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Your lawn needs food, water and oxygen, just like you do. In order to give it the air circulation it requires, you have to scarify your lawn to remove thatch, moss and remove weeds. Don’t let this frighten you off. There are many different ways to scarify your lawn so that you get the perfect, lush greenery and it’s fairly straightforward and easy to do.
When you first scarify your lawn it can look terrible, which puts some gardeners off, however, after just a few weeks, you will see a big improvement and it makes a huge difference.
Need a lawn scarifier? – check my review of the Bosch 1100 AVR Verticutter in this post – or watch the video below
When to Scarify a Lawn
Heavily scarify in autumn and lightly scarify in spring
Long-term it’s incredibly beneficial for your lawn if you rake or scarify it. If you do this at the wrong time of year it can damage your lawn or create a huge eyesore for weeks on end, so it is vital you scarify at the correct time. You need to time this process accordingly so that your lawn has enough time to recover. Don’t do it when conditions are incredibly hot, cold or you are experiencing a drought. Your lawn needs warmth, sunshine, and a little bit of rain to properly recover. Effectively this means you need optimum growing conditions before you scarify.
During the spring, you can do some light scarifying to get rid of the moss. This generally means around April before things really heat up. If you do it too late in the season the temperatures will get too warm for your lawn to recover in time. You can also do it in autumn if you want to do some heavy scarifying. This type of scarifying will leave your lawn very thin and leave the soil exposed in a lot of areas, however, this gives you the opportunity to reseed bare patches.
Heavily scarify in autumn, or in spring if autumn isn’t suitable
Deciding when to do it, early spring or early autumn is really based upon what you are trying to achieve. If bad weather happens in the autumn and you simply aren’t able to heavily scarify your lawn, you can wait until April to do it.
If the area you are trying to scarify is very shady you should wait to do it in spring because it will stand out over winter and it won’t have an opportunity to recover. Likewise if the area is underneath the trees you should scarify between the end of March and April to allow good growth for the upcoming season. In all other situations that is best to do it in autumn.
How to Scarify a Lawn
Trim the grass prior to scarifying
Once you decide when you are going to scarify it’s time to plan ahead and make all the necessary preparations. In order to properly scarify you need your grass to be short and dry so start to bring the height down over the span of one or two weeks prior to scarifying. This will help reduce the length of the grass without shocking the grass and it will allow for increased air circulation to dry out the grass prior to scarifying.
Remove any large weeds before scarifying
If there are weeds in your lawn you should not use a weedkiller but rather remove them by hand. Weedkillers will disrupt the germination process after scarifying, we recommend using a weed puller to remove most perennial weeds from the lawn.
Scarifying with a rake or manual scarifier
There are different ways to scarify your lawn. You can do it manually if you have the means and the time. To do this you need a rake or manual scarifier and strong leather gloves. If you are using a rake you need to apply moderate pressure throughout the work so that you can lift out any thatch or moss from your lawn.
It can be rewarding to do it by hand but it will also be time-consuming. You can get better results in a much faster fashion if you use a lawn scarifier with wheels. If you do this you should head in one direction and rake at slightly different angles so that you don’t cause too much damage. Once you are done manually moving the lawn scarifier, you can collect any of the debris that was brought up with a rake and discard it.
A powered scarifier is quicker and much easier
Another way to go about scarifying your lawn, which is what I personally use, is to use a powered scarifier, the model I have is the electric Bosch AVR 1100 Verticutter that also collects. An electric or petrol scarifier will both tease up any of the thatch or moss from your lawn but it does so with machine power instead of your physical manpower. With these machines, there are adjustments most of the time for the height and you should alter these when the machine is turned off and placed on a hard surface. You may need to use the machine for a few metres and then make minor adjustments so that the debris gets removed without tearing up large chunks of your lawn with it but it’s much easier.
If you don’t use a scarifier that collects, use a large hay rake and a lawnmower you can typically collect all of the thatch and moss that you picked up and then cut it so that it’s easier to collect. Whatever machine you use, just the same as doing it manually, it’s best for you to change direction each time you complete a run so that you can remove more and more of the debris.
