what is scalping?

[DandG]

hey I see alot of u guys talking about scalping and was just wondering what that involves and what machines and things like that do u use

[ubirajara83]

Well is done with a mower. It caused by having youre blade too low and it makes like a circular mark on grass. It can also happen when your cutting on a hill or an unleveled surface. Basically its balding the grass

[Raven386]

it can also happen when you turn the mower while still on the grass. it will put divots in the lawn. and it can happen with both w/b's & zero turns.

[fiveoboy01]

May want to add that sometimes at the beginning of the season, scalping is done on purpose by cutting at a very low height.

I am not sure of the exact reason for doing it, though. I think it has something to do with removing the dead grass so the new grass can grow more quickly? I'm a little ignorant on the reason, someone will have to clarify that.

[Carolina Cuts]

http://www.lawnsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73829&stc=1&d=1172240686
scalping.jpg

Actually, I always considered 'scalping' as... what would happen to the lawn just before I said... "oops" after the lawnmower dipped in a hole or a unlevel spot of property... leaving behind me... up-rooted dirt. :o)

[GreenN'Clean]

I never cut the grass lower then 3 inches due to scalping or browing the grass. The higher the cut the healthier the grass looks as long as you keep the blades sharp

[Mow2nd-2]

scalping is an error you don't want to do it, and if you do it alot you won't be in business very long.

[RedMax Man]

It happens when your blades start tilling the dirt instead of cutting the grass... not a good thing.

[lawnpro724]

Yeah not a good thing to do and besides tearing up the lawn if the blades dig in really good it may cost you more than your reputation it may cost you alot of money by having to repair a bent crankshaft.

[daveintoledo]

scalping, there are certain grasses ( i dont know which ones) that are scalped in the spring... there are photos here of a guy with piles of dead grass on the curb.... this is a common practice in some areas with certain grass.... it is not a mistake, unless you do it where and when it is inappropriate

[Mow2nd-2]

maybe you mean dethatching? that pulls up dead grass

[daveintoledo]

there are guys on this board who do it, im sure they will chim in eventually...... i havent searched for the thread, but im sure its there, i beleive its prevolent in the south....

[PaperCutter]

we used to do it in CA; the grass we had at the facility would get to be like a freaky, spongy mat if it wasn't done often enough. Made it easy to spot irrigation problems, though- just look for the big green blister.

[ACEMowing]

We scalp bermuda lawns every spring.... it removes all of the dead grass and lets the new growth start out better... the lawn greens up faster, etc. in this case, scalping just means cutting the grass really low and remove all of the debris i.e. bag it. In our area of Oklahoma we're 90% bermuda lawns so it's a common annual practice. And you can't beat a Walker GHS for scalping... vacuums everything quickly and easily and we generally charge around 2.5 times the normal mowing rate.

[daveintoledo]

We scalp bermuda lawns every spring.... it removes all of the dead grass and lets the new growth start out better... the lawn greens up faster, etc. in this case, scalping just means cutting the grass really low and remove all of the debris i.e. bag it. In our area of Oklahoma we're 90% bermuda lawns so it's a common annual practice. And you can't beat a Walker GHS for scalping... vacuums everything quickly and easily and we generally charge around 2.5 times the normal mowing rate.

i find now that it is also done in some areas to the end of the summer turf, to prepare form planting winter rye.....

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=163946&page=2&highlight=scalp

[daveintoledo]

that people dont scalp the lawn by accident.... like when going over a hill, you know the things that the anti scalp wheels on a mower help prevent,....:)

[mow2nd]

it can also happen when you turn the mower while still on the grass. it will put divots in the lawn. and it can happen with both w/b's & zero turns.


That aint scalping, that's just tearin up the yard.

[ed2hess]

For ages in time it was a spring ritual that St. Augustine was cut down to the soil line in the spring. The purpose was to remove all the thatch that had built up over the year. In those days people worked the yards constantly all year to make them grow and look nice. The normal process of having the cuttings decompose didn't work fast enough and thatch built up. There were and are many disadvantages to doing that not withstanding the cost. Weeds grow easily in this situation. Hardly nobody left in our area does it any more. Almost forgot they would also haul in some topsoil/compost/dillo dirt to cover the entire yard.....which was a very good idea!

