How often should i scarify the lawn

Lawns containing these grasses may need scarifying more often. This is to keep them looking fresh and the growth healthy. By design, many species of grass used in turf production produce a lot of thatch. A thatchy sward is a favourable feature in turf production. It hold the grass together better for lifting and transporting. This trait can become a problem once the turf has become established as a lawn. High thatch production is not desirable in a home lawn. Fungal diseases can become a problem and it may need scarification at least every year.

Most UK domestic lawns contain grass species which do not produce a lot of thatch. If you have one of these lawns, scarifying once every two years is plenty. A light scarification in the spring and again in the autumn. Having said that, there are a few exceptions when spring is the best time:.

Planning ahead is important. You need short dry grass for raking or scarifying so bring the grass height down gradually over a week or two before hand. If you have any weeds in your lawn then you can manually remove them but don't use any weed killer. Scarifying within a few weeks of weed killer application disrupts the weed killing process and in addition may cause seed germination issues if you are going to over seed after scarifying.

Scarifying can help control some creeping weeds though. The final bit of preparation is to have good soil moisture so that the lawn recovers as quickly as possible afterwards. If there is too much soft ground or too little dry hard soil you need to either wait until the conditions improve, assist them to improve or not rake or scarify at all. The day before attacking the lawn mow it as close as possible without scalping.

Long grass just creates resistance to the scarifier with ultimately more rubbish to collect. Video transcript. Scarification is a very important part of keeping your lawn in good condition because it removes excessive thatch. Thatch is a build up layer of surface and sub-surface dead grass, grass clippings and moss that can accumulate over many years. Too much thatch will cause deterioration in the quality of your lawn because it chokes the lawn and prevents nutrient, air and water from being efficient in the sward and rootzone, as a result the grass becomes thin, patchy and is prone to dying off quickly in times of drought.

Removing this layer encourages fresh, more resilient grass growth. How often should I scarify my lawn? What time of year should I scarify? When should I not scarify? If the lawn is too dry, too wet, frozen or covered in snow it is the wrong time.

What type of scarifying machines do Lawntech use? Video Transcript JIM: A really important factor when keeping a lawn in good condition is to control the thatch levels. JIM: We call it bringing a little bit of green keeping to the garden. Autumn is the best time for heavy scarification, carrying out this process in spring could result in many weeds.

While scarifying is the best procedure for removing thatch from beneath the lawn surface, raking is best for removing moss. There are typically two types of lawn scarifier. A manual lawn scarifier is ideal for small lawns, and simplifies the process. A powered scarifier is great for larger lawns, and providing a quicker scarification process.

The best way to use these is applying a back and forth motion, while adjusting the depth of penetration that the blade makes into the ground. This can be done by tilting the handle, and will reach more thatch as a result. Digging deep is particularly effective for aerating the ground for sowing grass seeds as part of the final step.

Do bear in mind this process can be time consuming. Powered scarifiers really do speed up the process as you can imagine. 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. Recovery is key.

This is where the time of year is even more important. You can help to speed up the process through the following two processes:. As you can see, excessive thatch takes a long time and a lot of effort to recover from. So preventing the thatch in the first place is the best method. There are several steps you can take:. So there you go — your ultimate guide to lawn scarification. Part of the expertEasy team in Melbourne. Mark is a keen gardener, a DIY addict and a father of two beautiful girls.

He is originally from Perth and is a true Eagles fan. Live in Australia? Whether you need your lawn mowed, your garden landscaped, your home painted, or you need a photographer, expertEasy is the easy way to find expert help.

Search ExpertEasy. The Ultimate Guide to Lawn Scarification Following this guide will lead to a lusher, healthier lawn. What is lawn scarification?