Each time you complete a run you should see less debris remaining, at which point you can start to lower the machine ever-so-slightly. If you are using any machine you should try to keep it on the high side to reduce the amount of damage your lawn sustains. If you start too low you might damage something severely right from the get go, so we recommend starting high and lowering slowly.
As you go about this process you might notice that your lawn is not perfectly level and there could be areas that have bumps in them or dips. You might have to scarify that particular section by hand or exercise caution and make adjustments for those areas in particular.
What to do After Scarifying
After the process is complete you need to help your lawn recover. The first thing you need to do is add a ferrous sulfate moss killer if you have a particular problem with moss.
You also want to add lawn grass seed. You should give your lawn a light sprinkling of seed and if you see fit, an application of fertiliser to help it recover. Fertilisers with potassium, specifically lawn-based fertilisers, are going to really help your lawn recover. The potassium in the fertilisers helps the lawn to fight off any of the stress brought about by the scarifying process.
If you opt to scarify in the autumn look for an autumn lawn feed fertiliser in particular. If you do it during the spring, look for a spring and summer mixture. You also want to, of course, give it a gentle watering if there’s no natural rain happening but if it does rain in your area within a few days after, you won’t have to supplement.
Don’t forget that aerating your lawn will help keep your lawn looking healthier, you can read about lawn aerating in this article.
Doing all of this regularly will keep your lawn looking great!
Because your machine and tools will get very dirty and you probably won't do as good of a job compared to when the grass is dry. So it's best to wait for the rain to pass and the lawn to try before you start scarifying.
There are two times of year that tend to оffеr the perfect conditions for scarifying a lawn. The first is during late March/ Aрrіl, whеn spring is in the air and your grass will have all the moisture and warmth іt needs.
Autumn is by far the best time of year to carry out scarification to your lawn as prompt recovery is the key to success. Ideally the soil should be warm and moist, and autumn is pretty much the only time of year we have these optimum conditions.
If you have scarified your lawn in the spring, then a spring time fertiliser is probably best to help encourage rapid grass growth. When doing this, ensure that the lawn has plenty of water. Also continue to water your lawn regularly for the next few weeks if it has not been raining.
When considering both aerating and scarifying, it's better to scarify first, then aerate- but leave a few days in between the two exercises to allow your lawn to recover before you put it through all that work again.
Late spring and early autumn are considered to be the two best times to scarify your lawn, capitalising on both the weather and the conditions of the ground. Most garden experts agree that the ideal time to scarify your lawn is when your grass is growing strongly.
If conditions are mild and dry in late February to early spring you can scarify the lawn now to remove moss or thatch. Use a scarifier attachment with your garden tractor, an electric/powered scarifier or simply a rake.
Start by mowing the lawn with the mower set low – about 2cm (0.8in) – and attach a grass box on the mower to collect the clippings. Use a spring tine rake to scarify the lawn. Start gently and be careful not to be too brutal. Be sure to leave some thatch – a small amount helps to protect the plant.
Water your lawn a couple of days before scarification and avoid scarifying your lawn if it is wet. Scarifying your lawn when it is wet may result in your scarifier pulling the grass up by its roots instead of removing just the unwanted layer of thatch or moss.
If you've not already done so, April is the ideal time to tackle scarification. Scarifying pulls moss and dead matter out of the base of your lawn. It lets the air flow around the plant and helps with drainage. Just like a good spring clean.
A scarified lawn can take anywhere between 4 - 6 weeks to recover from a scarification treatment fully. There are a few additional treatments that you can do after your lawn is scarified to help it recover in the quickest possible time. For example: Top Dressing.
The best time to scarify your lawn is mid-spring. The wet weather and warm temperatures will promote root growth. It's also the best time to overseed, which is important after scarifying.
A dethatcher will effectively rake up the dead plant thatch, while a scarifier will do that and also roll into your soil and more aggressively rip up the top layer of thatch and soil.
You should scarify your established lawn once a year, but some lawn owners prefer to do the job once every two or three years. However, as with all things in lawn care, little and often works best.
