03/10/2014
Excerpts from:
NEWS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF:
DENNIS SMITH
COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT
Scalping Your Lawn—Should You Do It?
Scalping is defined as the removal of an excessive quantity of leaf tissue at any one mowing, resulting in a stubbly brown appearance due to exposed stems, stolons, crowns, dead leaves and even bare soil. While scalping is not normally recommended
for the warm season turf grasses during the active growing season or prior to winter dormancy, it can be a beneficial cultural practice in late winter to early spring. Benefits from early season scalping prior to green-up include: earlier spring green-up, control of some winter annual broadleaf weeds, and removal of some debris that could contribute to thatch accumulation. Scalping during the growing season will cause undue stress or
potential injury to the turf grass plants.
A more appropriate time to scalp warm season grass lawns is just prior to spring green-up. It is an excellent practice to remove old, dead plant material and to expose the soil to sunlight to warm the soil for quicker lawn green-up. Scalping too early may injure the turf grass by exposing plant parts such as stolons and crowns to frost or extremely low temperatures.
If delayed until the grass is actively growing, scalping will result in turf stress and shock the grass plant to the point that it slows growth until it can recover.
Scalping creates a good bit of debris so it will be necessary to haul off all the old, dead plant material that is removed during the scalping process.
Scalping is a great cultural practice to help produce a strong, healthier stand of turf grass when done correctly.