[Jon93091]

So does anyone on here read a book once in a while instead of asking everyone else online about everything? I happen to have a several books that specifically state that scalping-even in the spring is bad- and as someone stated above creates a weak grass environment therefore allowing weeds to move in.
Also, has anyone ever heard about the rule of thirds? Never-ever,ever,ever,ever, never-ever remove more than one third of the grass blade at any one time on the same day as it weakens grass to the point that weeds and disease are more successful at taking hold in a yard.
Someone also said above not to mow grass below 3 inches. This is also not true for all types of grass, each type and species of grass has a preferred mowing height, or the height that the grass looks the best at and does the best at. How do you think golf courses look so good with half- inch tall putting greens? With most grasses, such as tall fescue, which has a preferred mowing height of around 3 1/2 inches tall, this would be severe scalping level. But knowing this, golf courses plant zoysia grass (preferred mowing height of 3/4- 2 inches) or bermuda grass (PMH- 1/2-2 inches) these grasses thrive at low levels unlike other species which would most likely die after these repeated "scalpings". Think about it would you be able to survive on a diet with a calorie intake equivalent to that of a toddler? No. Take this into account the next time your out cutting this season. Take a few minutes with a quick guide to determine the yard's grass specie and mow accordingly.
Now these things, including scalping patches by accident, aren't so much of a worry if your just cutting grass, but if your after that perfect, prize-winning look, then you should definitely know these things and practice them, or at least start buffing up on your grass knowledge. good luck mowing.

Jon

[echeandia]

So does anyone on here read a book once in a while ...

If they did do you really think they would be asking the question? Besides posting a question is easier than buying a book.

[Jon93091]

If they did do you really think they would be asking the question? Besides posting a question is easier than buying a book.

Well actually it was a rhetorical question and if anything it was more of a suggestion that anything else . And if you go out a buy a decent 10 or 12 dollar book and read it it would be a whole lot easier than typing each individual question on here and responding to the responses and so on and so forth. And I believe i just pointed out that sometimes the information you recieve on this site is not always correct and im not saying the information in books is always right either, but usually if someone has gotten to the point of publishing something i bet they have research and evidence of some sort to back it up. Therefore, if the quality of your work means anything to you the information in which you gain from a book would be well worth buying the book. I personally think both sources are good. But i like reading books for the reasons stated above and the fact that you can take a book anywhere and read it when the internet might not be availible. Besides im only fifteen and know the things i stated in my last post and some of the guys are 30 or more years old on here i would have expected them to know some of that stuff. And if they did i respect them for doing their research and if they didnt i was just trying to share what i know with them.

[echeandia]

Hey kid,

I'm with you on the books. But if you spend some time on this forum you will realize that there are some people here who would rather post a question and wait for answers than go out and do some investigating.

[barefootlawnsandlandscape]

Jon,

Putting greens are usually mowed at around 1/8". Fairway height is about
1/2" If greens were mowed at 1/2" a superintendent would be run out of town because the greens were to slow. I mow most of my bermuda at 3". If we mowed at 1.5" we would have to mow twice a week to stay within the 1/3 rule.

[Grits]

Well actually it was a rhetorical question and if anything it was more of a suggestion that anything else . And if you go out a buy a decent 10 or 12 dollar book and read it it would be a whole lot easier than typing each individual question on here and responding to the responses and so on and so forth. And I believe i just pointed out that sometimes the information you recieve on this site is not always correct and im not saying the information in books is always right either, but usually if someone has gotten to the point of publishing something i bet they have research and evidence of some sort to back it up. Therefore, if the quality of your work means anything to you the information in which you gain from a book would be well worth buying the book. I personally think both sources are good. But i like reading books for the reasons stated above and the fact that you can take a book anywhere and read it when the internet might not be availible. Besides im only fifteen and know the things i stated in my last post and some of the guys are 30 or more years old on here i would have expected them to know some of that stuff. And if they did i respect them for doing their research and if they didnt i was just trying to share what i know with them.

HHMMM.....on this thinking, we should abandoned this, and any other forum, and strictly read books. Sure people read books. I would bet most everyone on here. BUT....posting a question here, you can get interaction and the "simple" question can often turn into something more and maybe eye opening for everyone. But your fifteen and know everything, that's ok though. When I was fifteen, I knew everything and had all the answers too. "Gee dude, I don't know what these old guys problems are? This is easy compared to pre-algebra and wondering if Becky loves me, or is IN love with me."

