# 2021 Show Us Your Scalp!



## Redtwin

IT'S TIME!!!!


Let's do a photo montage of our scalps where you can continue to edit your entry each week to show the progression.


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## Redtwin

February 9, 2021
Scalped down to .25" and I never hit dirt. You know what that means? I'm gonna go lower!


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## adidasUNT8

How low can your typical rotary mower go? I'll probably want to do this before I try to scalp with the JD220. halfway afraid of messing up the adjustment on reel/bedknife as it's cutting paper now... Curious if just a backlap would clean it up after. Planning on cutting about 5/8-3/4" HOC for season.


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## MasterMech

adidasUNT8 said:


> How low can your typical rotary mower go? I'll probably want to do this before I try to scalp with the JD220. halfway afraid of messing up the adjustment on reel/bedknife as it's cutting paper now... Curious if just a backlap would clean it up after. Planning on cutting about 5/8-3/4" HOC for season.


Adjusting the height should not affect the reel to knife clearance at all.


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## coreystooks

@adidasUNT8 To be honest just plan to readjust it after scalping as it is typically pretty hard on reels and usually needs backlapping and adjusting after scalping. As far as rotaries, my honda hrx goes down to 0.75" and I think that might be lower than most.


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## AUspicious

adidasUNT8 said:


> How low can your typical rotary mower go? I'll probably want to do this before I try to scalp with the JD220. halfway afraid of messing up the adjustment on reel/bedknife as it's cutting paper now... Curious if just a backlap would clean it up after. Planning on cutting about 5/8-3/4" HOC for season.


I'd say an inch. That's as low as mine will go, and the lowest for a Honda I looked at recently was also an inch. I plan to use my rotary mower to cut at 1" and then follow up with my reel mower, going over the lawn several times and stepping down the HOC until I get to .2", or maybe a little lower. I plan to maintain the HOC at around .35" - .4" this season. Someone told me you should scalp to at least 1/2 of your planned HOC. And I used my reel mower to scalp last year, backlapped when I was done, and everything was fine.


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## adidasUNT8

AUspicious said:


> adidasUNT8 said:
> 
> 
> 
> How low can your typical rotary mower go? I'll probably want to do this before I try to scalp with the JD220. halfway afraid of messing up the adjustment on reel/bedknife as it's cutting paper now... Curious if just a backlap would clean it up after. Planning on cutting about 5/8-3/4" HOC for season.
> 
> 
> 
> I'd say an inch. That's as low as mine will go, and the lowest for a Honda I looked at recently was also an inch. I plan to use my rotary mower to cut at 1" and then follow up with my reel mower, going over the lawn several times and stepping down the HOC until I get to .2", or maybe a little lower. I plan to maintain the HOC at around .35" - .4" this season. Someone told me you should scalp to at least 1/2 of your planned HOC. And I used my reel mower to scalp last year, backlapped when I was done, and everything was fine.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Thank you for the information on this. Last year I never scalped to set the height of cut and it seemed like it took forever to green up like I wanted it to. LOL. Won't happen again this year! Yeah I heard that you want to go about 1/2' or atleast the 1/3 (rule) lower than you want your HOC to be. Also curious, when is the best time to start PRG process. Assuming once it gets warmer and starts taking off pretty good?


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## Redtwin

If you are going to maintain at 5/8"-3/4" you could get away with scalping down to 1/2". My neighbor's HRX will cut down to 3/4" but that is the lower I have ever heard of an unmodified rotary mower. I don't see how scalping will mess up your JD220 as long as you don't try to take it down in one cut. Do it little by little. I don't own a JD but the Toro is pretty simple to adjust and backlap if needed. I will definitely need to backlap and adjust the reel to bedknife once I am done but that's not a big deal.

The PGR starts for me when I have to start mowing more than twice a week.


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## gkaneko

Redtwin said:


> February 9, 2021
> Scalped down to .25" and I never hit dirt. You know what that means? I'm gonna go lower!


I see the pile of sand ready to go in the back


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## lvlikeyv

No scalping for me anytime soon. 
I can't recall the last time it goes this cold in this area. 
Not looking forward do it.


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## rotolow

lvlikeyv said:


> No scalping for me anytime soon.
> I can't recall the last time it goes this cold in this area.
> Not looking forward do it.


About 9 years ago!

https://www.weather.gov/crp/feb2011_icestorm

I'm right there with ya.


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## Kdaves12

I'm going to agree w/ @lvlikeyv here.
Probably going to wait until last week of February or 1st of March.


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## Keepem Turnin

I have a nice green up going. This cold front is going to set me back a while. South Texas weather is crazy


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## mitch1588




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## ag_fishing

Keepem Turnin said:


> I have a nice green up going. This cold front is going to set me back a while. South Texas weather is crazy


And then it's going to be upper 60s/ 70s by next weekend


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## LoCutt

adidasUNT8 said:


> How low can your typical rotary mower go?


I can't answer that question, but I will say the answer is very dependent on how smooth your lawn is.

For me, I couldn't push the rotary mower across the lawn on the lowest setting, and that was with multiple mowers. The one I used the most was a commercial Toro 21 incher.


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## Redtwin

@mitch1588 Looks great!!!


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## adidasUNT8

Kdaves12 said:


> I'm going to agree w/ @lvlikeyv here.
> Probably going to wait until last week of February or 1st of March.


I'm about 10 miles west of you lol. Yeah I'm going to wait till late feb most likely.


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## blitz28179

I will be burning mine down instead of scalping like I did last year :thumbup:


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## blitz28179

mitch1588 said:


>


 Is that about a 15% grade hill? How does swardman handle it?


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## Redtwin

blitz28179 said:


> I will be burning mine down instead of scalping like I did last year :thumbup:


Ooooh... pictures please when you do it and afterwards.


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## mitch1588

blitz28179 said:


> mitch1588 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is that about a 15% grade hill? How does swardman handle it?
Click to expand...

<5%. Picture is deceiving. No issues with the swardman. Front lawn has a section that is probably 15%. No issues there.


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## rjw0283

LoCutt said:


> adidasUNT8 said:
> 
> 
> 
> How low can your typical rotary mower go?
> 
> 
> 
> I can't answer that question, but I will say the answer is very dependent on how smooth your lawn is.
> 
> For me, I couldn't push the rotary mower across the lawn on the lowest setting, and that was with multiple mowers. The one I used the most was a commercial Toro 21 incher.
Click to expand...

Bingo... my backyard is so lumpy, I'm lucky to get my rotary a crossed it on the 2nd notch. I'll be doing my first level back there this year, but it'll take 5-6 level jobs from old dog holes. I got a big hill back there so there's only so much I can do. And with the long leaf pine trees I have, I've given up on a reel back there. The needles get wrapped around the reel and it's not good for it. Plus the bagger on the rotary sucks up the needles so I don't have to rake them... they seriously shed all summer long..


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## Spammage

Forecast temps of 0° in Dallas. I think I'll wait and just hope that the pipes don't freeze. Our houses aren't built for these kinds of temps.


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## blitz28179

mitch1588 said:


> blitz28179 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> mitch1588 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is that about a 15% grade hill? How does swardman handle it?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> <5%. Picture is deceiving. No issues with the swardman. Front lawn has a section that is probably 15%. No issues there.
Click to expand...

I see some washboarding. is that common when you are scalping with a reel?


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## mitch1588

blitz28179 said:


> mitch1588 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> blitz28179 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is that about a 15% grade hill? How does swardman handle it?
> 
> 
> 
> <5%. Picture is deceiving. No issues with the swardman. Front lawn has a section that is probably 15%. No issues there.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I see some washboarding. is that common when you are scalping with a reel?
Click to expand...

That was actually a picture after scarifying. Here are the scalp pictures.


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## MrMeaner

I usually wait until the last possible freeze before scalping..Late March early April timeframe for West Texas.

I tried doing the propane torch burning thing last year..did not work for me..the grass was so tight I could not get a good burn going at all. Maybe if I had verticut it first it may have really went up in flames but had never done it before so was even a little hesitant to try.


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## GA250

Curious...after the seasonable scalp what is the next move? Bio- Stimulants etc...? Like to know what everyone's strategies is


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## lvlikeyv

I'll check back in 2-3 weeks when this white stuff goes away.


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## cnet24

lvlikeyv said:


> I'll check back in 2-3 weeks when this white stuff goes away.


Wow!


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## Don_Bass

Still need to go slightly lower & detatch.


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## adidasUNT8

Don_Bass said:


> Still need to go slightly lower & detatch.


Nice. Is it not too early to dethatch?


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## RangersFC

Don_Bass said:


> Still need to go slightly lower & detatch.


 Looking good. What do you plan to use for dethatching? I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to use for verticutting/dethatching this season.


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## Redtwin

RangersFC said:


> Looking good. What do you plan to use for dethatching? I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to use for verticutting/dethatching this season.


I plan on just using my Sunjoe with the fixed blade attachment.


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## Kdaves12

Don_Bass said:


> Still need to go slightly lower & detatch.


Love the cement edging. You do that yourself or hire it out? What did it cost to have it done?


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## TallPaul

lvlikeyv said:


> No scalping for me anytime soon.
> I can't recall the last time it goes this cold in this area.
> Not looking forward do it.


