I have ordered a scythe for doing my lawn here in Florida

I have a question for all you experienced scythes. Is it possible to effectively scythe but leave maybe four inches of grass in cut. I don't want to scalp my yard. The soil is very sandy. I hope to use the windrows for mulching bald spots and compost. Thanks.

when mowing with a scythe, you’ve got a lot of control over how much you’re leaving. seems like if you’re always leaving the same larger amount it might help to size the scythe according to that.

greg mosser wrote:when mowing with a scythe, you’ve got a lot of control over how much you’re leaving. seems like if you’re always leaving the same larger amount it might help to size the scythe according to that.

Thanks Greg. Unfortunately I ordered it for my body dimensions and not for leaving 4 inches of grass. At any rate I'm really looking forward to using it. I typically use a lawn mower and weed eater but I think it might be nice to get a bit more core body exercise without all the racket. I guess I'll find out about how my lawn handles being cut lower. If it doesn't like it I'm sure I can adjust the handle positions on the snath to suit. I'm a carpenter so I'm sure I can manage.

it’s really not hard to cut at any height with a scythe sized to you. i’m sure you won’t find it difficult to keep the lawn longer.

It's worth noting that scythes leave a much cleaner cut than mechanical mowers, and so lawns cut short with a scythe tend to bounce back much faster than those cut by motorized means.

Be careful sharpening it.  I took the tip of my finger off faster than you can imagine.

Trace Oswald wrote:Be careful sharpening it.  I took the tip of my finger off faster than you can imagine.

My scythe has two parts: the snath, and the hurt-bar. Respect the hurt-bar!

Thanks everyone. Your comments are appreciated. I feel even better about my investment now! Can't wait to receive it. Long wait time due to coronavirus. Ultimately I would prefer to cut it short but it would probably be detrimental for awhile. I wish I had some low growing ground cover that was drought resistant. I don't water my lawn because water conservation is important to me. My yard has a wide variety of things growing in it but some grasses get really tall, really quick. I hope something invades them out.

John Pope wrote:Thanks everyone. Your comments are appreciated. I feel even better about my investment now! Can't wait to receive it. Long wait time due to coronavirus. Ultimately I would prefer to cut it short but it would probably be detrimental for awhile. I wish I had some low growing ground cover that was drought resistant. I don't water my lawn because water conservation is important to me. My yard has a wide variety of things growing in it but some grasses get really tall, really quick. I hope something invades them out.

One advantage of the scythe is it is no big deal to pick it up and cut that one little patch of grass that grew so much faster than everything else around it, and not have to prepare and start an engine just to use it a few minutes. Another thing is if you have a few tough stemmed plants in the mix here and there, the scythe breezes through them when you would have the string trimmer not wanting to cut them, breaking off the string, etc.