How To Scarify The Lawn

Why Does My Scarified Lawn Look Terrible

Theres no denying that after scarifying your lawn will look terrible, horrendous or ruined. But please dont panic. It will soon bounce back. Youve removed years of dead moss, thatch, grass and debris. Youve also sliced through all those grass rhizomes which will result in fresh soft grass growth.

However, you do need to give it time. In 4-6 weeks your lawn will already start to recover and its definitely worth the wait. So if your newly scarified lawn looks terrible thats normal and it will recover.

Preparing Your Lawn For Scarification

Whether youre scarifying to restore or repair your lawn, or simply as part of your annual lawn care regime, you need to prepare.

You need dry, short grass for scarifying.

So, a week or two beforehand, cut the grass and gradually lower the height of the mower to bring the grass down.

The day before scarifying, mow as close as you can without scalping the lawn.

Its a good idea to mow the grass short for 3 reasons

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With the prep work complete you can now get. Hire a Pro Get the Job Done Right. I could not believe. Prepare the lawn for.

If youre using a hand held rake wear leather gloves with talc in them to prevent. This method of scarification is basically vertical mowing and is. Ad subscribeAmazing Dethatch and moss removal at this old property. This video describes in detail how to easily scarify your lawn.

Houston lawn sprinklers – Drainage Irrigation Experts. How How to scarify your lawn with an easy step by step guide. 300 similar questions has been. How to scarify a lawn.

Water your lawn a few days before scarification and avoid scarifying a wet lawn. The best time to scarify your lawn is during spring and autumn. Ad Find discounts on Lawn scarifier. Compare Local Pre-Screened Lawn Pros.

Ad Find The Best Pro For Your Lawn Care Project. Enter Your Zip Get Pros Fast. Your Home Deserves The Best – Connect With A Top Rated Local Lawn Expert. If you only have a small lawn a hand-held scarifier should do the trick and theyre.

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Garden Knowledge: Scarifying Your Lawn Aerating Your Lawn

Regular, long-term care is critical to maintaining an attractive lawn. But mowing alone isnt always enough. By scarifying and aerating your lawn, you can help improve the uptake of water, oxygen and nutrients. We recommend doing both several times a year. Well explain what tools work best and show you exactly how to get the job done.

You need: Lawnmowers

The prospect of scarifying and aerating your lawn may sound complex and daunting at first but in reality, its not hard at all. It is important to scarify and aerate your lawn in the fall, as this loosens up the turf, allowing the grass to breathe better and regenerate. This process improves the uptake of water, oxygen and nutrients. Whats the difference between aerating and scarifying?

A lawn aerator is equipped with minute steel tines attached to a drum . These tines poke small holes in the earth which help to loosen the turf. Aeration can prevent the grass from becoming thick and tangled. For that reason, we recommend aerating your lawn several times a year.

Scarification is a more intensive type of aeration. A lawn scarifier is used to score the turf by means of tiny steel blades. This process also removes weeds, moss and thatch. However, it does not damage the roots of the grass. Scarification should be carried out twice a year.

But before you begin aerating and scarifying your lawn, make sure to mow it to a length of about 4 cm. You can review everything you need to know about mowing your lawn here.

Does Raking Dead Grass Help It Grow

Raking for New Growth

Dead grass should be raked away, but it wont stimulate growth, because if the grass is completely dead all the way to the roots, it cant produce new growth and the bare patch will remain. To fill in the bare spot, youll have to prepare the area for reseeding or laying new sod.

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Autumn: The Best Time For Heavy De

If your lawn contains a lot of thatch, youll need to scarify quite heavily. Either with a hand scarifier or powered machine with a de-thatching cartridge. These have vertical blades which cut into the turf to tear out dead material.

In which case, wait until the autumn. September is usually the best time.

But why wait until autumn?

Well, heavy scarification will thin the grass out quite drastically. And like I said earlier, in the worst cases you could end up with more bare soil than grass.

This bear soil provides the perfect seedbed in which to sow new grass seed. Its also the perfect place for weeds to barge their way in and take over.

During the spring there are millions of weed seeds and weed grass seeds floating around. The chances you having a problem are quite high.

In autumn, there are far fewer weed seeds floating around. The chances of them settling and germinating in any bare patches of soil are much lower.

