with ANY type of cool season grass? I'm in Toronto and have mainly Ryegrass and Tall Fescue with a smidge of Bluegrass. I get the sense that you have primarily bluegrass.

[@LAWNLIFE]

I do have primarily bluegrass. The ryegrass will be able to handle being cut low but the tall fescue will most likely die off. It can't handle being cut that short. If you brought it down this fall, you should be able to start cutting low and overseed with rye if a percentage of it dies off.

[@masgitz]

What kind of grass is that

[@ronmaday947]

I'm trying to do this!! Should I do it in the spring or fall? Did you areate the lawn after dethatching? And did you overseed the lawn after dethatch? Also do you add fertilizer after you scalp the lawn?? Thanks man!!

[@ronmaday947]

Also how would I know what type of grass I have in my lawn? I'm in Illinois

[@LAWNLIFE]

Knowing your grass type is crucial if you are following these steps. Have you noticed if your grass "heals itself". If theres a dead spot, does the grass grow itself back in?

[@ronmaday947]

@@LAWNLIFE yes. I'm almost positive it's a mix of KBG, Rye, and TF. I was going to scalp, dethatch, areate and then overseed with KBG. How long should I wait for the new seed to grow until I start cutting in under an inch?

[@tkangue999]

Looks good! Did you do any leveling before you began reel mowing?

[@LAWNLIFE]

Thanks! No leveling at all. I'm still debating on a renovation so I haven't leveled and it's still working out great.

[@LIGHT7CODE7]

With the hill on the side are you just leaving as is?

[@LAWNLIFE]

Yeah it's kind of a mess because I didn't end up scalping or dethatching it that day, which I now regret. So I've been scalping it at one inch all year. It looks pretty bad. I'm going to do this same process to it in the fall this year if I have time. I may or may not be planning a renovation on my front yard. 😏

[@davidgonzales-ec8bo]

Blatent disrespect. Emmit is a renegade. Lol

[@stump1897]

Nice video, that Vikings hoodie looks atrocious though. Go Pack Go!

[@LAWNLIFE]

😂😂😂 You just worry about your about your Rodgers drama over there. Thanks for watching bro!

[@jordanmcgregor9428]

Hey dude, personal question. Are you monetized already or how does that work? Just wondering for my future self. Thank you!

[@LAWNLIFE]

Yeah. You need 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours which I have surpassed. Good luck man!

[@jordanmcgregor9428]

That’s great, man! You clearly put some thought in before just jumping in. Well done and looking forward to the journey. Good luck!

[@rdrewj83]

Awesome job on the lawn and video! This surely isn’t your first rodeo in video editing 😉

[@LAWNLIFE]

I've done it a time or two. Haha. Thanks man!

[@gilwaa]

Something about a freshly cut lawn makes dogs want to poop!

[@worldpeace5853]

You could have bagged the dead grass via mower?

[@LAWNLIFE]

I could have, but it fills up super quick. It's really whatever you prefer to do. Has to get out of there one way or another.

[@keithowu]

So no leveling has been done whatsoever? I'm doing my reno this fall.

[@LAWNLIFE]

Zero leveling. It's working out fine and it's bumpy as hell back there in some spots. Haven't been scalping at all with the manual reel

[@keithowu]

@@LAWNLIFE nice! How about the front, any leveling there. It looks so smooth.

[@LAWNLIFE]

@@keithowu no leveling there either. It definitely is not that smooth. Now there's not huge bumps like the back but there's definitely small hills all over. I'm debating a renovation so that's why I haven't done any leveling. I want some darker cultivars but I'm scared to ruin what I already have and regret it 😂

[@keithowu]

@@LAWNLIFE thanks so much for the responses. Keep up the great work.

[@j0ker700]

Is this a sod lawn?

[@LAWNLIFE]

Yeah, I think it was laid back in 2002.

[@stash7714]

SKOL

[@olegig5166]

Why do you want short grass?

[@michaelmcnair8912]

Dirt stripe king

[@LAWNLIFE]

Haha yes. I love it. 👑

[@BUDS228]

I have tall fescue, why am I watching this. My first step would be to smoke the whole lawn.

[@LAWNLIFE]

Yeah... Most likely. Hope you enjoyed it at least. Lol

[@BUDS228]

@@LAWNLIFE Absolutely! The Lawn Community is the best community!

[@nickgibb4687]

really?? Green Bay all the way. well maybe not this year? lol

[@LAWNLIFE]

Skol Brother! I'm really rooting for Rodgers to get traded lol. Thanks for watching man!

[@nickgibb4687]

@@LAWNLIFE yea sadly me too. it was a good run I guess

[@SUPERSTROKE333]

nice vid, really good production for a first vid. 8:12 was funny.