Mowing Tall Grass and Brush (a.k.a. Brush Hogging)

Got a back lot full of tall grass and weeds? A pasture you haven’t touched in two years? An overgrown corner that the residential mower laughs at?

That’s brush mowing work. We bring a tractor with a heavy-duty rotary cutter (the industry calls it brush hogging) and knock everything down to 4 to 6 inches in a single pass. Faster, cheaper, and easier than land clearing because we’re not removing roots or stumps; just cutting what’s standing.

We brush mow across Volusia, Seminole, Brevard, and Flagler counties. Most jobs land between $200 and $600 per acre.

What brush mowing actually looks like

A brush mower (or “brush hog”, named after the original Bush Hog brand) is a tractor-mounted rotary cutter built for rough work. It uses big, heavy blades that swing freely, which means they take down tall grass, weeds, saplings, and brush without binding up the way a residential mower would.

The basic process:

1. We walk the property to confirm scope and check for hidden hazards (old fence wire, irrigation, stumps, anthills).
2. We start at a corner and work in a grid pattern, overlapping each pass.
3. The mowed material drops in place. It’s not bagged or hauled.
4. We finish the perimeter and any trim work around obstacles.

A typical pass leaves 4 to 6 inches of stubble. The cut material breaks down within a few weeks if conditions are normal. The ground itself is undisturbed; we’re not grinding into the dirt or pulling up roots.

When you need this

People call us for brush mowing when:

• The grass and weeds got away from them. A back lot or back pasture that hasn’t been mowed in a year or two is a prime job. Tall grass and weeds knock down to nothing in an hour or two per acre.
• Code enforcement is on their case. Many municipalities issue overgrown-lot citations once grass exceeds a certain height (often 12 to 18 inches). Brush mowing brings it back to compliance fast.
• A property is going on the market. Overgrown lots photograph badly. A fresh brush mow makes a noticeable difference in listing photos and showings.
• It’s pasture maintenance time. Twice-yearly brush mowing keeps pasture from going to weeds and brush. It’s also the foundation of qualifying for agricultural tax exemptions.
• They want a clear visual on the property. You can’t really see what you have through 5 feet of dog fennel and goldenrod. A mow gives you a real look at the land before you decide what to do with it.

What it costs

Standard pricing: $200 to $600 per acre. The range covers:

• Density. Light grass and weeds are at the bottom of the range. Heavy palmetto cover or brush gets toward the top.
• Lot size. Smaller lots (under 1 acre) often have a flat minimum of around $300 to $400 because of setup time. The per-acre rate drops as the lot gets bigger.
• Access and obstacles. Open pasture is fastest. Lots full of obstacles (irrigation, septic, fence rows, trees to work around) take longer per acre.
• Whether we have to come back. A heavily overgrown lot may need a second cut at a lower height to look “finished”. Most people are happy with one pass at 4 to 6 inches.

For most residential brush mow jobs (1 to 5 acres), expect $400 to $1,500 total. Larger pasture work (10+ acres) is usually $200 to $300 per acre after the first.

How long it takes

Pretty quick. A 1 to 2 acre lot is half a day. 5 acres is usually a full day. 10+ acres can stretch into a second day depending on density and obstacles.

We work in dry weather. Wet ground means a stuck tractor and torn-up turf, neither of which helps anyone. After a hard rain we usually wait a day or two for the ground to firm up.

Common questions and concerns

“Will you haul off the cut material?” No. Brush mowing leaves the cut material on the ground where it breaks down. If you want it bagged or hauled, that’s a different (and more expensive) job. For most situations, leaving it is the right call: it acts as mulch, retains moisture, and disappears in a few weeks.

“Can you mow on a slope?” Up to a point. Modern tractors handle gentle to moderate slopes fine. Steep slopes (anything where a tractor would feel unstable) are a no-go for safety reasons. If you have a heavily sloped property, a smaller walk-behind brush mower or a different approach (like a tracked mulcher) might be needed.

“What about hidden stumps and rocks?” A real risk. Brush mower blades hit hard objects with a lot of force; a hidden stump can break a blade or, worse, throw debris. Walk the property with us before we start and point out anything you know about. We’re careful, but if there’s a buried railroad tie under five feet of weeds, neither of us is going to see it until we hit it.

“Will it kill the grass?” Brush mowing doesn’t kill healthy grass. It just trims tall grass and weeds back to a maintainable height. If you want the lot to grow back as turf grass, you may need to seed or sod after we mow; if you just want it to stay manageable, regular brush mowing every 6 to 12 months will keep it in check.

“How is this different from forestry mulching?” Brush mowing cuts. Forestry mulching grinds. The mower drops cut material on the surface; the mulcher chews everything (including small trees and palmetto rootballs) into mulch. Mowing is cheaper and faster for grass and weeds; mulching is the right tool for woody material and for actually killing palmettos.

Service area

We brush mow across:

• Volusia County: DeLand, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Deltona, Port Orange, Edgewater, Ormond Beach
• Seminole County: Sanford, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Geneva
• Brevard County: Melbourne, Palm Bay, Titusville, Cocoa, Merritt Island, Mims
• Flagler County: Palm Coast, Bunnell, Flagler Beach