How To Scarify A Lawn Using A Rake In Three Simple Steps

Scarifying by hand is simple when you know how just follow these three steps:

Scarifying by hand is ideal for smaller lawns

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Should I Rake My Lawn In The Spring

Why should I rake?” Raking does more than just remove tree leaves, however. … So, you still need to rake in the spring, no matter how good a job you did in the fall. It’s a good idea to remove the grass blades that died over the winter to prevent that dead grass turning into a thatch layer that chokes out new growth.

Why Is Lawn Scarification Necessary

Some thatch is good for lawns around a few centimetres is good, as it protects the root of the grass while allowing nutrients through to the soil and grass roots. It also acts as a buffer against extreme temperatures and helps to prevent soil compaction. The issue, however, with too much thatch is that it stops air, nutrients, and water from reaching the roots of the lawn, and therefore stops healthy growth and nourishment. It also creates an uneven lawn and the latticework of partially decomposed material encourages disease.

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Using A Powered Lawn Scarifier

Powered scarifiers really do speed up the process as you can imagine. Its easy enough to adjust the height, and simply move across the lawn like you would a lawnmower. You can see just how much easier the process is with a powered scarifier from this video:

However best practice is to first go gentle on the lawn to minimize damage, and very gradually adjust the height on the scarifier. When preparing the lawn for sowing seed, dig into the soil by about a quarter of an inch for sufficient penetration.

What Should You Do After Scarifying Your Lawn

‘You may have also noticed that your lawn is suffering from compaction, with the ground feeling very hard and rainwater running off it easily,’ says Cobra. This is not uncommon after a long, hot summer.

‘Aerating your lawn will allow better movement of air and water throughout the soil, creating a healthier root system so that it will manage better in periods of drought or waterlogging,’ they continue.

Aeration can be done after scarifying. You can use a simple garden fork to do this by pushing it into the ground and gently wiggling it back and forth, working your way up and down your garden. Alternatively, you can invest in a tool there are some which can both scarify and aerate which are especially convenient. You can find plenty of expert guidance on how to aerate a lawn in our dedicated feature.

‘Once youve scarified and aerated, you may notice that your lawn looks worse than it did before you started,’ says Cobra. ‘Don’t worry, this is totally normal!’ For that reason, it’s a good idea to add a fertilizer to your lawn after scarifying and aerating to boost its growth and aid recovery. Use a specific lawn food for the time of year, and follow manufacturers instructions carefully. ‘After several weeks of strong growth the look of your lawn will improve and it will, in time, be much healthier than before,’ adds Cobra.

Fertilizing a lawn after scarifying will help it to grow back healthier

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How To Scarify A Lawn

You can use a professional machine the or a good old-fashioned rake to scarify a lawn. , and has a useful, adjustable handle.

‘Whether you use a rake or machinery is entirely up to you,’ says Carlos Real of Total Lawn. ‘If you are working with a small garden, a rake will do just fine. But if you have a larger lawn, it would be more beneficial to use a professional machine as it can be quite a tiring job.’

Pro Tips For Scarifying A Lawn

Apart from applying weed killer in late March, there are also other tips and tricks you can follow for successful lawn treatment.

Have a specific gardening or plant-related question?

If so, click on Ask now, submit your question, attach the appropriate images and press send. Your question will be forwarded to one of our Fantastic Gardeners who will get back to you with an answer ASAP.)

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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. You can take a core sample from your lawn to assess how thick the thatch is, and see how extensively your lawn needs scarifying.

How Short Should Grass Be Cut Before Scarifying

Preparation for scarifying To avoid unnecessary damage, you should only scarify when the lawn is dry. If the soil is too wet, the scarifier may also tear out healthy lawn plants. Mow the lawn to a height of two centimeters just before scarifying – this is usually the lowest setting of the lawnmower.

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The Benefits Of Lawn Scarification Include:

• Removes harmful levels of thatch
• Prunes grass roots encouraging growth
• Allows water to reach the soil
• Allows air to reach the sward
• Allows nutrients to reach the grass plants
• Removes moss and dead weeds
• Reduces the likelihood of future moss problems
• Improves the health of your lawn
• Refreshes tired or poor quality lawns
• Good preparation for over-seeding

You can see how the pros at Lawntech do it by to watch this video.

