YUP! You've explained my every mow in the late summer. I am on a hill so once the grass really thickens up it aids in the floating, because of hills and gravity, and science :lol:

 

also check your mower to ensure belts aren't slipping and whatnot etc etc etc, mine has a split drive drum that I speculate spins better on one side. It's probably my stupid hill though

 

My Allett does that sometimes when grass is super thick, usually on very level spots. The Allett is a lot lighter than the swardman, I did not have that issue with Swardman. So I think the weight has something to do with it.

 

....and science :lol:

By my standards, I did a super aggressive scalp before I leveled in mid-July. The turf isn't as thick as it normally is. But checking the drive belt is not a bad idea. Haven't had to do that before.
Yep @Austinite, I expected the weight to be an issue earlier. Just hadn't dealt with this until now. 🤷🏽‍♂️

 

OK I've been having this issue as well on my Meyer Zoysia. I recently acquired a Toro Greensmaster 1000 and was still floating at .5" cut on Sunday. Would dethatching help with this issue?

 

I've noticed verticutting helps a lot on my Tifway 419 but I would wait until the spring.

 

Im glad you posted this because I've been fighting the same thing.
I am going to verticut more next season, and toss in a midseason scalp to hopefully avoid it from happening again.

 

Other than not over fertilizing and not over watering what can be done to keep this build up to a minimum? I don't have the floating issue because I keep my HOC at about 1 1/8" but that debris starts to become noticeable beginning in late July/early August.

 

Other than not over fertilizing and not over watering what can be done to keep this build up to a minimum? I don't have the floating issue because I keep my HOC at about 1 1/8" but that debris starts to become noticeable beginning in late July/early August.

Regular verticutting. Anything you can do to thin out any horizontal growth. Power rake, scarify, verticut, etc.

 

Regular verticutting. Anything you can do to thin out any horizontal growth. Power rake, scarify, verticut, etc.

Interesting you mention scarifying, @MasterMech. In previous seasons,, I normally did a light scarify every 6-ish weeks. I actually haven't done that since I scalped and leveled this past July, because last year when I scalped, I wound up getting a lot of sand in my catcher. I wanted to avoid that this year, so I've skipped out on scarifying.

This is probably the reason I'm seeing this for the first time in my lawn. Can't believe my dumb @ss hadn't thought of that.

 

I did a lot of verticutting late in the season last year and it made a serious difference in the after-cut appearance. My 419 has been on the struggle bus all year so I have not had the issues with floating this season.

 

I have Zoysia mowed at 1" and have been "floating" for the last month. I currently have a smooth roller on the front of my Cali trimmer but have been reading that a grooved roller can help to stop this from happening. There are a couple of discussions about this in the forums. I think I will give that a try next year and if it doesn't help, I will do a mid season scalp / scarify to see if that solves the problem.

 

I have Zoysia mowed at 1" and have been "floating" for the last month. I currently have a smooth roller on the front of my Cali trimmer but have been reading that a grooved roller can help to stop this from happening. There are a couple of discussions about this in the forums. I think I will give that a try next year and if it doesn't help, I will do a mid season scalp / scarify to see if that solves the problem.

On a Trimmer, I can see that helping. On a greensmower, we have the full width traction drum (which is weight-bearing) to contend with as well. Installing a grooved roller can help prevent the floating or "mower bob" by preventing the lighter front-end of the cutting unit from floating on the turf canopy and effectively raising HoC which only exacerbates the issue if the turf is growing and thickening actively. But swapping to a grooved roller after the problem is apparent rarely mitigates the issue. Installing a grooved roller in combination with doing a verticut on the other hand....

 

I'd like to try out a grooved roller, but no one makes them for Allett mowers (at least for homeowner models). There was a guy on here who offered to possibly machine one, but he ghosted me. 👻
I've only used the smooth roller that came with my mower.

 

Other than not over fertilizing and not over watering what can be done to keep this build up to a minimum? I don't have the floating issue because I keep my HOC at about 1 1/8" but that debris starts to become noticeable beginning in late July/early August.

As mentioned, add in a verticut, aeration, scarification, etc.

If you have a mower with a groomer this can really help to engage periodically during the mid summer to thin out and prevent a grain to form. Ensure you change up the direction of your cut.

 

This is a result of cut I get with all the floating. Top dressing and power raking are due in the spring for sure. Is that going to help??

 

Are you putting weight on the handles or allowing them to float in the middle of their travel? A little forward pressure?

 

No weights just a tradition toro greensmaster 1000.

 

I will hold the handle up on my GM1000 so that it doesn't take weight off the front. I'm not pushing up against the stops but just lifting it a little.

 

This happens to me as well. I classify it as different than what most people call floating. The "wiggling" around while mowing corresponds strongly with the cross mowed lines. This has always led me to believe this was a result of grain. The same forces that steer a golf ball due to grain are also steering the mower. Only fix I have ever found was to verticut. Its very important to never mow in the same direction in order to keep this from happening as well.

 

@harold56, that's a pretty good theory. In my case, I mow in a new direction every time I mow. I also scarify in different directions when I do that.
Something I thought of since I posted this is that I am mowing a little higher than I have in the past 2 years. It may be that the added height may be a factor in keeping my mower "skating" over the turf.

But grainy very well also be a factor in some cases.

 

You could also try to pickup the back of the mower kinda like a wheelbarrow and see if it cuts better. But be prepared for a workout

 

You could also try to pickup the back of the mower kinda like a wheelbarrow and see if it cuts better. But be prepared for a workout

If you do that to a greens mower it will just sit there. The rear drum is what propels it.

 

It's funny your brought this up. This past Sunday when I was cutting with my Mclane I ran into this.

How often do you verticut or scarify? Do you guys use the sun joe that everyone raves about?

 

I have this problem even with my triplex the last couple months - even after a midseason scalp - problem came back within a few weeks. The turf gets thick quickly and the yellow under-canopy develops. Mine happens on the side of the cutting unit that the drive motor resides. @MasterMech anything like this happen for you?