Should I bag bermuda grass the first time I scalp it in the Spring time?

Question

I live in Oklahoma and I have a bermuda lawn. We are getting ready to scalp it, and I have heard different things on whether to bag it or let the clippings lie in order to reseed it. Any advice? I know to bag it during regular clippings, but am not sure on whether or not to when scalping.

Answer 1

All things considered, I'd bag it. Most of what you are going to collect is dead from the winter anyway, so you might as well remove it and either use it as mulch elsewhere or rototill it into your garden somewhere. That way, when the new grass gets taller, you won't have a layer of clippings smothering the soil underneath.

Some, however, would say to 'leave it' and allow it to keep the moisture in the soil for the emerging grass. If your soil is loam and is friable most of the year, that might be a good idea. If it's clay, however, the dead clippings won't add much to the soil and won't provide much water savings either.

After scalping, you might want to over-seed with some fast-growing rye grass to fill in bare spots and give you some nice, green lawn before the Bermuda catches up in the mid summer.