Using A Powered Scarifier

The best powered scarifiers hand changeable cassettes for both raking and de-thatching.

If youre using an electric or petrol scarifier, its just a case of adjusting the height and pushing it around in exactly the same way a lawnmower.

Because you have the option to adjust the height, you might be tempted to set it to its lowest setting and go as deep as you can.

Dont do this!

Remember I said earlier, the best advice is to go gently. Being too rough with a powered machine can result in you ripping big chunks of turf out of your lawn.

So, find a path, patio or hard surface and adjust the height on your scarifier so the blades just touch the floor. Then, turn it on and go over your lawn for a few meters. Keep making minor adjustments until the thatch comes up without tearing great chunks out of your lawn.

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Why Should You Scarify The Lawn

Inadequate soil, nutrient deficiency, or neglect can all contribute to the growth of moss and felt on your grass. The lawn grasses growing circumstances are harmed by moss and debris. At best, water and oxygen are unable to reach the grassroots because the soil is too dry.

As a result, the grasses become more vulnerable, and moss and felt begin to accumulate even more quickly. Dethatching removes moss and lawn felt, which helps to interrupt the cycle. This means that scarifying isnt necessary for lawns that arent matted or mossy.

Most home gardeners cant fathom this wonderful situation, because moss doesnt thrive in sunny, loose, nutrient-rich, well-aerated soil, which is what makes for an excellent lawn.

• Removal of lawn thatch and moss

How Often Should I Scarify

Most lawns will need to be scarified, but some require more than others if they are prone to a thatch build-up. It depends entirely on the type of lawn, soil and how the natural bacteria is working in your individual environment. Fine lawns containing creeping fescue will generally build-up thatch more quickly, while lawns with high levels of rye grass produce far less. Over fertilising, bad mowing techniques and grass grown in poor quality soil may make your lawn more susceptible to thatch.

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What Month Should I Scarify My Lawn

– 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 Mow Your Lawn After Scarifying

Regular mowing will encourage strong regrowth, and a flat, healthy lawn. However, after scarifying, you’ll want to give the turf time to recover. According to the UK Lawn Care Association , it’s best to wait until the regrowth has reached about 60mm in height before you start mowing again.

Keep the blades relatively high to start with, and as always, avoid mowing in wet or frosty weather, or straight after rain. You can find out how to mow a lawn in our guide, whilst our buying guide to the best lawn mower will come in handy if you need an update.

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Set The Scarifier Depth:

A scarifier should have a depth setting or adjuster. A bit like a lawnmower you can choose how deeply you scarify. For a seasonal light scarify then a higher setting is preferable. For a really poor lawn then a deeper setting is required. Use your judgement, you can always start higher and work lower based on how much debris comes out.

Asthe Wrong Time Of Year To Scarify A Lawn

Scarifying during the wrong time of year can make or break all the hard work youve put into your beautiful garden. And by doing it offseason your lawn may either not recover at all, or you may be facing more problems. So it is of utmost importance to not only be prepared with the pre-treatment and the procedure itself but also to know when to have it done.

• Winter scarifying – This must be avoided at all costs! The months from November to February are very cold and you may kill your grass completely if you attempt any sort of raking during that period. The grass stops growing and goes dormant. Exposing your soil to the harsh weather may cause it to suffer from frost heave and it may be invaded by unwanted moss.
• Summer – the months of June, July and August are always too hot and too dry. Drought slows down grass recovery and any treatment that is too invasive as opening the soil will only leave it vulnerable to the heat. Your lawn will look poorly, dry beyond saving and the chance of salvaging your grass is very low.

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Right Time To Scarify The Lawn

You may have to scarify or rake the lawn once a year, and that is enough.

The thumb rule about scarification is, Allow the Grass to Grow before you scarify.

A lot of times, people scarify the lawn at the wrong periods and make the yard worse. Let us understand this logic. Grass needs sunlight, rain and warmth. If the grass has not grown well before you scarify, it will certainly not increase after the process.

There are two times in the year that you can schedule the scarification process. Either you do it in the Spring or the Autumn. So that means to say, if you skip April, then it would be September and October.

No other time of the year is good for raking or scarifying. If you are doing it, then you are harming the grass and not helping it grow healthy.