Asked by: Peyton Okuneva
Score: 4.5/5 (70 votes)
SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER – AUTUMN IS THE BEST TIME TO SCARIFY YOUR LAWN. In September and October the soil is still warm, the air temperature cools and the moisture levels generally rise.
What month should I scarify my lawn?
October - Often considered the best month to scarify your lawn, it is in fact rather late. Temperatures drop and green growth starts slowing down. The wet weather combined with the cold often creates large patches of bare soil, which barely recover as is. Winter scarifying - This must be avoided at all costs!
When should you not scarify your lawn?
2. Make sure your lawn is moist. 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.
When should I scarify or rake my lawn?
Scarifying or de-thatching should be done in the autumn and removes thatch from your lawn. Raking can be done in both spring and autumn and removes moss from your lawn. It also controls the build-up of thatch by removing dead grass roots, shoots and runners.
When should I scarify my lawn in autumn UK?
Autumn and in particular September and October is the time for hollow tining the lawn. If you're scarifying the lawn as well do it before tining.
34 related questions found
Can you feed a lawn after scarifying?
If you are scarifying your lawn in the autumn - use an autumn lawn fertiliser. ... 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.
Do you cut lawn before scarifying?
The best time to scarify your lawn is during spring and autumn. ... It is recommended that you scarify whеn thе ѕоіl is moderately wet but with a touch-dry surface. Fоr the best results it is best to mow the lawn before scarifying.
Is it worth scarifying a lawn?
Most garden experts agree that the ideal time to scarify your lawn is when your grass is growing strongly. ... You could leave your lawn exposed to the cold weather making it more difficult for your grass to recover. It's also advisable to scarify your grass when it's had a little rain and isn't too dry.
Can you over scarify a lawn?
This growing season is normally in the autumn or late spring. As far as frequency goes, once a year is normally sufficient, or more often if your lawn is in bad condition with a lot of moss growth. Scarifying your lawn can take its toll on the grass and roots so you should always err on the side of caution.
How long does a lawn take to recover from scarifying?
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.
What is the difference between raking and scarifying a lawn?
Lawn raking, whether using a spring-tine rake or a raking machine, is the removal of moss on the lawn. Scarification using heavy duty flails (like knives) removes the cause of the moss, surface thatch. Moss is removed during this intrusive machine work, but its purpose is thatch removal.
How do I revive my lawn after scarifying?
Aerate, Either By Spiking or Hollow Tining
If your lawn is in good nick and you've scarified as part of your lawn calendar, then spike with a garden fork, aerator sandals or rolling aerator. This will improve airflow and the penetration of water and nutrients into the soil and encourage deeper rooting.
Should I scarify my lawn every year?
You'll do more harm than good. Instead, lawn expert David Hedges-Gower recommends scarifying domestic (and established) lawns once a year. Some lawn owners, however, prefer to do the job once every two or three years.
How deep should I scarify my lawn?
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 do you scare a mossy lawn?
If you only have a small patch you can use a spring tine rake (not a soil rake) to pull the moss out. This is known as scarification. Rake in crosswise directions to get as much as you can, but lightly as grass can be damaged by over scarifying. If you have a large area to deal with you can use a scarifier machine.
How can I scarify my lawn without a scarifier?
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.
Can you mow straight after scarifying?
If conditions remain cold or dry, the lawn will take longer to bounce back. 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.
Should I use moss killer before scarifying?
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. ... Using a rake is good exercise, but hard work. For larger areas it may be better to hire or buy a mechanical one.
Can you scarify too much?
Scarification is necessary when thatch in the lawn becomes excessive and begins to damage the grass. Too much thatch in a lawn can suffocate rather than protect plants, stopping them getting the necessary light, water and air that they need.
What does a scarifier do to a lawn?
A scarifier is a mower-like device used for scarifying lawns; it's designed to remove the thatch from the lawn and collect it for disposal. Using a machine is so much easier than traditional manual scarification with a Springbok hand rake.
Does scarifying aerate the lawn?
Hot weather with regular watering is the ideal chance to give your lawn a boost by scarifying, the aerating the turf. This will improve growth, soil drainage and help it grow into autumn and beyond.
Is it too late to scarify a lawn?
Answer: Late spring (mid-April onwards) and autumn (September) are good times to scarify your lawn, particularly if it is not too dry. You must scarify your lawn only when your grass is growing strongly.
Is it better to aerate or scarify?
Aeration is the process where the lawn is opened up to allow air, nutrients and water to penetrate the roots, which results in a stronger and deeper growth. About Scarifying: ... This will allow air and moisture to get down to the roots, helping revitalise your lawn.
How often should you dethatch your lawn?
Thatch builds up over time, so it's not necessary to dethatch every year. Plan on dethatching every five years or so if your lawn needs it. You might want to give your lawn a quick check every year just to see how much thatch has accumulated.