[ubirajara83]

HHMMM.....on this thinking, we should abandoned this, and any other forum, and strictly read books. Sure people read books. I would bet most everyone on here. BUT....posting a question here, you can get interaction and the "simple" question can often turn into something more and maybe eye opening for everyone. But your fifteen and know everything, that's ok though. When I was fifteen, I knew everything and had all the answers too. "Gee dude, I don't know what these old guys problems are? This is easy compared to pre-algebra and wondering if Becky loves me, or is IN love with me."

lol, lol, lol

[Tadams]

You can scalp Bermuda in 2 different ways:
1- If you remove too much of the grass blade at one time, there will be a brown spot on the grass. This is not soil or dirt, it is the grass blade that has not greened up yet. If you look at the bermuda-depending on the grass heigth- the blade is not green all the way to the crown. The sun can not penetrate the thick canopy of the bermuda so it doesn't green up. The green goes from 1/4 to 3/4 of the blade depth, depending on how tall the grass is. If you cut off all of the green it will leave the brown part of the leaf. This is why the bermuda heigth starts out at around 1 1/2"-2" and ends up at close to 4" by the end of summer.
2- The second way to scalp bermuda is to cut the 4" tall grass from the previous year back down to th lower heigth. This is usually bagged and removed so as not to create an excess amount of thatch. This will let the grass blades green up almost completely so you can maintain a lower cut heigth for a longer period. Bermuda is the most aggressive grass around here and you will not hurt it by doing this.

Some people think that you have to do this to remove the "dead" grass so the new grass from the crown will green up. The "dead" grass is just dormant and it will green up on it's own. The part of the grass that is closest to the sun will green up first- even if it is dormant.

[daveintoledo]

Well actually it was a rhetorical question and if anything it was more of a suggestion that anything else . And if you go out a buy a decent 10 or 12 dollar book and read it it would be a whole lot easier than typing each individual question on here and responding to the responses and so on and so forth. And I believe i just pointed out that sometimes the information you recieve on this site is not always correct and im not saying the information in books is always right either, but usually if someone has gotten to the point of publishing something i bet they have research and evidence of some sort to back it up. Therefore, if the quality of your work means anything to you the information in which you gain from a book would be well worth buying the book. I personally think both sources are good. But i like reading books for the reasons stated above and the fact that you can take a book anywhere and read it when the internet might not be availible. Besides im only fifteen and know the things i stated in my last post and some of the guys are 30 or more years old on here i would have expected them to know some of that stuff. And if they did i respect them for doing their research and if they didnt i was just trying to share what i know with them.

that is what this forum is for , asking questions, and getting lots of opinions to choose from..... that is the WHOLE purpose of this board....:dizzy:

[Jon93091]

OK guys I'm sorry i didn't really intend to offend anybody. but like i said i was just sharing what I've learned. So I'm sorry. also, i never said i knew everything, Grits. It may seem like that but, I ask questions to the point of pissing people off sometimes because I [I]don't[I] know everything. I enjoy learning and take other peoples opinions and suggestions for what they're worth. So by assuming that I'm just another snot-nosed brat who thinks he knows everything ,Grits, you are wrong. But heres what I do know about you Grits; although you, just like most people on this forum, do possess good information worth listening to, in the small amount of time that I have been a member of this forum I have seen several threads containing several more posts, from you, antagonizing others. Because of this, I know you are a bully. You put down others for the sake of making yourself feel better. And I am certain that the people you have antagonized feel the same as I. That said, I do not wish to put other people down who do not deserve it or have not treated me that way previously. I am sorry to anyone I have put down already except for you, Grits. IMO, you do deserve it, if not from me, then from others. So to anyone I have offended I am sorry and I am willing to admit it. Please, lets all just get along and exchange what we know, be it from whatever source. Good luck mowing.

-Jon

[walker-talker]

there are photos here of a guy with piles of dead grass on the curb.... That's probably my thread. I usually post pics every spring. Most of my clients are elderly and want it done every year.....religiously. I spoke with a new client (just picked up last year) today and asked if she wanted it done again. And her words "Well yes, it HAS to be done". I usually can easily charge around 3X to 5X the cost of a regular mowing. Here's a link to some pics.


http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=121574&highlight=scalping

[daveintoledo]

That's probably my thread. I usually post pics every spring. Most of my clients are elderly and want it done every year.....religiously. I spoke with a new client (just picked up last year) today and asked if she wanted it done again. And her words "Well yes, it HAS to be done". I usually can easily charge around 3X to 5X the cost of a regular mowing. Here's a link to some pics.


http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=121574&highlight=scalping

pretty goof for an pld guy....:)