Thou shalt not scalp seashore paspalum - GCSAA

mower used can cause or prevent scalping.
Some new mowers cause minimal
scalping problems regardless of grass
type. Mowers with dual rollers are less
likely to scalp the grass than are mowers
with only a single roller. Of course, surface
smoothness and firmness and individual
mower operator skills affect the
operation of any greens mower. Blade
sharpness and the use of brushes vs.
groomers also can influence scalping.
5. Cultivar
Some paspalum cultiva rs , su ch as
deriva tives of the old Ad a l ayd or
Exc a l i bur sources that ori gi n a ted from
Au s tra l i a ,a re more sen s i tive to scalping.
Cu l tiva rs with lower levels of s a l i n i ty
to l era n ce seem to be more prone to
s c a l p i n g, but all cultiva rs can be scalped .
Growth regulators
Growth reg u l a tors are com m on ly
applied to bermudagrasses to minimize
scalping, especially in mid- to late summer.
Growth regulator use could help
on seashore paspalum, but limited data
are available. Given what is currently
known about plant growth regulator
re s pon s e , Primo (tri n ex a p ac - et hyl )
should be used cauti o u s ly with this
grass, and small areas should be tested
before applying the chemical to large
areas. Identical rates applied at different
locations (Hawaii,Florida and Georgia)
have given different results — some
positive and some negative.
Primo is somewhat effective in suppressing
seed h e ads in paspalu m .
App l i c a ti ons of Cutless (flu pri m i do l )
will suppress growth significantly above
85 F and below 75 F. Trimmit (paclobutrazol)
and Proxy (ethephon) have been
applied at varying rates and timing with
mimimal side effects,and both are effective
at seedhead suppression, although
envi ron m ental interacti ons have
occurred (as noted above for Primo).
E m b a rk (mef lu i d i de) and malei c
hydrazide responses on paspalum are
unknown. Use of irrigation water with
high salt levels will also have a growth
regulator effect.
After scalping
O n ce scalping has occ u rred and a disease
or diseases have attacked the gra s s ,
determine wh i ch pathogen(s) are causing
the probl em . A topical fungi c i de wi ll
s top the pathogen from spre ad i n g.
Aera ti on fo ll owed by top d ressing and
a pp l i c a ti on of a po t a s s ium + cyto k i n i n
produ ct wi ll help rei n force the root system
and lead to a horm onal shift tow a rd
n ew shoot produ cti on at a faster recovery
ra te . Using cytokinin is essen tial on
s a l t - a f fected sites because salt acts as a
growth reg u l a tor.
An o t h er opti on is app lying gra nu l a r
and foliar manganese to co u n ter take - a ll
( Ga eu m a n n o myces gra m i n i s) disease,wh i ch
is favored wh en scalping occ u rs and environ
m ental con d i ti ons are favora bl e. ■
References
1. Carrow, R.N., and R.R. Duncan. 1998. Saltaffected
turfgrass sites: assessment and management.
Ann Arbor Press. Chelsea, Mich.
2. Carrow, R.N., D.V. Waddington and P.E. Rieke.
2 0 0 1 . Tu rfgrass soil ferti l i ty and ch em i c a l
problems: assessment and management. Ann
Arbor Press. Chelsea, Mich.
3. Duncan,R.R.2001. All seashore paspalums are
not created equal. Golf Course Management
69(6):54-60.
4. Du n c a n , R . R . , and R.N. Ca rrow. 2 0 0 0 .
Seashore paspalum — the environmental turfgrass.
Ann Arbor Press, Chelsea, Mich.
Inadequate sand topdressing during grow-in can produce a puffy thatch layer, which results in
a softer surface that is susceptible to scalping.
R . R . Du n c a n , Ph . D. (e-mail: rdu n c a n @ ga e s .
griffin.peachnet.edu), and R.N. Carrow, Ph.D., are
researchers at the University of Georgia — Griffin.
GCM April 2002