Heavy raking or scarifying is going to seriously thin the lawn leaving soil exposed in many places. This makes an ideal seed bed not only for over seeding with new and improved grass seed but also for all the weed and weed grass seeds floating around.
Lawns should typically be scarified once a year, with the best times either in spring or in autumn. You should seek to scarify at times when your grass is growing strongly, as scarifying in periods like winter or the height of summer can cause issues due to either excess cold or dry heat.
Grass seed doesn't need any fertiliser in the first few weeks of growth. It has enough food in the seed shell to put up a leaf and make a root. The scarified grass will certainly benefit from feeding though as it will be stressed and try to recover damage.
If you don't have a scarifier, you can use a rake for scarification. There are actually many benefits to manually scarifying. It's much gentler on your lawn - which makes recovery much quicker for grass plants. In the first step, use your rake to go up and down your lawn in rows.
The right depth for scarifying depends on the nature of the soil and the degree of matting of your lawn, which should be between 3 and 20 mm. Then move the device lengthways and then across the surface, creating a fine checkerboard pattern.
How can I tell if my lawn needs scarifying? Too much thatch in a lawn will give your grass a spongy feel when you walk on it. You should be able to see a layer 0.5-1cm thick when you look at the sides of your turf – anymore than this is excessive and unhealthy for your lawn.
Can you just sprinkle grass seed on top of your existing lawn? While it's possible to simply sow the new grass seed over your existing lawn, taking the time to prepare your lawn beforehand will increase the likelihood of seed germination and improve your end result.
A lawn scarifier. or sometimes called 'dethatcher', cuts through the soil. It helps to remove dead moss and grass cuttings. It also helps to aerate the soil and making it healthier.
Regular scarifying can keep down annual weeds too as well as helping to reduce the perennial ones. Weeding your lawn is something you can do either with a weed killing chemical which you put on the lawn, or manually. If you've only got a few weeds then it's not a huge chore to manually remove them.
The moss killer will work exceptionally well after the scarifying process, and this is why many people suggest scarifying as a way to deal with excessive moss problems.
The usual recommendation is to apply a moss killer before you scarify or rake your lawn to remove the moss; theoretically this prevents it from spreading.
I always use a fertiliser containing potassium and any of the Lawnsmith fertilisers will do as they all contain potassium. This helps the grass fight off the stress of the scarifying and will help protect against disease.
Place the seeds in the freezer overnight and then soak at room temperature for a few days, until seeds start to swell. Place seeds in the freezer overnight and then put them in boiling water, letting them soak in the hot water for several hours.
Start by mowing the lawn with the mower set low – about 2cm (0.8in) – and attach a grass box on the mower to collect the clippings. Use a spring tine rake to scarify the lawn. Start gently and be careful not to be too brutal. Be sure to leave some thatch – a small amount helps to protect the plant.
In most cases it will take 3-4 months for the lawn sward to adequately fill in, so you will need to be patient. However, if conditions are perfect you could be mowing again in a few weeks and amazed at how good the lawn looks.
When considering both aerating and scarifying, it's better to scarify first, then aerate- but leave a few days in between the two exercises to allow your lawn to recover before you put it through all that work again.
Water your lawn a couple of days before scarification and avoid scarifying your lawn if it is wet. Scarifying your lawn when it is wet may result in your scarifier pulling the grass up by its roots instead of removing just the unwanted layer of thatch or moss.
If you have scarified your lawn in the spring, then a spring time fertiliser is probably best to help encourage rapid grass growth. When doing this, ensure that the lawn has plenty of water. Also continue to water your lawn regularly for the next few weeks if it has not been raining.
You should scarify your established lawn once a year, but some lawn owners prefer to do the job once every two or three years. However, as with all things in lawn care, little and often works best.
It's too hot and dry during the summer months. Grass growth slows down so it won't recover. Not only that, a treatment as invasive as scarification will open up the soil and cause it to dry out in the heat. As a result, your lawn will look sparse, dry and you risk killing the grass.
Using a lawn mower after scarification can remove any tufts of grass left over, and can also allow you to properly assess the quality and consistency of your lawn surface, identifying the best places to overseed later on or apply top dressing. You can cut your lawn straight away after scarification.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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