That's some crazy weather you are having in Texas, Missed us. We only had frost back in Dec. for two days and that was on the Cars. Keep warm and hope you got power.


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## Don_Bass

RangersFC said:


> Don_Bass said:
> 
> 
> 
> Still need to go slightly lower & detatch.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looking good. What do you plan to use for dethatching? I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to use for verticutting/dethatching this season.
Click to expand...

I'm planning on using a bluebird detacher


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## Don_Bass

Kdaves12 said:


> Don_Bass said:
> 
> 
> 
> Still need to go slightly lower & detatch.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Love the cement edging. You do that yourself or hire it out? What did it cost to have it done?
Click to expand...

I had payed someone to do it. I believe I paid around 800 for the whole backyard


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## Don_Bass

adidasUNT8 said:


> Don_Bass said:
> 
> 
> 
> Still need to go slightly lower & detatch.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nice. Is it not too early to dethatch?
Click to expand...

Man I'm not sure 🤔


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## Jacobpaschall

Archery lawn done!! Volleyball court, back yard, and front yard still to go.🤦‍♂️ I forget how much work it is every year.


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## Jeremy3292

Any recommendations on timing of scalp? Consistent highs of 60s?


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## ILoveGrits

Jeremy3292 said:


> Any recommendations on timing of scalp? Consistent highs of 60s?


If the grass went dormant, it doesn't matter.


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## Redtwin

I scalp when I start seeing new growth. It usually looks like a light green haze when viewed from a distance.


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## UFG8RMIKE

We don't go fully dormant in FL so I usually give our zoysia a bit to store up some energy before taking it all they way down. Comes back stronger vs in a weekend state if I were to scalp now.


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## Redtwin

UFG8RMIKE said:


> We don't go fully dormant in FL so I usually give our zoysia a bit to store up some energy before taking it all they way down. Comes back stronger vs in a weekend state if I were to scalp now.


Yeah, I probably won't be as aggressive with my Empire Zoysia as my Tifway 419. It just went down last month so I will probably spend most of the season getting it rooted and settled in.


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## Jerry_G

Is it time yet?


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## Redtwin

I'd wait just a little while longer. I would think in your area you should be ready in another week or two though. I tend to scalp early since getting light to the soil will warm it and speed things up. I don't think a late spring freeze would hurt scalped turf too bad as long as you aren't pushing new growth.


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## FATC1TY

Jerry_G said:


> Is it time yet?


I don't see why not. It's dormant!

I'm just south of you, and I scalped down to .200 inches and put down Specticle Flo today.

I've already got little portions of my TifTuf greening up as well.


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## Jacobpaschall

Two down, two to go.


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## adidasUNT8

FATC1TY said:


> Jerry_G said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is it time yet?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't see why not. It's dormant!
> 
> I'm just south of you, and I scalped down to .200 inches and put down Specticle Flo today.
> 
> I've already got little portions of my TifTuf greening up as well.
Click to expand...

That's some expensive stuff!


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## Krs1

Mine never went fully dormant, it got so thick sprinklers wouldn't even pop up! This will be my first scalp kinda of excited.


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## ZeonJNix

Took my Bermuda down to .200 yesterday. I won't scalp my Zeon for a few weeks.


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## FedDawg555

blitz28179 said:


> I will be burning mine down instead of scalping like I did last year :thumbup:


I would love to hear your process for doing this. If you have pics that'd be great too.


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## Drewfallin

Not sure when to do my zeon, I'm excited, it really needs a level.


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## UFG8RMIKE

FedDawg555 said:


> blitz28179 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I will be burning mine down instead of scalping like I did last year :thumbup:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would love to hear your process for doing this. If you have pics that'd be great too.
Click to expand...

Same, I tried last year but couldn't get it to go for a few reasons. We don't go dormant here in FL, so the thatch layer is too "wet" immediately after scalping so I'm thinking it may need a day or two afterwards to dry out before attempting to light it. You also need some wind.

Burning would be far better than dealing with loads and loads of thatch. I believe I had 15 huge black bags full last year, and this was only on 2k sq ft. I believe I had to mow 15 times to get the zoysia down from 1.5" to .5. Even though my TrueCut is set to mow at an inch, the empire grows so thick that the mower floats on top, this makes scalping a major chore.

.


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## ZeonJNix

Drewfallin said:


> Not sure when to do my zeon, I'm excited, it really needs a level.


I'm going to do my Zeon soon. Sometime in March. My forecast doesn't show any freezing temps for 15 days so I'm hoping I'll be in the clear. Or very close to it.


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## FATC1TY

adidasUNT8 said:


> FATC1TY said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jerry_G said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is it time yet?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't see why not. It's dormant!
> 
> I'm just south of you, and I scalped down to .200 inches and put down Specticle Flo today.
> 
> I've already got little portions of my TifTuf greening up as well.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> That's some expensive stuff!
Click to expand...

It's worth it! Find some to split with someone if you've got a small area. It's easy to apply, you use very very little, and I've gotten great results thus far. If you like picking weeds, and throwing down lots of money for post emergent stuff then it's not one to consider.


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## blitz28179

ZeonJNix said:


> Drewfallin said:
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure when to do my zeon, I'm excited, it really needs a level.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm going to do my Zeon soon. Sometime in March. My forecast doesn't show any freezing temps for 15 days so I'm hoping I'll be in the clear. Or very close to it.
Click to expand...

What app do you use to get a 15 day forecast? I thought it only went to 10, Thanks


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## Automate

There are probably others but wunderground.com if you go to the calendar view will show 15 days out as well as historical averages beyond that.


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## ZeonJNix

blitz28179 said:


> ZeonJNix said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Drewfallin said:
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure when to do my zeon, I'm excited, it really needs a level.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm going to do my Zeon soon. Sometime in March. My forecast doesn't show any freezing temps for 15 days so I'm hoping I'll be in the clear. Or very close to it.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> What app do you use to get a 15 day forecast? I thought it only went to 10, Thanks
Click to expand...

The Weather Channel app goes 15 days.


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## adidasUNT8

FATC1TY said:


> adidasUNT8 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> FATC1TY said:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't see why not. It's dormant!
> 
> I'm just south of you, and I scalped down to .200 inches and put down Specticle Flo today.
> 
> I've already got little portions of my TifTuf greening up as well.
> 
> 
> 
> That's some expensive stuff!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It's worth it! Find some to split with someone if you've got a small area. It's easy to apply, you use very very little, and I've gotten great results thus far. If you like picking weeds, and throwing down lots of money for post emergent stuff then it's not one to consider.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a good idea. I just picked up some prodiamine the other day and was planning to put that down today before it rains tomorrow. I'll keep an eye out for the split for Specticle Flo. I'm interested to learn more about it.


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## pherrley

blitz28179 said:


> ZeonJNix said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Drewfallin said:
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure when to do my zeon, I'm excited, it really needs a level.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm going to do my Zeon soon. Sometime in March. My forecast doesn't show any freezing temps for 15 days so I'm hoping I'll be in the clear. Or very close to it.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> What app do you use to get a 15 day forecast? I thought it only went to 10, Thanks
Click to expand...

I wouldn't put a lot of faith in extended weather forecasts. The reason they don't go beyond 10 days is because they've found the way weather is predicted, it's basically a guess after a certain number of days (around 10 days). I can't remember where I read it, but at some point (I want to say 10 days), historical averages are more accurate than forecasts.

https://scijinks.gov/forecast-reliability/


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## david_

0.75" with my riding rotary. Green is Poa Annua. Looking forward to 2021 season!


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## cnet24

Started scalping today in part of my yard that never really goes dormat. This is my first time verticutting along with my scalp- what is the consensus on order of operartaions when verticutting? Cut first, verticut second, clean up cut, or verticut and then scalp?


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## Redtwin

I think option 1 is best. Cut the bulk away, verticut second to thin the canopy even more, then another cut to clean up.


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## Jerry_G

Dropped from 1.25" to .75" (as low as my mower goes). Cant wait to watch it green up!


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## FATC1TY

.250 or .200 I can't remember. Already have some green peeking thru!


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## Brackin4au

Scalped to .75" yesterday... then set it ablaze today ..


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## WarTide

There it is! Now if this rain would go away.


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## Benwag

.25 only hit dirt a couple times on my slope


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## Groundskeeper Willie

A week earlier than last year, and still feels like I'm a week behind.
Zoysia emerald (I think) and zeon. 3/8" after dragging a thatching rake through it manually. Every year I say I'll never subject myself to that manual dethatching ordeal again, but I do it. You can cut it at 3/8 up down and sideways, but after dragging the rake through it the old "3/8" cut grass is standing up at 1" and higher. So dethatching is integral and necessary to my scalping process. Even if supposedly dethatching zoysia doesn't work.


I think I can get a little more after the tomorrow's rain dries out.


Every part of this "lawn" is convex. You'd think the world was not only round but only a beach ball in size.


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## battleboro

Redtwin said:


> I think option 1 is best. Cut the bulk away, verticut second to thin the canopy even more, then another cut to clean up.


