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Scarifying is the process of removing thatch, moss and dead organic matter from your lawn. It is best carried out in the Spring and Autumn as this gives the lawn a chance to recover. Scarifying is very beneficial to the lawn in the long term but in the short term it can leave your lawn looking in a bit of a mess. You need good growing conditions (sun, rain, warmth) for your lawn to recover, this is why it is best carried out in Spring and Autumn.

Light de-thatching or scarifying and moss removal can be done in spring and or autumn. Spring generally means sometime in April just as things warm up thereby increasing the growth and recovery rate but before the heat and dryness of summer slows things down. Autumn would generally be late August or September as the rains start but before the cold sets in.

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. This doesn’t shock the grass whilst also allowing air deeper into the turf helping dry the grass.

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 day before scarifying the lawn, mow it as close as possible without scalping. Long grass just creates resistance to the scarifier with ultimately more rubbish to collect. Dry grass and moss make life a lot easier as well. Plan to rake on a dry day with no dew around. The afternoons are often best. If the weather doesn’t play ball, keep the grass short until you get another raking opportunity.

A scarified lawn will need a few weeks to recover. When scarifying, some grasses that are not firmly rooted are also torn out. For this reason, freshly laid lawns should not be scarified.

The working depth to be set on the scarifier depends on the extent of the matted area, the degree of soil compaction and the age of the lawn.
To determine the correct depth, place the machine on the lawn with the blades just touching the ground. Push / drive the machine back and forth and adjust the depth so that the knives cut right at ground level. You are now ready to operate.

Emerald Groundscare sell a number of different scarifiers, electric, cordless and petrol driven.

Contact us today for more information.

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