Bermuda - time to scalp and bag?

I will be as soon as I get a free day. I edged last week to tighten it up but it’s looking shaggy with the rain and warm weather.

I’m scalping this weekend.

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Can the Bermuda experts shed some light on scalping?

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Tifway basically explained it.
It's the first part of a regiment to promote growth, followed by aerating and fertilizing.

I'll leave the science to Ronk or others.

Some people will scalp 2-3 times per year to promote more dense horizontal growth and reset their height of cut.

If you have a traditional rotary lawn mower put it on the very lowest setting. You'd then want to maintain your lawn at a notch or two above that, depending on preference and availabiliy to mow.

edit: If your lawn is bumpy this will be quite difficult, so obviously you might address leveling in May or later

The thought behind it is that you expose more of the dirt to direct sunlight thus warming the ground faster. If that happens your grass will begin to grow faster. Some will burn the lawn to do the same thing plus rid the yard of thatch.

Some of the recent science says it doesn't work. Scalping doesn't warm your lawn any faster than your unscalped neighbor. Thatch build up really isn't a problem and some thatch is good.

Now, if the recent science is correct that doesn't bother me. I will still scalp once a year to remove all of the dormant grass and to reset my height of cut.

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Some will burn the lawn to do the same thing plus rid the yard of thatch

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Thinking about doing this this afternoon. My yard (zoysia) has never been burned or dethatched. Should be a good weekend to do it.

So cutting with a mulching blade is not recommended? Is burning?

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The thought behind it is that you expose more of the dirt to direct sunlight thus warming the ground faster. If that happens your grass will begin to grow faster. Some will burn the lawn to do the same thing plus rid the yard of thatch.

Some of the recent science says it doesn't work. Scalping doesn't warm your lawn any faster than your unscalped neighbor. Thatch build up really isn't a problem and some thatch is good.

Now, if the recent science is correct that doesn't bother me. I will still scalp once a year to remove all of the dormant grass and to reset my height of cut.

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Go ahead and scalp your yard if you want a bunch of early season weeds. Warm seasons grasses like bermuda will start growing around late march, anything you do before then other than pre emergent herbicide just promotes more weeds, which the lawn care companies can charge you more money treat.

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Go ahead and scalp your yard if you want a bunch of early season weeds.

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What’s your thought process behind this, just curious

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So scalping helps the base grass green up earlier ,but it has no effect on the germination of other undesirable plants?

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People who deliberately scalp their Bermuda have very few weeds to worry about because they are also dedicated to a pre emergent program and maintain the very best cultural practices.

If you have a healthy, thick, stand of Bermuda then you have one hell of a root system. Ain’t much gettin’ through it.

How does your argument hold up to an elite Bermuda golf green? Essentially scalped non stop…