I missed the list of options you're referring to, but my plan sounds similar. This is my first time scalping and the yard is at about 2-2.5 inches.

Cut the bulk with a rotary bagger (multiple passes, down to 3/4 in.)
Scarify to get debris and additional clippings
Verticut
Maybe scarify again to get any other debris (our first year in this house, not sure what's in the yard)
Keep reel cutting until I get down to 1/2 inch, maybe lower (I don't know, this is my first year reeling and getting serious)
I'll post updates in my journal.


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## adidasUNT8

battleboro said:


> Redtwin said:
> 
> 
> 
> I think option 1 is best. Cut the bulk away, verticut second to thin the canopy even more, then another cut to clean up.
> 
> 
> 
> I missed the list of options you're referring to, but my plan sounds similar. This is my first time scalping and the yard is at about 2-2.5 inches.
> 
> Cut the bulk with a rotary bagger (multiple passes, down to 3/4 in.)
> Scarify to get debris and additional clippings
> Verticut
> Maybe scarify again to get any other debris (our first year in this house, not sure what's in the yard)
> Keep reel cutting until I get down to 1/2 inch, maybe lower (I don't know, this is my first year reeling and getting serious)
> I'll post updates in my journal.
Click to expand...

Is this not hard on the root system for Bermuda that is dormant and not actively growing?

I wanted to do this as well but came across a few things that states not to mess with it until it's growing healthily.

" Dethatch warm-season grasses, such as Bermudagrass or Zoysia grass, after spring green-up, as they enter early summer's peak growth. Never dethatch when your lawn is dormant or stressed; you can damage it beyond recovery."


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## Redtwin

I don't think there is any issue with scalping early. I don't plan on verticutting until it is growing strong; not so much worried about the roots but I just think it will be too slow to recover this early in the season.


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## battleboro

adidasUNT8 said:


> battleboro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Redtwin said:
> 
> 
> 
> I think option 1 is best. Cut the bulk away, verticut second to thin the canopy even more, then another cut to clean up.
> 
> 
> 
> I missed the list of options you're referring to, but my plan sounds similar. This is my first time scalping and the yard is at about 2-2.5 inches.
> 
> Cut the bulk with a rotary bagger (multiple passes, down to 3/4 in.)
> Scarify to get debris and additional clippings
> Verticut
> Maybe scarify again to get any other debris (our first year in this house, not sure what's in the yard)
> Keep reel cutting until I get down to 1/2 inch, maybe lower (I don't know, this is my first year reeling and getting serious)
> I'll post updates in my journal.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Is this not hard on the root system for Bermuda that is dormant and not actively growing?
> 
> I wanted to do this as well but came across a few things that states not to mess with it until it's growing healthily.
> 
> " Dethatch warm-season grasses, such as Bermudagrass or Zoysia grass, after spring green-up, as they enter early summer's peak growth. Never dethatch when your lawn is dormant or stressed; you can damage it beyond recovery."
Click to expand...

From what I've read, you are correct. I failed to start with, "when it greens up."


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## Groundskeeper Willie

I really didn't mean to do the Bermuda today. But I couldn't hold back that feelin' any more.




Conditions far from perfect. Ground was already so wet the mower was bogging down in the clay. Some places I just had to stay out of altogether. A second effort most likely will be required. But I needed to get that brown out before new green stuff started to reach its level. And I needed to get some preemergent down before tonight's rain, and I didn't want the old lawn to stand in the way.


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## Keepem Turnin

My pre-scalp. Hoping to get more green up and take it down to 1/2 inch in a couple weeks. I had a nice green up going till the big freeze hit in South Texas


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## Theycallmemrr

A mini scalp I did last Sunday. I hope to finish it this weekend and do my backyard.


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## jasonbraswell

Well, the Federal inspector was on-site today to inspect the scalp. No findings but his buddies were not impressed.


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## Brackin4au




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## Ware

jasonbraswell said:


> Well, the Federal inspector was on-site today to inspect the scalp. No findings but his buddies were not impressed.


That's great! :thumbup:


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## rotolow

Some clippings where made...


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## WarTide

First section complete. I find it easier to manage if you wet lines in the yard to keep it from getting away form you. That was some thick grass.


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## ltsibley

Scalped front and most of back yesterday at .25". I have parts of my zoysia and Bermuda that are matted (video below). I have a sunjoe that I could run over to dethatch but last year I did an aggressive dethatch/verticut with Ryan Ren-O-Thin with flail blades and it really thinned out some area that took a couple of months to fill back in.

Thoughts?


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## Rammy1546

Should be out of freezing temps in central AL now. Brought it lowest I could with the rotary at .75".


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## UFG8RMIKE

Ya'll do anything to modify a rotary for closer scalping such as adding washers before putting the blade on?

Scalping with my tru cut reel takes forever and dulls the crap out of it. It gonna suck to get a rotary just for scalping but I need another option.

.


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## Redtwin

You could always use a string trimmer if it's not too much area but that sucks as well.


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## Rammy1546

@UFG8RMIKE Just search Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace and buy a used Honda for $100.

I don't add washers, but maybe you could Dremel down to try and get .50" on the lowest piece of metal.

I replace the blade right after scalping then rinse and repeat every year. When I am able to get a reel mower I would use after the rotary. The benefit for a rotary for me is that it sucks up all the sweet gum balls and other debris so that I could always see me having a rotary.


----------



## battleboro

UFG8RMIKE said:


> Ya'll do anything to modify a rotary for closer scalping such as adding washers before putting the blade on?
> 
> Scalping with my tru cut reel takes forever and dulls the crap out of it. It gonna suck to get a rotary just for scalping but I need another option.
> 
> .


Rollerblade wheels? :lol:


----------



## ILoveGrits

Scalped the front today to about 0.2" with the 220B.


----------



## battleboro

ILoveGrits said:


> Scalped the front today to about 0.2" with the 220B.


Noice!


----------



## battleboro

Here is a burn experiment documented on my journal (with pics and video).


----------



## Cherokee_Bermuda

Over the course of 4 passes, got it down to 3/8"


----------



## battleboro

Cherokee_Bermuda said:


> Over the course of 4 passes, got it down to 3/8"


I like it!


----------



## jpos34

Used my John Deere rider with bagger and went over it twice on lowest setting then my tru cut in both directions. Then back over it again twice to collect any final clippings. Hit dirt in a lot of places. Can't wait to sand level one nice it gets good and growing.


----------



## ag_fishing

Would y'all suggest using my zero turn at one of the lowest settings even with a good amount of weeds in the yard (almost 50/50 weeds to Bermuda)? I tried 1.5" a couple weeks ago and kept running into the issue of my bagger clogging up


----------



## Redtwin

I would recommend taking the bermuda as low as you can with whatever equipment you have. Getting the bermuda low is one way to make it grow "angry" and choke out all the weeds. Best practice may be to spray the weeds now, give it until next weekend and then scalp it down.

Bermuda is beautiful when it's angry...


----------



## ag_fishing

Yeah I sprayed a 3 way a few days ago so I may go ahead and scalp and then prodiamine. Everyone's yard in here is insanely good.


----------



## Redtwin

ag_fishing said:


> Yeah I sprayed a 3 way a few days ago so I may go ahead and scalp and then prodiamine. Everyone's yard in here is insanely good.


That sounds like a great plan to get your yard also "insanely good".


----------



## ag_fishing

Redtwin said:


> ag_fishing said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah I sprayed a 3 way a few days ago so I may go ahead and scalp and then prodiamine. Everyone's yard in here is insanely good.
> 
> 
> 
> That sounds like a great plan to get your yard also "insanely good".
Click to expand...

 :lol: My vocabulary isn't that great before coffee. Just happy to stumble upon this site with all the knowledge people have here.


----------



## Redtwin

ag_fishing said:


> :lol: My vocabulary isn't that great before coffee. Just happy to stumble upon this site with all the knowledge people have here.


That's worded perfectly! I think we all are working to look like some of the yards on here.


----------



## TherapyRequired

Scalped my ~6k sq ft backyard on Saturday and spread pre emergent on Sunday.

The last cut I made last year was tall at a little over 2" because I was having some fungal issues.

Cut/bagged it to 1 1/8, which is the lowest setting on my older Honda rotary, side to side.

Then cut/bagged to 3/4 with my newer Honda HRX, top to bottom.

This Bermuda was sod that was laid almost exactly 1 year ago.

The result was 22 trash bags of clippings!


----------



## Meximusprime

Got it scalped with the combination of my Cali trimmer and Honda HRX. The cut as low as possible with reel and pickup with rotary worked great. Also did a light dethatch with Sunjoe.


----------



## JRS 9572

jasonbraswell said:


> Well, the Federal inspector was on-site today to inspect the scalp. No findings but his buddies were not impressed.


What an awesome bird they are. Even more awesome that you saw them and had a camera.


----------



## Kdaves12

HOC = 1/2"


----------



## jasonbraswell

JRS 9572 said:


> jasonbraswell said:
> 
> 
> 
> Well, the Federal inspector was on-site today to inspect the scalp. No findings but his buddies were not impressed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What an awesome bird they are. Even more awesome that you saw them and had a camera.
Click to expand...

