Site evaluation

Evaluate the field for high spots, low spots, and ruts made from equipment because these areas will most likely cause scalping. Take the time to level out the lawn surface with the addition of soil. To reduce rutting, lift the sod with a sharp spade and place topsoil underneath, then replace sod and keep that area moist for several days to a week to encourage root system redevelopment.

A smooth playing surface is essential for player safety. Is your field smooth enough to mow with a reel mower or are there divots? Is it smooth enough to mow at the optimal mowing height for your grass variety without continual scalping damage? Scalping will most certainly put the grass at a competitive disadvantage and eventually lead to the decline of playing quality.

Selecting the right mowing height

It is essential that you mow your particular grass variety at or near the optimal mowing height because this will keep that grass the healthiest and most dense (highest number of shoots per unit area). Higher density means more soil surface shading, which severely restricts the germination of many annual grassy and broadleaf weeds. Maintaining a dense and healthy turf is the best weed control, not to mention the safest playing surface. Selecting the right mowing height also means selecting the right mower for the job. Do not put money into a high density bermudagrass or zoysiagrass hybrid variety and expext to mow it at 3 inches with a rotay mower and expect a high quality lawn. Many of the varieties available today require mowing height at or below 1 inch, which cannot be done effectively with a rotary mower.

Lets talk about some general mowing height requirements of common grass species used in athletic fields

Variety	Mowing Height Range	Optimal Mowing Height
Common Bermudagrass	1 to 2.5 inches	1.5 inches
Hybrid Bermudagrass Tifway, TifSport, Tif419, etc...	0.5 to 1.5 inches	0.75 inches
Kentucky Bluegrass Northern	1 to 2 inches	1.5 inches
Texas Bluegrass (Reveille)	1 to 2 inches	1.5 inches
Zoysia japonica (coarse bladed zoysia)	0.75 to 2 inches	1 inch
Zoysia matrella (fine bladed zoysia)	0.5 to 1.5 inches	0.75 inch

How often do I mow?

This question deserves an "it depends" answer. You will have to play it by ear for every different season, weather, nutrient availability change, etc... The best rule to follow is NEVER TAKE MORE THAN 1/3 OF THE LEAF BLADE OFF AT ANY ONE TIME. If you have piles of clippings left after each mowing or are filling your baskets frequently, then you are mowing too infrequently. For a good example, consider a farmers hay field, they go out there and remove close to 80% of the leaf surface of those grass plants and subsequently the grass left after the hay is baled turns a golden tan color. This happens because the grass plants are not capable of recovering from that amount of stress for quite a while. The small amount of leaf surface left is not enough to maintain the physiological activities (photosynthesis) for plant energy. Grass plants have a "growing point" where all of the leaves originate - and that growing point is near the soil surface when the grass is mowed frequently. When managers let their fields get really "hairy" that growing point begins to elevate from the soil surface and when the mower does finally come through - the growing point may be cut and removed with the rest of the clippings - this results in that plants death. Frequent mowing, never removing more than 1/3 of the grass blade ensures that the growing point will stay near the soil surface and the turf will stay healthier and denser.

Blade sharpening

Maintaining a sharp mower blade, whether rotary or reel, is essential in maintaining turf health. A smooth, clean cut not only looks better, but it also does much less damage to the grass plant. When you have a dull mower blade - you are "thrashing" or "beating" the tops of the grass blades off. This leaves a ragged top which becomes straw colored. This gives the field a "tannish" hue and leaves the grass wide open for insect and disease encroachment. These ragged tops are prime points of entry for many fungal pathogens (turf disease causers) and small turf insects.

Be sure to have your mower blades checked and sharpened frequently - several times per year/season. You can adequately sharpen a rotary mower blade with a good bench grinder and a tub of cold water. Here are a few steps to take when sharpening.

First of all - where safety glasses when grinding. Try to keep the original angle on the mower blade by making smooth, quick swipes across the grinding wheel. Dip the blade in cold water after every few swipes across the grinding wheel so you don't lose "temper" in the steel. If you see blue in the blade where you are grinding - that means that the temper is lost in that area and that steel is now very soft - there will most likely be a chip there next time you check your blade. Be very careful with the sharpening process and use the cold water judiciously. After you are done grinding the blade angle, test to see if the blade is properly balanced. Place the blade on a thin pole through the center hole of the blade. If it wants to fall to one side - that side is heavier. You will need to grind of some more steel on the heavy side to balance the blade. You don't need to grind more of the angle down - just grind a little steel off the back side or a corner of the blade. When you have the blade properly balanced - take a file (mill bastard file) and file off the burrs left behind by the grinder.

If you don't feel comfortable with grinding your own blades, check around for a service in your area that will do it for a few bucks.

Reel grinders require their own special equipment for sharpening. You can buy your own or hire a service to sharpen and grind for you. Reel mowers work just like a scissors, the reel spins against a bedknife and the grass blades that are caught in between are severed. The blade and the bedknife should never actually touch - they are designed to come close enough together to cut a piece of paper, but not produce any friction from rubbing. If you cannot turn your reels by hand because they are rubbing against the bedknife - you have them adjusted incorrectly. The same phenomenon applies here - the reel touching the bedknif as it spins creates friction, which creates heat. This can heat up the blade to a point where the steel loses its temper and the hardness is lost - then you start getting chip-outs. Get your reels properly sharpened and set to assure a good smooth cut.