byrocat

We have one giant-scale enthusiast in the club who has access to our mower and keeps cutting the grass to golf-green lengths.

Before I climb up on my high-horse and etc. etc., I'd like to get some feedback on what is a reasonable length to mow the field to.

Our field has no irrigation and other means of watering other than natural rain.

Thanks in advance!

carrellh

Type of grass probably influences how it should be cut.

Where we fly the grass is mostly bermuda, possibly some rye. Natural rain only. Paul mows it to what I'd consider a normal length for a lawn. Golf green length would surely kill it in 100 degree Texas sun. Our members fly everything from .20 size planes to 100cc scale aerobats. Occasionally a plane with tiny wheels will nose over but it has never been a big issue.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

If you have somebody that WANTS to keep the grass mowed then I wouldn't argue one bit. I do the lions share of the grass mowing at our field and it's a chore to find anybody to come out and help mow. And our grass cutting season runs from April till around the end of october!!!!

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

Ken

CCRC1

My Feedback: (13)

Thats odd, its usually the guys flying the smaller airplanes that need the grass short. The larger scale stuff, because of the larger wheels, don't need a groomed runway. Maybe he's practicing his putting between flights.

tuwood

LOL, that's funny Ken.

I fly at two fields and the grass field is mowed to what I would consider fairway grass length.
In my opinion similar to the others have said, I would think it should be cut as short as the weather/irragation will allow it to stay healthy. If he's cutting it so short that dust is kicking up and the grass is wilting then it's too short. If it looks like a golf course then as ken says. don't argue!

Tony

BillS

One should be careful about telling others how to do their job. Complaining about the grass height is likely to get you in big trouble. You should volunteer to mow the grass yourself and learn the cutting height firsthand.

After considerable experimentation the private field at my house is cut to 2 1/2”.

Bill

da Rock

Two details provide the answer............

What kind of grass and
How dense is it (when your tires roll, do they roll on dirt or grass)

Bermuda or bent grass is by far the best stuff to have. It's what every natural sports field is going to be that can support it. It's dense, self "seeding", likes to be short, and stands traffic great. It also isn't so prone to go dormant in hot dry summers, at least not anywhere like fescues. If your field is a bent grass and is tripping up model airplane wheels, than it's not being taken care worth spit. It's dead simple to do a soil test, put down the right type and amount of whatever is called for. It's used on golf courses for a reason.

But chances are better that your field isn't bent grass. And blue grass, fescues, and the long grasses are the cool season grasses of choice. They need to be left long enough that the cutting cycle doesn't cut off more than half the green blade. And they need to be left long enough that they shade the ground in the heat of summer.

If your excellent club member's choice of cutting length has the grass browning out in the heat of the summer, he's cutting it too short. Unless of course, the grass is not getting any rain, then all bets are off. Most cool grasses should be cut no shorter than 2". Another way to tell if the cutting is too close is to look at how hard it is to keep 100% coverage of grass over the dirt.

At our field, our grass grows ok, but the guys sprayed A LOT last year to kill the weeds. The dirt area opened up when the weeds vanished is now more than the grass area. Our grass is healthy, but only now is just starting to cover more than 50%. So our models are bouncing and stumbling in the "holes" between the grass. Length ain't a problem where there is grass.

If your field has good coverage, is getting cut short often, and you're having trouble with models stumbling, then they'd be worse stumbling if the grass was longer. If the grass doesn't give good coverage, it needs to be overseeded. Right now, fescue seeding may do ok. Rye will probably do better, but won't reseed itself. You'll need to overseed in the fall with fescue.

What exactly is the problem you're having? Airplane tires usually have only a couple. They stick in holes where the grass isn't, or they have to plow through tall grass. Short grass usually isn't the problem.

BTW, you guys ought to give that guy his club membership for free. And maybe pay for his attendance at a lawn care class or two. He is more of an asset to your club than most of your membership will ever know.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Yup. I had a neighbor who went to great lengths to establish a really nice fescue lawn. He sold the house to a woman from Florida who was obviously used to caring for a different type of grass. Due to her insistance on cutting the grass to about a 1 inch height, within one year, the lawn looked horrible.

byrocat

Bill, Appreciate the advice but I'm already signed up to take mower driving lessons (how to set it up and how fast to run it.)

I think the objective is to get enough people to do things the right way so that GS guy can be quietly thanked and told just fly your plane.

For everyone else, its probably standard Ontario lawn grass mix (mostly regular and blue grasses for a no-shade environment). The prediction is that this summer is going to be hot and very dry, so super-short mowing is not what needs to be done right now (already know that)

I suspect that this guy is also a less-than-magnificent flier who is blaming the field conditions for his flying skills. He's also taking the mower out at random times when he gets tip-overs (remember that he's flying a quarter-scale or larger Pitts or Extra) plus cutting the grass well after the equipment has been winterized and put away.

Also have suspicions on who is taking the engine-clock connection off of the clock.