Thank you guys.
We are lucky to have these amazing bald eagles flourishing here.
They must agree the fishing is amazing! :thumbup: 
And when you see a bald eagle on the Bermuda, it's a crazy day.
There were a few wrestling that I could not get the phone out in time.
I think it's unreal to see them sitting on the ground. Seems unusual.

I just happened to be finishing a WFH meeting and the cell phone tech from 2nd story window was amazing for the situation.


----------



## Backyardigans

Just got done with my first scalp. Boy was I worried. Got it down to about 0.25 inch before hitting some dirt. Also did a light scarify before my sun joe went out. (Gear failed)Next step is to lower my pH that is at 7.89 from soil test with some milliard citric acid and a balance fertilizer of 12-12-12 since my NPK was really low. If you have a second opinion about my steps. Lmk


----------



## Two_Rivers

Looking good everyone!

Every year I underestimate the amount of work it takes to sufficiently get this job done. Scalped down over several days with a verticut in between levels. I made 3 different passes with the SunJoe since the blades aren't very close together. Ended at just below .5





@Backyardigans How old was the SunJoe? I ran mine pretty hard on the scalp?


----------



## Backyardigans

@Two_Rivers Unfortunately I bought it used on fb (50 bucks). Planning on calling sun joe to see what they might offer in terms of fixing it. I also notice they have a newer 15 inch model that is listed for 175 plus a 10% discount. Looks a little beefier but not sure if the new design offer any upgrades internally. The setting I used was at 5.


----------



## DFWLawnNut

Got it scalped yesterday at 1/2". Havent gotten to the edging etc yet. Ignore the dying Rye lol.


I hate this slope with a passion.


----------



## Reelrollers

Left to right
-El Torro Zoysia
-Zeon Zoysia
-TifTuf Bermuda

"Scalped" 3 ways with 1 control quadrant.
-Far left control square
-Far right scalped square
-Near left burned square
-Near right scalped and dethatched


----------



## Automate

Reelrollers said:


> Left to right
> -El Torro Zoysia
> -Zeon Zoysia
> -TifTuf Bermuda
> 
> "Scalped" 3 ways with 1 control quadrant.
> -Far left control square
> -Far right scalped square
> -Near left burned square
> -Near right scalped and dethatched


Great! Looking forward to how this turns out.


----------



## Deltahedge

Reelrollers said:


> Left to right
> -El Torro Zoysia
> -Zeon Zoysia
> -TifTuf Bermuda
> 
> "Scalped" 3 ways with 1 control quadrant.
> -Far left control square
> -Far right scalped square
> -Near left burned square
> -Near right scalped and dethatched


This is great. I'm looking forward to seeing if there is any difference between the methods in a couple weeks and a couple months.


----------



## lvlikeyv

Reelrollers said:


> "Scalped" 3 ways with 1 control quadrant.
> -Far left control square
> -Far right scalped square
> -Near left burned square
> -Near right scalped and dethatched


Very Cool! Looking forward to seeing the results. 
Curious if the extra work is worth the effort.


----------



## Tmank87

Started beating it up a little bit


----------



## MarkV

Well I'm done beating the crap out of my lawn for this year. In this first pic there are 13 bags with another bag out of sight that is half full. I would say I got a solid 11 full 30 gallon bags from this scalp (lawn is 3K sq ft). My normal HOC is 5/8", I took it way down, I'm not sure what it's at now. I use a Sun Joe dethatcher, Toro rotary mower (for clean up), and a McLane 7 blade. This is my second season using the Sun Joe and I was a lot more aggressive this year than last. We'll see how it turns out.


----------



## Jono59

Mowed and dethatched this morning. Now to wait for more green to pop through... gotta love some dormant stripes!!!


----------



## lvlikeyv

Reelrollers said:


>


Any idea why the Bermuda in the control square is partially green?


----------



## battleboro

Tmank87 said:


> Started beating it up a little bit


Are you in southern NC? I'm in Raleigh and still not greening up yet. Daily Avg. Soil Temperature is 48 degrees.


----------



## itsmejson

lvlikeyv said:


> Reelrollers said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any idea why the Bermuda in the control square is partially green?
Click to expand...

Ron Henry explained it in his recent video. He did a liquid and granular app and the granular had 7% potassium.


----------



## Jerry_G

lvlikeyv said:


> Reelrollers said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any idea why the Bermuda in the control square is partially green?
Click to expand...

Rye. @reelrollers mentions it in their thread.


----------



## lvlikeyv

itsmejson said:


> Ron Henry explained it in his recent video. He did a liquid and granular app and the granular had 7% potassium.


Very interesting, but seems like it deviates from the scientific method a bit with several variables at play.
If the main goal was to see what methods contributed to a quicker green up results will be kind of skewed now. 
Still pretty dang cool.


----------



## Lawnboy_03

2nd lowest level on my trucut 27". Waiting for warmer temps to sand and level!


----------



## Jimefam

Scalped to 5/16" then went over it all with the sunjoe at -5 and a few problem areas( front and by the sidewalk) in a crisscross pattern at -10. Went ahead and put down a light application of Carbonx as well.


----------



## Reelrollers

lvlikeyv said:


> itsmejson said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ron Henry explained it in his recent video. He did a liquid and granular app and the granular had 7% potassium.
> 
> 
> 
> Very interesting, but seems like it deviates from the scientific method a bit with several variables at play.
> If the main goal was to see what methods contributed to a quicker green up results will be kind of skewed now.
> Still pretty dang cool.
Click to expand...

We honestly thought the rye died off h til we hit it with the ore emergent. But, at least the 2 zoysia plots are clean. With Georgia heat... the rye will be dying out soon. Still something cool to watch. We'll post results every Monday and in the end, time lapse it all.


----------



## Tmank87

battleboro said:


> Tmank87 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Started beating it up a little bit
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you in southern NC? I'm in Raleigh and still not greening up yet. Daily Avg. Soil Temperature is 48 degrees.
Click to expand...

I'm in Charlotte. This is my first spring with my Palisades Zoysia and was pretty surprised to see how much green I've got this early.

I'm planning to get down some micros and humic ahead of the rain they're calling for Sunday and into next week.

Edit: Admittedly, I'm probably a _bit_ early, but I couldn't help myself. With temperatures up into the 70s most of this week and then the rain... I just had to get out there.


----------



## surs73

Tmank87 said:


> Started beating it up a little bit


Looks like you are using a sunjoe? Curious as to which cartridge you used? My zoysia has severe washboarding and I'm trying to determine when to thin things out.


----------



## Tmank87

surs73 said:


> Tmank87 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Started beating it up a little bit
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like you are using a sunjoe? Curious as to which cartridge you used? My zoysia has severe washboarding and I'm trying to determine when to thin things out.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's right. I actually put it together yesterday and used for the first time. I used the 'scarifyer' / verticutter (the flail blades) set to -5. It did a pretty good of thinning things out without creating too much damage.

Guess we'll see what happens! :bandit:


----------



## burnhagw

Tmank87 said:


> battleboro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tmank87 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Started beating it up a little bit
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you in southern NC? I'm in Raleigh and still not greening up yet. Daily Avg. Soil Temperature is 48 degrees.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I'm in Charlotte. This is my first spring with my Palisades Zoysia and was pretty surprised to see how much green I've got this early.
> 
> I'm planning to get down some micros and humic ahead of the rain they're calling for Sunday and into next week.
> 
> Edit: Admittedly, I'm probably a _bit_ early, but I couldn't help myself. With temperatures up into the 70s most of this week and then the rain... I just had to get out there.
Click to expand...

I'm in Charlotte with Bermuda, you have way more green than me. I'm betting these few days in the 70's will change that for me though! I'm looking forward to do my scalp. I am noticing that a section I used PGR on last season is greening up slower than my new sod. But I'm sure it will take off soon.


----------



## Tmank87

@burnhagw I couldn't resist any longer, ha. Between these nice past few days and the rain in the forecast - it was just calling me.

I'm hoping we're through the cold at this point and we don't get surprised by a late season freeze.


----------



## Philly_Gunner

Scalped my front and side yard this morning to .26". Comes out to about 11k sq feet. Dumped 12 loads of clippings from my Gorilla cart and walked 4.9 miles. Gonna do the back tomorrow is which is about 15k sq feet.


----------



## AUspicious

I finally got 'er finished...I think. :lol: I started with the rotary mower at 1.0", then went with the reel mower in increments down to 0.25". I noticed that I have stolons on top of stolons on top of stolons. So I'm wondering if I need to get out there with my landscape blade or string trimmer and knock those things down, or just do a verticut later. I feel like I need to get them under control.

Front lawn scalp









Back lawn scalp









Here are pics of the stolons.


----------



## lvlikeyv

Scalped using the Greenworks corded mower down to 1.5" then followed it up with the Fiskar's manual reel. If you want to get a workout, try scalping your yard with a manual reel mower. I don't wish that upon anyone. 
I got it down to around 1". Backyard is very uneven so I hurt dirt in several places. 
This is the year I level the backyard!


----------



## ag_fishing

Philly_Gunner said:


> Scalped my front and side yard this morning to .26". Comes out to about 11k sq feet. Dumped 12 loads of clippings from my Gorilla cart and walked 4.9 miles. Gonna do the back tomorrow is which is about 15k sq feet.


