Pictures of Lawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of Lawn

Scalping is the removal of dormant, straw-colored turf, and it promotes earlier green-up and helps prevent thatch and weed problems throughout the summer. The straw-colored grass does not turn green, it turns into thatch. New growth starts below the dormant grass near ground level.

Zoysia is very slow to green up as you have noticed. By removing the dormant grass is going to allow sun light to reach the dirt below and warm the ground up. You can accelerate the warming by spraying a liquid iron product.

You need to scalp the lawn with a good sharp blade as low as your mower can go, and bag the clippings. It may take more than one pass to get the job done.

The only thing you have to worry about is to make sure the last chance of frost has passed. So trust us SCALPING is very good for the lawn and will contribute to good health. And yes you have been mowing way too high which is one reason why you are slow to green up. Now is the time to correct that mistake.

TW, 'way too high?' at 3 inches? I realize zoysia can go to 1 inch or lower, but is 3 considered 'way' high?

Frank where do you live?

I sharpen my blades every 12 cuts, is that too little? Also I live in Northeast Florida, and unless a record is broken, there is no longer a chance of the temperature getting to 32degrees, though I have had frost as high as 45 degress....

I hear what you are saying about lowering the mower, but if I do that, the yard will look as if it is all dirt with a few stems popping up here and there. Example of doing that:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/oceanfrank/IMG_4654.jpg

Here is a zoomed out view of the area with the experiment. http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/oceanfrank/IMG_4659.jpg

Or full gallary

http://s1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/oceanfrank/?albumview=slideshow

Hence, based on these pictures are you saying that the lawn is still too thatched? I come from Connecticut so cutting lawn down to the bone seems to go against every grain I have.

I keep it at 2" not 3" and cut it when it reached 2.5 to 3 inches. I had read some posts that said in Northeast Florida with a Rotary Mower not to go below 2" because you will Tear and Kill the lawn. But you are saying to scalp it down to 1 inch in one shot none the less and not by cutting it 0.5" inch at a time? The areas that I scalped still have not started to generate any leaves and this was about two weeks ago. I did it as an experiment to see if that was the way to go, and it seems incredible that people have these scalped lawns for 4-6 weeks...but I am not a lawn expert and Zoyzia is very new in my neighborhood in Northeast Florida so there is nobody to ask for examples on.

Again thank you for your quick response earlier and all your help!!

Frank

Here is a link that might be useful: Gallary of Lawn

Forget everything you know about lawn care. Cool Season practices do not apply to Warm Season grass practices, especially Zoysia and Bermuda.

Yes your lawn will look like twigs and stems when you scalp it. You are removing all the leaf material. However Zoysia and Bermuda grasses are suppose to grow Horizontally, not Vertically. It will grow vertically if you mow too high. When kept short it will grow along ground level forming a very tight dense carpet in which weeds cannot penetrate.

Go To:
http://empireturf.com/bmp_emp_0303.pdf
Read it for yourself on mowing heights.

Mowing: Mowing is a critical and often underappreciated cultural practice:
ï Maintain EMPIRE at 1-2" (1" is optimal)
ï Heights above 2" will reduce quality
ï Can be maintained at heights of 1/2" if regularly mowed with a reel mower
ï Rotary mowers are preferred for heights 1" or higher
ï Reel mowers are preferred for heights below 1"
ï Mow every 7-10 days during the active growing season
ï Mow every 10-14 days, or as needed, during cooler weather
ï Never cut more than 1/3 of the total length of the blade at any one mowing
ï If a scheduled mowing is missed and clippings clump on top of the EMPIRE, bag or vacuum clippings to reduce shade-out
ï Vertical mowing (verticutting) may be performed to renovate EMPIRE.

Trust the pros.

Okay, you have me sold and thank you for your patience and the link. My biggest problem has been seeing all these articles on scalping, but not really understanding that meant, down to the bear bones.....Since the lawn is 2-2.5 inches now. Based on your 1/3, and having cut it yesterday, When do you suggest I cut it again down to 1.75" and then down to 1" (time interval)? ....oh if you could see the fear in my face....chuckle...thank you again!!!! I will post pictures after I cut it and then again in about a month.....

You can cut it all down now. You don't have to do a little now, and a little later. Do it all at once. The sooner the better. You want to perform this scalping task every spring before the big time heat moves in.

Ah, I see what you're getting at now.

Yes, normal mowing, obey the 1/3 rule. But this is a different task. This scalping is to remove all the dormant, dead material from winter. You won't hurt the grass by removing all the dormant material at once.

Whack it now. Think of it like this. Do you want to be circumcised as a baby or an 18 year old man a little at a time???

Sure you will get over it if done later but look at all that time you lost! Not to mention the memories.

The 1/3 rule applies to grass blades. At this point you're beyond grass blades and mowing off the stems. Go for it. New blades will form at the ends of the stems.

My company holds the patent on Empire Zoysia, and texas-weed is exactly right, scalping your Empire in the spring time (about now!) will help promote an earlier spring green up, get rid of any thatch build up, and reduce the risk of disease and fungus in your lawn.

Mowing Empire like a St. Augustine at 3"+ is a huge mistake, it was not developed to be maintained that way and while you may have short term success, you will in the long term develop issues because of the growth habits of the grass. Taller Empire allows moisture to sit at the root bed and is a perfect environment for bugs, fungus, etc.

One last point is to be proactive about grub control. Billbugs and army worms are a very big issue and can be prevented with a good grub control. Bayer Advanced Grub is a good product and is readily available.

Let us know if you have any other questions and we will be happy to offer the best advice we can.