Disease or Mower Scalping?

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Though disease activity can appear in the spring at green up time as distinct circles on your lawn, during the summer the circles are usually caused by improper mowing practices.  The turf in the areas of scalping will take several weeks to recover with adequate irrigation or rainfall.

If the turf is allowed to become too long between mowings, if the turf is mowed when it is too wet, if your lawn mower blade is dull or the mower is set too low then you will get firing and scalp circles.  The remedy of course for these scalping problems is to mow weekly, mow when the turf is dry and keep your mower blade sharpened and the mowing height correct.  During the late summer, warm season turf should be mowed at about 2″ – 3″ height to prepare it for dormancy.

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