You mow 26k ft at that low level with a push reel mower? That is impressive


----------



## burnhagw

Tmank87 said:


> @burnhagw I couldn't resist any longer, ha. Between these nice past few days and the rain in the forecast - it was just calling me.
> 
> I'm hoping we're through the cold at this point and we don't get surprised by a late season freeze.


I agree, I hope we don't get any more freezes. It looks like March 20th is probably the last chance of a possible frost. I put a pool in during winter, so I have less grass in the back now, but can't wait to get out there


----------



## BudaTx

Called a local lawn guy and had him do the scalp. My back was just not up for all the bending this year. Took it down to .75 inch. Still a work in progress but getting better.


----------



## Philly_Gunner

ag_fishing said:


> Philly_Gunner said:
> 
> 
> 
> Scalped my front and side yard this morning to .26". Comes out to about 11k sq feet. Dumped 12 loads of clippings from my Gorilla cart and walked 4.9 miles. Gonna do the back tomorrow is which is about 15k sq feet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You mow 26k ft at that low level with a push reel mower? That is impressive
Click to expand...

Yessir, thanks!! During the height of growing season I do it twice a week, sometimes 3. It's actually a good recovery workout from my distance runs. I wouldn't mind a triplex though.


----------



## somathnao

Just wondering, what do you guys do with all the bags of dead grass clippings after the scalp? Does your yard waste management company pick them up?


----------



## Redtwin

My county picks up the bags for us from the curb. The county also handles the waste removal but it is a different service all together.


----------



## PhxHeat

somathnao said:


> ... what do you guys do with all the bags of dead grass clippings after the scalp?


City of Phoenix does 4 scheduled "bulk trash" pick ups a year. They compost most of the smaller stuff and chip/mulch the bigger tree items. Much of it gets reused by the city. We can also use the dump iirc once a month by showing i.d. and the water/trash bill up to a certain weight limit. Our trash centers/dumps seperate "green"/yard waste from other trash. They also have huge recycling capability and sort the trash to minimize landfill capacity.

The bonus to our scheduled bulk trash pick-ups is, that the "scrappers" are on the prowl. So if anything (any size) with metal is placed out at the curb, it doesn't typically last more than an hour.


----------



## AUspicious

somathnao said:


> Just wondering, what do you guys do with all the bags of dead grass clippings after the scalp? Does your yard waste management company pick them up?


My town sends trucks around every Monday to pick up lawn and garden waste. When I started my scalp this year, I had 19 33-gallon bags of clippings. I'm sure the guys on the truck were cursing me. I have ten more bags for them to pick up Monday.


----------



## MarkV

somathnao said:


> Just wondering, what do you guys do with all the bags of dead grass clippings after the scalp? Does your yard waste management company pick them up?


I put them in my trash bins, and my neighbors.  I do as them first though. I spread 13 bags over 3 neighbors.

Just one of them many reasons to be friends with your neighbors.


----------



## Adrian82

I have been scalping/dethatching over the past two weeks. I am up to 32 bags and I expect 3-4 more.




I am heading out of town so I plan to get prodamine down today.


----------



## PhxHeat

@Adrian82 I don't think I've ever seen paper yard bags before. How well do they hold up, especially if they get wet?


----------



## Jerry_G

3rd mow at .75" now that I have some green coming in, and anticipating some rain next week, I may raise the deck from here out.


----------



## Getting Fat

PhxHeat said:


> @Adrian82 I don't think I've ever seen paper yard bags before. How well do they hold up, especially if they get wet?


$2.50 for 5 at Home Depot. Picked up on garbage day every week here - just set out next to garbage can. They're a must have.

do decent in rain, as long as they're not too heavy. Garbage picks em up even if wet.


----------



## DFWdude

Adrian82 said:


> I have been scalping/dethatching over the past two weeks. I am up to 32 bags and I expect 3-4 more.


Wow!

I thought dethatching was only to be done once it was fully green and growing strong? Or are you dethatching by scalping super low?


----------



## Kicker

DFWdude said:


> Adrian82 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have been scalping/dethatching over the past two weeks. I am up to 32 bags and I expect 3-4 more.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wow!
> 
> I thought dethatching was only to be done once it was fully green and growing strong? Or are you dethatching by scalping super low?
Click to expand...

I've always dethatched prior to full green up. I had 16 full bags from 4500 sqft. Aggressive dethatch, scalp down to 3/8ths.

Just seems like a good fresh start when i do it this way. Gives me more time before my mower starts floating or leaving waves in the lawn. I scalped this past weekend and I've already got quite a bit of new growth.


----------



## DFWdude

Kicker said:


> DFWdude said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Adrian82 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have been scalping/dethatching over the past two weeks. I am up to 32 bags and I expect 3-4 more.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wow!
> 
> I thought dethatching was only to be done once it was fully green and growing strong? Or are you dethatching by scalping super low?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I've always dethatched prior to full green up. I had 16 full bags from 4500 sqft. Aggressive dethatch, scalp down to 3/8ths.
> 
> Just seems like a good fresh start when i do it this way. Gives me more time before my mower starts floating or leaving waves in the lawn. I scalped this past weekend and I've already got quite a bit of new growth.
Click to expand...

You may have just changed my weekend plans!
Thanks!


----------



## Adrian82

PhxHeat said:


> @Adrian82 I don't think I've ever seen paper yard bags before. How well do they hold up, especially if they get wet?


Terrible when wet. Even green grass will release moisture in the bag after a few days. Since the grass is desert dry I have no issues. I am not sure if I can use plastic for the lawn service.


----------



## glinget

.5" scalp on zeon zoysia. First time scalping with a GM!! Wow. Lots of bags!!


----------



## DFWdude

First time scalping


----------



## battleboro

somathnao said:


> Just wondering, what do you guys do with all the bags of dead grass clippings after the scalp? Does your yard waste management company pick them up?


I put mine in the normal trash container for pick up, nothing special.


----------



## battleboro

Tmank87 said:


> battleboro said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tmank87 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Started beating it up a little bit
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you in southern NC? I'm in Raleigh and still not greening up yet. Daily Avg. Soil Temperature is 48 degrees.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I'm in Charlotte. This is my first spring with my Palisades Zoysia and was pretty surprised to see how much green I've got this early.
> 
> I'm planning to get down some micros and humic ahead of the rain they're calling for Sunday and into next week.
> 
> Edit: Admittedly, I'm probably a _bit_ early, but I couldn't help myself. With temperatures up into the 70s most of this week and then the rain... I just had to get out there.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. I was wondering if I was missing something. I'm seeing very little green here and there.

If not scalping, I need to do some clean up and put down some prodiamine. The soil temps are getting close to 55 degrees.


----------



## adidasUNT8

Is scalping at 3/8 ok for maintaining .5" hoc or should I scalp once more lower?


----------



## Redtwin

adidasUNT8 said:


> Is scalping at 3/8 ok for maintaining .5" hoc or should I scalp once more lower?


In my opinion that would be the minimum difference. It would be better if you go to 1/4". I have scalped/maintained with a 1/8" difference but it was with a sand level.


----------



## adidasUNT8

Redtwin said:


> adidasUNT8 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is scalping at 3/8 ok for maintaining .5" hoc or should I scalp once more lower?
> 
> 
> 
> In my opinion that would be the minimum difference. It would be better if you go to 1/4". I have scalped/maintained with a 1/8" difference but it was with a sand level.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think I'll need to scalp it once it dries up again. Or maybe I'll just maintain at 5/8 lol Thanks redtwin


----------



## Topcat




----------



## FATC1TY

Topcat said:


>


Looking good, that TifTuf is greening up quick compared to most. Scalped at .250 and I just ran mower over yard at .375 snd collected some green clippings.


----------



## burnhagw

I just filled 5 big bags full of clippings from one side of my front which is roughly 2K sqft. I used my new Honda HRX, manual reel set at .5" and used my string trimmer to take to the dirt basically. I'll update with pictures tomorrow. This side was maintained at 3/4" with a manual reel using PGR last season. Tiff tuff Bermuda in Waxhaw NC


----------



## Topcat

I am thoroughly impressed with Tiftuf. It stayed green thru Nov last year and is greening up quick. Here is a prescalp pic



FATC1TY said:


> Topcat said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looking good, that TifTuf is greening up quick compared to most. Scalped at .250 and I just ran mower over yard at .375 snd collected some green clippings.
Click to expand...


----------



## FATC1TY

Topcat said:


> I am thoroughly impressed with Tiftuf. It stayed green thru Nov last year and is greening up quick. Here is a prescalp pic
> 
> 
> 
> FATC1TY said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Topcat said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looking good, that TifTuf is greening up quick compared to most. Scalped at .250 and I just ran mower over yard at .375 snd collected some green clippings.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Looking great! Mine stayed pretty green and then faded hard sometime after thanksgiving.

I'm getting solid growth now!


----------



## burnhagw

Here is a picture from my last post. Scalped with my new Honda HRX, help with manual reel at .5" and string trimmer. Was maintained at 3/4" with a manual reel and PGR last season. Since I used a manual reel, I didn't catch my clippings, I filled 5 huge lawn bags with clippings just front this front left side. I couldn't believe it. Going to be sand leveling again in may.


