Lawn season is upon us and if you want superior results for your lawn and the very best appearance, then now is the time for a Scalp. This involves mowing your lawn really short and bagging the clippings.
If you have St. Augustine or Zoysia, you do not need to do this. For lawns with a mix of Bermuda and St. Augustine or Zoysia, then scalp the Bermuda grass and mow the St. Augustine or Zoysia.
Benefits of Scalping:
- Removes most of the dead grass above the soil allowing the new grass to flourish.
- In the spring, you will not have a mixture of dead and green turf.
- Your grass will green up faster in the spring. When the thick layer of dead grass is removed, it will allow the sun to warm up the soil faster which will bring the grass out of dormancy quicker.
- Helps to limit thatch problems. The layer of thick, dead grass usually takes some time to decompose in the spring. Scalping helps prevent this problem.
- By Scalping, it allows the green blades to grow longer and in return will give you a thicker green grass. Over the course of the year, the sheath (brown part of the stem) will grow longer which will give you a mixed look of brown and green when the lawn is cut. As the sheath gets longer, the green blades get shorter.
Keep in mind that you will want to catch and bag it. Be sure to bag in the paper yard bags that you can get at Lowes or Home Depot for about $50 cents/bag. They come in packs of 5 which is all you will need for a standard ¼ Acre or below sized yard.
Once you scalp it, don't forget to put down some pre-emergent and fertilizer.
Happy Lawning!