Lawn Scalping and Thatch For Commercial Property

If you've been following our blog, we have mentioned that summer is a good time to thatch or scalp your greenscape. But what, you might ask, does that mean?

Lawn Scalping

In terms of preparing a lawn for overseeding, scalping is lowering the level of the Bermuda lawn to allow Rye seeds better access to soil and sun after it’s been spread. The best practice is to set the mower on a progressively lower setting each time the lawn is mown until the desired height is reached – approx. 1/4 to 1/2”. we encourage you to consider scalping as early as the end of August, so that we can begin lowering the grass over several services in preparation for overseeding in October, rather than in a single visit, which is much less desirable for the health of the Bermuda.

When you mow your lawn properly, it will not only increase the quality and health of your lawn, but it will also decrease the amount of weeds. For the best looking green, it is recommended to mow on a weekly basis. If you've ever wondered why greenscapes are mowed in different patterns each time, it is in order reduce overall wear and tear of your grass. This will keep your grass looking nice and healthy.

Lawn Thatch

All grass has a layer of thatch that exists between the bottom of your grass and the soil —basically dead grass roots and stems. A thin layer of thatch is desirable because it insulates your grass from extreme temperatures and acts as a cushion to help the grass withstand foot traffic.

However, if thatch accumulates to more than one-half inch in thickness, it can put it at risk of drought because the water saturates the thatch instead of the soil and root system, leading to insect infestations or other lawn issues.

Thatching is the removal of detrimental thatch, and requires a special machine called a dethatcher or power rake to remove it. It is important that the blades are set to run at about 1/4” above the soil. The goal is remove the thatch, not the soil. If you're doing this yourself you'll want to flag all of your lawn heads so they readily visible and you can maneuver around them with the machine. Otherwise, you will have a potential irrigation accident on your hands.

Before you begin removing a large amount of thatch, remember that if you start removing smaller amounts, it is always possible to remove more later, however, if you start removing too much, it isn’t possible to add more thatch after it has already been removed. Starting with smaller is the safer route. If your thatch has grown quite a bit (about two inches or more), it is likely that the root systems of the grass are in the thatch layer, that means that you will have to plan to overseed these areas after thatching. It isn’t recommended to have thatch removed if your greenscape is weak or under drought stress. Otherwise, it is quite possible that your grass won’t be able to recover fully. It is OK to remove thatch late summer through early fall. 

Keep in mind that Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277 We serve businesses like yours throughout the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

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Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net