----------



## Midsoutherner

This year is the first time I've had a yard worth maintaining so its also the first time I've ever done a scalp of any kind. Don't have a reel and my yard is too uneven for that anyways so I cut on my lowest setting on my SR which is 1.25 inches. I can't decide if I want to try and maintain at around 2 inches or just under. 
Just bought a 4 gal backpack sprayer and I'm going to be ordering prodiamine and Celsius so I can kill off the many many weeds that have taken over the yard. Still have to get out there with the string trimmer to finish things off.


----------



## Twodollarblue

1/4" scalp for a 1/2" maintenance height. Atlanta GA.


----------



## Brou

I'm surprised to see NC folks scalping already. No one concerned about the 30 degree nights coming up? Does it not matter?


----------



## rjw0283

Kamauxx said:


> I'm surprised to see NC folks scalping already. No one concerned about the 30 degree nights coming up? Does it not matter?


NOPE! 15 day forecast has 3 nights in the 30's (High 30's) and some 70's coming up. It's about to be green! 
I prg'd this winter anyways, so my bermuda has been scalped since October.


----------



## tnbison

Big order from R&R coming in this week to get my JD 2653a tuned up. First year with a reel mower, getting a little excited. I did an H.O.C. reset late last year which made the spring scalp 100 times easier. Only 2 drum liners of clippings vs 20-30 from previous years. Simazine should be here today to out down with some prodiamine.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Yesterday's Spring Scalp.


----------



## Tmank87

Kamauxx said:


> I'm surprised to see NC folks scalping already. No one concerned about the 30 degree nights coming up? Does it not matter?


I'm a bit concerned, but not overly. Think if we can get through the weekend without frost, should be home free. I've started greening up fairly nicely in Charlotte already.


----------



## Imtriguy2010

.25 for the scalp, .5 for maintenance


----------



## Brou

Tmank87 said:


> Kamauxx said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm surprised to see NC folks scalping already. No one concerned about the 30 degree nights coming up? Does it not matter?
> 
> 
> 
> I'm a bit concerned, but not overly. Think if we can get through the weekend without frost, should be home free. I've started greening up fairly nicely in Charlotte already.
Click to expand...

Wow! When did you scalp?

My 18 year old is off from work Saturday so I've already warned him for what's to come.


----------



## cbrendan

Based down in Melbourne, Australia and coming off the end of a hot and humid summer.

My TifTuf had got longer than I'd have liked, and had become quite spongey.










I was maintaining on the 3rd notch of my Honda Rotary, and dropped down to notch 1 on the first day of Autumn.










14 days later










Weather for the next week or so will be sitting in the mid - high 20s (~80f), so expecting it will thicken up nicely over the next week or two.


----------



## Tmank87

Kamauxx said:


> Tmank87 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kamauxx said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm surprised to see NC folks scalping already. No one concerned about the 30 degree nights coming up? Does it not matter?
> 
> 
> 
> I'm a bit concerned, but not overly. Think if we can get through the weekend without frost, should be home free. I've started greening up fairly nicely in Charlotte already.
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Wow! When did you scalp?
> 
> My 18 year old is off from work Saturday so I've already warned him for what's to come.
Click to expand...

I started on 3/10 and did about 95%. Have manually raked out a few low areas since then.

I have been shocked at the green up.

I'm about 12 years away from any free manual labor from my boys! Now they just "help" by playing in the thatch!


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## DFWdude

Pre-scalped the rear down to an inch. Will dethatch and go lower over the weekend.


----------



## battleboro

Kamauxx said:


> I'm surprised to see NC folks scalping already. No one concerned about the 30 degree nights coming up? Does it not matter?


This is my first time scalping and I didn't give much thought to the 30 degree nights. I assume Bermuda is hardy enough to withstand the temps. Luckily we didn't get into freezing 30's here.

Anyway, I didn't get to a proper scalp, but it is probably just as well. I had only a little green coming through and didn't want to get too aggressive, but I did some prep.

1. This is after cleaning up my experimental burn section with a 22" Toro Recycler on the lowest HOC (ok, I guess you could call this a scalp):





2. Then I took out my new toy, slapped on the scarifier and pulled out so. much. thatch. I mean, it looked like the yard equivalent to what you might imagine a colon blow to be.



Instead of burning this section (below), I just took it down to about 1.75" with the Toro, in 2 passes, then scarified it:





3. The end result was a lot more thatch and clippings that I bargained. I just realized I didn't take any pics of the backyard.



This is a natural area (below) that I have other plans for, so I used it for "storage" until I can get rid of the clippings



The same here (below). The clippings aren't touching the tree trunk, so it should be fine until I get rid of it.



Lots of rain this week and cooler temps coming up. So, maybe no scalping for a couple of weeks.

I did manage to lay down some prodiamine ahead of the rain today. I'm hoping the winter weeds burn off with hotter temps later this year and the pre-m does its job.


----------



## Gibby

Do these count?


----------



## DFWdude

Oh how I wish I could burn mine


----------



## Gibby

DFWdude said:


> Oh how I wish I could burn mine


I was thinking the whole don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness thing...

Few neighbors stopped by and asked what I was doing and chatted for a bit. No cops or fire peeps showed up. 
P.S.... Wife didn't handle it so well, oops 

I had the hose in my hand or my sons hand the whole time.

Also wetted down the boundaries and in some cases too well so it will need a little scalping with the mower around the edges.


----------



## DFWdude

Gibby said:


> DFWdude said:
> 
> 
> 
> Oh how I wish I could burn mine
> 
> 
> 
> I was thinking the whole don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness thing...
> 
> Few neighbors stopped by and asked what I was doing and chatted for a bit. No cops or fire peeps showed up.
> P.S.... Wife didn't handle it so well, oops
> 
> I had the hose in my hand or my sons hand the whole time.
> 
> Also wetted down the boundaries and in some cases too well so it will need a little scalping with the mower around the edges.
Click to expand...

My neighbors would never let it happen without calling the fuzz. 
Plus my yard is large and I would fear it getting out of my control quick, fast and in a hurry. 
I may call the FD and ask if they would supervise a controlled burn. Likely no, but I could get lucky


----------



## hefegrass

Scalped on 3/13 with the cali trimmer then went over it with the rotary and picked up all the clippings. sprayed prodiamine before the rain.
Last year I just scalped with the rotary and didnt take it down to the dirt, and the yard looked crappy all year. So this year im doing it right like I previously had done..down to the dirt. (first pic is before picking up the clippings with rotary)

the pile of dead grass from the scalp doesnt even look that big from the picture, but its about 30 bags from the mower, 6k sqft.


----------



## Brou

Scalped down to 3/4" yesterday. Started with a rotary and finished with a reel.

The most interesting part of the lawn work was laying down stripes from the Time Master at 1.5". The dormant Bermuda striped just as good as it does with a reel mower during the growing season. Really didn't expect to see that (the stripes were removed after going over the lawn twice with a Cali Trimmer).


----------



## Darrell_KC

Scalped to 1.5 on my TimeMaster


----------



## Slim 1938

Scalped with my McClane. I'll probably give it another pass and go a little lower next week. Now all I need is rain. It hasn't rained in months here.


----------



## Lawn Burgundy

Scalped to 5/8 with the tru-cut
I see a couple of low spots, looks like sand is in my future


----------



## BHopper

Memphis Tn March 16th roughly 3500sf ..Rotery mower dropping until I was hitting dirt in places. Took me roughly 3 hrs and it was just dirty dirty job
..Leveling this year... Last weekend tossed down the Humic-12 and RGS it now has this funky brown green haze to it..New to me GM 1600 picked up this week Let's get this going


----------



## SCGrassMan

Should I scalp Zeon? @Greendoc what do you think?


----------



## DFWdude




----------



## cosgrc




----------



## AUspicious

DFWdude said:


>


 :shock: Okay, @DFWdude, I'm pretty sure you get the crown this year. :lol:


----------



## DFWdude

AUspicious said:


> DFWdude said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> :shock: Okay, @DFWdude, I'm pretty sure you get the crown this year. :lol:
Click to expand...

Lol I could have picked up even more but I tapped out!


----------



## adidasUNT8

DFWdude said:


> AUspicious said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DFWdude said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> :shock: Okay, @DFWdude, I'm pretty sure you get the crown this year. :lol:
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Lol I could have picked up even more but I tapped out!
Click to expand...

LOL... your trash guys are loving you!


----------



## Deltahedge

This is the first year I scalped and collected the clippings.


----------



## cavince79

SCGrassMan said:


> Should I scalp Zeon? @Greendoc what do you think?


I scalped my Zeon about 2 weeks ago and it's started to green up since then.


----------



## Greendoc

SCGrassMan said:


> Should I scalp Zeon? @Greendoc what do you think?


That is not up to me or you. The right time is when the weather is warm enough for it to quickly grow back.


----------



## surs73

SCGrassMan said:


> Should I scalp Zeon? @Greendoc what do you think?


