The age old question….“Should I scalp my lawn?” We get that question a lot around Wells Brothers. My answer is, if you want to. Let’s weigh the pros and cons, starting with the cons. Scalping has mess disaster factor of 9.5 out of 10! You set the mower to the lowest setting and bag all the clipping. You’ll need to invest in a good respirator or dust mask too. On the positive side it removes a lot of last year’s dead grass and also a lot of the weeds. It allows the soil to warm up fast which will make the lawn green up sooner which in turn allows you to start mowing sooner.
Aerating the lawn is another subject that gets brought up often. Aerating is the physical process of making small holes in the soil and grass. You should know that it is better to remove a plug of soil than to just poke a hole in it. These holes allow a more efficient use of water and fertilizer by allowing them to get through layers of compacted soil and thatch. Aerating should be done during the early part of the growing season. In most case this is not a yearly task but one that should be done when needed. Click here for how to steps for aerating your lawn. Click here for aerator rental information.