I scalped my zeon last weekend down to .8 along with a good verticutting to thin things out. It was already starting to green up but the 70 degree temps this week will get things moving. 5,500 square feet of lawn yielded 17 of the brown lawn bags.


----------



## mad_man

I went and bought there toro GM1000 I had been eyeing here locally in town. My Honda would only go down to 1 1/4 inch..So I put the Toro at 1 inch. It didn't even begin to cut. Then to 3/4, still nothing, then 1/2, still nothing. 1/4 of an inch and finally it starting not only cutting but scalping. I got it down to dirt. I never thought I would be able to go that low. My lawn is bumpy as heck!! Put down some Fert and now some water.

@Ware hey sir, I can't seem to find what EGO trimmer you have. I need to clean these edges. So you have the model number and links to just the edger and rotary scissors? Thanks in advance! PM them to me if you need.


----------



## ga_dawg

I finished my 4th pass scalping tonight at 4.75mm. Unfortunately it was too dark to get a pic. I'd wanted to start out the season at 5mm but with the Atlanta area rain and temps forecasted the rest of the week I'm not sure I can take it lower without starting to cut fresh growth. I don't want to deplete carbohydrate reserves. My question is how low do you think I can cut at without scalping each cut this season? Should I aim for 6mm?


----------



## FATC1TY

ga_dawg said:


> I finished my 4th pass scalping tonight at 4.75mm. Unfortunately it was too dark to get a pic. I'd wanted to start out the season at 5mm but with the Atlanta area rain and temps forecasted the rest of the week I'm not sure I can take it lower without starting to cut fresh growth. I don't want to deplete carbohydrate reserves. My question is how low do you think I can cut at without scalping each cut this season? Should I aim for 6mm?


I scalped earlier to around .200 inches, back a few weeks ago and I've made a few cleanup passes and collected clippings. Good green clippings into my basket at .375 maintenance height. I'm not worried about depleting anything, the grass is going to stay around there as long as I can this season.

You'll need to be higher I think, but it'll vary... are you fertilizing a bunch, are you using PGR, are you wanting to cut daily, how level is your yard, etc.


----------



## ga_dawg

FATC1TY said:


> I scalped earlier to around .200 inches, back a few weeks ago and I've made a few cleanup passes and collected clippings. Good green clippings into my basket at .375 maintenance height. I'm not worried about depleting anything, the grass is going to stay around there as long as I can this season.
> 
> You'll need to be higher I think, but it'll vary... are you fertilizing a bunch, are you using PGR, are you wanting to cut daily, how level is your yard, etc.


.375 is a good bit higher than I'd like to cut. Last year I was at .3 for most of the year. Yes using PGR, though not yet obviously. Will spoon feed fertilizer roughly every two weeks depending on what greens grade I can get from site one and how the turf is doing. I expect to cut every other day or every day this year. Lawn is fairly level, though with a fair amount of slope in places. Depending on weather I may try a bit lower tomorrow or Thursday.....


----------



## Krs1




----------



## SCGrassMan

Greendoc said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> 
> Should I scalp Zeon? @Greendoc what do you think?
> 
> 
> 
> That is not up to me or you. The right time is when the weather is warm enough for it to quickly grow back.
Click to expand...

I just meant period, versus timing. I don't have a LOT of thatch but I do have some thatch and dead growth from last season, and it's starting to green up.


----------



## BvilleGrass

0.25" Latitude with double verticut

First pic before cleanup, 2nd pic after cleanup


----------



## Greendoc

SCGrassMan said:


> Greendoc said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> 
> Should I scalp Zeon? @Greendoc what do you think?
> 
> 
> 
> That is not up to me or you. The right time is when the weather is warm enough for it to quickly grow back.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I just meant period, versus timing. I don't have a LOT of thatch but I do have some thatch and dead growth from last season, and it's starting to green up.
Click to expand...

Ah. If you have brown grass from winter dormancy. Scalp this year when it is on a definite warming trend.


----------



## DFWdude

Greendoc said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Greendoc said:
> 
> 
> 
> That is not up to me or you. The right time is when the weather is warm enough for it to quickly grow back.
> 
> 
> 
> I just meant period, versus timing. I don't have a LOT of thatch but I do have some thatch and dead growth from last season, and it's starting to green up.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Ah. If you have brown grass from winter dormancy. Scalp this year when it is on a definite warming trend.
Click to expand...

Is there harm in scalping too early?


----------



## Greendoc

Grass roots and rhizomes exposed to cold. Grass being stimulated to grow by the cutting at a less than optimal time.


----------



## DFWdude

Interesting. Thanks!


----------



## soupy01833




----------



## DFWdude

I thought that I was done, but it looks like i'm going to have to suck up some more clippings, as our recent rain has left some very large clipping veins throughout the back yard.


----------



## NorthAus

A bit of a different scalp here from tropical Australia on a Zoysia macrantha 'Nara' ('Icon' in the USA) lawn.

We are towards the end of our wet (summer) season here. Long periods of rain (at one stage I couldn't mow for a month), hot and humid conditions has meant the lawn gets too leggy and needs a reset.

Scalped with the lowest setting on a rotary mower (leaves maybe 5mm of stubble). First time I did this I was sure i'd killed it as for the first week very little happens.

Week 0:


Week 1 (first little shoots just showing):


Week 2 (starting to see progress now):


I find by Week 3-4 it is all grown back and better. Cleans it up really nice.

I'll try to remember to post progress from here. Temperatures are still very warm (24c or 75f minimums and 32c or 90f maximums).


----------



## shutch4251

Started reel mowing mid-last year. First time scalping a Bermuda lawn.


----------



## DFWdude

If you scalp to dirt, does that prohibit or promote growth?


----------



## BU Bear

DFWdude said:


> If you scalp to dirt, does that prohibit or promote growth?


For bermuda (and zoysia I think) it's removing the old dead leaf material and opens up the canopy to promote growth.


----------



## Brou

People living in the transition zone, particularly NC, how long are you waiting for the first post-scalp cut?

Today makes a week for me and I was considering going out and giving it a quick trim. I don't have a ton of green up and the forecast is calling for a few sub-freezing days next week so I don't know if I should trim it or leave it alone. (Scalped at 3/4" maintenance at 2")


----------



## DFWdude

BU Bear said:


> DFWdude said:
> 
> 
> 
> If you scalp to dirt, does that prohibit or promote growth?
> 
> 
> 
> For bermuda (and zoysia I think) it's removing the old dead leaf material and opens up the canopy to promote growth.
Click to expand...

I didnt mean scalping in general. But does literally scalping to dirt vs say 1/4" offer any positives or negatives, other than a lower possible maintenance hoc.


----------



## Redtwin

DFWdude said:


> BU Bear said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DFWdude said:
> 
> 
> 
> If you scalp to dirt, does that prohibit or promote growth?
> 
> 
> 
> For bermuda (and zoysia I think) it's removing the old dead leaf material and opens up the canopy to promote growth.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I didnt mean scalping in general. But does literally scalping to dirt vs say 1/4" offer any positives or negatives, other than a lower possible maintenance hoc.
Click to expand...

At least for me, in order to get a scalp down to 1/4" I will inevitably hit dirt in some spots.


----------



## Topcat

@Redtwin Same here. I didn't measure my HOC when I scalped simply because even at 1/4 I am scraping dirt in places. So I just lowered the mower til the bedknife rested on the ground.

Going that low serves the purpose of removing as much dead turf as possible. In my mind green up will be faster only because I will not see as much dead brown grass mixed in with new growth.


----------



## Philly_Gunner

BvilleGrass said:


> 0.25" Latitude with double verticut
> 
> First pic before cleanup, 2nd pic after cleanup


Man, that looks nice and flat!


----------



## Philly_Gunner

Deltahedge said:


> This is the first year I scalped and collected the clippings.


Beautiful property!


----------



## AFBiker2011

Dethatched in two directions, then cut at 9/32". This removed quite a bit of material for my 2k ft². This is my first time scalping my Emerald Zoysia turf. This is due to recently acquiring a new-to-me Tru-Cut H20. Big thanks to @Redtwin for the assist in locating a mower, and his buddy R for selling it to me. :thumbup:





















I bottomed out in the backyard in quite a few places :roll:


----------



## Ware

AFBiker2011 said:



> Dethatched in two directions, then cut at 9/32". This removed quite a bit of material for my 2k ft²...


Looks great!


----------



## DFWdude

AFBiker2011 said:


> Dethatched in two directions, then cut at 9/32". This removed quite a bit of material for my 2k ft². This is my first time scalping my Emerald Zoysia turf. This is due to recently acquiring a new-to-me Tru-Cut H20. Big thanks to @Redtwin for the assist in locating a mower, and his buddy R for selling it to me. :thumbup:


What did you dethatch with?


----------



## AFBiker2011

DFWdude said:


> AFBiker2011 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Dethatched in two directions, then cut at 9/32". This removed quite a bit of material for my 2k ft².
> 
> 
> 
> What did you dethatch with?
Click to expand...

A Greenworks 10amp 14" corded dethatcher. It doesn't have the verticut cartridge, so I just picked up the newest version Sunjoe which has the swappable cartridge (dethatcher and verticut). I'll probably use the verticut during the peak growing period this summer. Unfortunately, this means I have to watch it staring back at me everytime I go into the shed, longing to be used...


----------



## DFWdude

Nice. Looks great!


----------



## Redtwin

Great job on the scalp! That's going to look amazing in a few weeks. I use the SunJoe with the scarifier cartridge as well for verticutting. You won't be disappointed with that purchase.


----------



## battleboro

Kamauxx said:


> People living in the transition zone, particularly NC, how long are you waiting for the first post-scalp cut?
> 
> Today makes a week for me and I was considering going out and giving it a quick trim. I don't have a ton of green up and the forecast is calling for a few sub-freezing days next week so I don't know if I should trim it or leave it alone. (Scalped at 3/4" maintenance at 2")


I've been reluctant to scalp mine yet. Not a lot of green, and low 30's forecast. I think next week is the week to scalp, after I verticut. Seems ok to wait it out. It's obviously not going to the point to get away from you.

Feedback here seems to be a little back and forth on the best order; de-thatch, vert, scalp, pre-m. I put down pre-m before verticutting and scalping because of ground temps. I'll see if verticutting after pre-m will sabotage the pre-m.


----------



## soupy01833

I scalped mine already. With the lows in the 30's fir the next few days I am going to wait until the grass greens up a little more before I do my post scalp cut.


----------



## LittleBearBermuda

I scalped and dethatched March 21st.


----------



## turfman73

Did a "prescalp" a couple weeks ago but the grass was so thick my TruCut was just floating on it or the reel would get stop spinning if I tried cutting more than 1/8". I had a significant amount of thick stolons.

I decide to purchased a Sun Joe and used the scarifier blade at lowest setting. The Sun Joe made a huge difference. Pulled up a bunch of dead stuff and allowed me to make multiple passes with my rotatory before cleaning it up with my Trucut.

I was on the 3rd hole from the bottom which measures 1/2" but many areas of my yard are well under 1/2". Not sure if I will be as aggressive on the front yard, but might just to see the neighbors eyes :shock: :lol:

Before


After


----------



## NorthAus

Week 3

Still too thin but won't take long now to fill in.





NorthAus said:


> A bit of a different scalp here from tropical Australia on a Zoysia macrantha 'Nara' ('Icon' in the USA) lawn.
> 
> We are towards the end of our wet (summer) season here. Long periods of rain (at one stage I couldn't mow for a month), hot and humid conditions has meant the lawn gets too leggy and needs a reset.
> 
> Scalped with the lowest setting on a rotary mower (leaves maybe 5mm of stubble). First time I did this I was sure i'd killed it as for the first week very little happens.
> 
> Week 0:
> 
> 
> Week 1 (first little shoots just showing):
> 
> 
> Week 2 (starting to see progress now):
> 
> 
> I find by Week 3-4 it is all grown back and better. Cleans it up really nice.
> 
> I'll try to remember to post progress from here. Temperatures are still very warm (24c or 75f minimums and 32c or 90f maximums).


----------



## Turfsup_pal

Zoysia - not sure what type. Maintained at 2.5 inches last season. Just cut it down to 2 inches. Should I go lower? Next notch on rotary mower is 1.25 inches. Yard is bumpy and uneven. Would you advise to cut again at lower setting if so, when should I take it down?


----------



## Redtwin

@Turfsup_pal Take it down as low as you can go. If you didn't hit dirt in a bunch of spots, you didn't go low enough.


----------



## Turfsup_pal

@Redtwin ok thanks! I will go down another notch. Should I wait a few days or just go for it?


----------



## AllisonN

Turfsup_pal said:


> @Redtwin ok thanks! I will go down another notch. Should I wait a few days or just go for it?


Go for it when you have time. No need to wait.


----------



## AFBiker2011

Lol @turfman73, a lot of TLF member's neighbors are thinking the same thing. But in a couple of weeks, those same people will be throwing compliments at you, then asking for your advice to help their lawns!


----------



## Turfsup_pal

Turfsup_pal said:


> Zoysia - not sure what type. Maintained at 2.5 inches last season. Just cut it down to 2 inches. Should I go lower? Next notch on rotary mower is 1.25 inches. Yard is bumpy and uneven. Would you advise to cut again at lower setting if so, when should I take it down?


Ok guys, went down to 1 1/4" on the rotary. Hit dirt quite a bit but now I can see where leveling is needed. I'm actually kind of excited to see the progression. I think I will hit it with the next round or pre-em later this week before the expected rain.


----------



## PGunn

Took her to .5 today. 24-0-6 going down Tuesday night before rain comes Wednesday. Time to green up!


----------



## harveydane

Dethatch and scalp to 9/16ths. I've never been more ready than this year....can't wait for it to green up!


----------



## mjh648

@harveydane do people ever drive up on your grass when it's wet and ruin it? Happens to me and I even have a small curb.


----------



## BUbbaSwine

My crappy scalp...


----------



## harveydane

mjh648 said:


> @harveydane do people ever drive up on your grass when it's wet and ruin it? Happens to me and I even have a small curb.


Yes, they do haha. I generally keep my truck where it is now to block that part of the grass, but on the other side of the driveway that neighbor always has visitors and they have literally parked on my damn grass like it was a driveway...it boggles my mind haha but nothing a little sand can't fix.


----------



## Triplesticks




----------



## somathnao

Finally done with this spring scalp. 😅
0.300" cut.


----------



## wiseowl

Am I doing this right ?


----------



## kc8qpu092200

Mine was scalped 3/20.







Here are 2 pictures I took yesterday. A little less than 3 weeks after the Scalp.


----------



## MrMeaner

Scalped, aerated, sanded/leveled and fertilized it yesterday - now we wait for the magic to happen!! 🤘🏼🤘🏼


----------



## Redtwin

@MrMeaner I like your house design. Those narrow high windows must provide lots of usable wall space on the inside. I'd hate to have to edge around those steps on the entryway though! :lol:


----------



## Philly_Gunner

Redtwin said:


> @MrMeaner I like your house design. Those narrow high windows must provide lots of usable wall space on the inside. I'd hate to have to edge around those steps on the entryway though! :lol:


I was thinking the same thing!! Beautiful property though.


----------



## Philly_Gunner

Started to burn some stripes in at .625".


----------



## MrMeaner

Philly_Gunner said:


> Redtwin said:
> 
> 
> 
> @MrMeaner I like your house design. Those narrow high windows must provide lots of usable wall space on the inside. I'd hate to have to edge around those steps on the entryway though! :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> I was thinking the same thing!! Beautiful property though.
Click to expand...

I just turned 51 and would rather sit on the porch with a cocktail so Im cheating now... have a great yard crew doing the work so I just supervise yard projects now.


----------



## NorthAus

Week 4

It'll continue to thicken up from here but happy with how it is now. Hopefully this series helps give confidence for those that might be scared to scalp in the growing season.



Alternative view.





NorthAus said:


> Week 3
> 
> Still too thin but won't take long now to fill in.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NorthAus said:
> 
> 
> 
> A bit of a different scalp here from tropical Australia on a Zoysia macrantha 'Nara' ('Icon' in the USA) lawn.
> 
> We are towards the end of our wet (summer) season here. Long periods of rain (at one stage I couldn't mow for a month), hot and humid conditions has meant the lawn gets too leggy and needs a reset.
> 
> Scalped with the lowest setting on a rotary mower (leaves maybe 5mm of stubble). First time I did this I was sure i'd killed it as for the first week very little happens.
> 
> Week 0:
> 
> 
> Week 1 (first little shoots just showing):
> 
> 
> Week 2 (starting to see progress now):
> 
> 
> I find by Week 3-4 it is all grown back and better. Cleans it up really nice.
> 
> I'll try to remember to post progress from here. Temperatures are still very warm (24c or 75f minimums and 32c or 90f maximums).
Click to expand...


----------



## OKC Lush

Today I scalped and dethatched a section my bermuda. While this area is only 1,300 square feet, it took 4 hours to get down to 0.5". Yes, all of those bags are from this tiny section.


----------



## wiseowl

Since it felt real bad using my GM1000 going to dirt can someone recommend some sort of go-to scalp machine ? I looked at one of those toro hover mowers but those still don't go low enough. Do I need to buy a beater reel mower ?


----------



## Tmank87

wiseowl said:


> Since it felt real bad using my GM1000 going to dirt can someone recommend some sort of go-to scalp machine ? I looked at one of those toro hover mowers but those still don't go low enough. Do I need to buy a beater reel mower ?


If you wear your reel out, I'd buy a replacement reel before a new machine.


----------



## wiseowl

That's fair. The bed knife I have on my GM1000 wasn't made to go to dirt, it's a tournament cut so is struggled getting down that low and I had to do a lot of passes slightly lifting the machine. Once it was as low as it was it was no big deal.

Wish we could get victor mowers in the states, look at this beaut at min 3 https://youtu.be/-oJjkQ7OyAE

I'm looking for something like that, can't find it. Who from Australia wants to ship me one &#128514;


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## battleboro

Down to 3/8" on a "new to me", unlevel lawn. This was my first time scalping and first time using a reel mower. I hit dirt in a few places and learned a lot. Trying to maintain a 1/2" HOC.


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