Have you scarified your lawn yet?
Now would be the perfect time
Created: 04/07/2022 13:26
By: Andrea Stettner
Scarifying brings a breath of fresh air to your lawn: Moss is thoroughly removed and grass growth is promoted.
We explain what is important.
A
well-groomed lawn
is the dream of every hobby gardener.
But especially in spring, unsightly moss sprouts in almost every garden instead of lush blades of grass.
But what to do about a patchy lawn that is interspersed with moss?
In this case, scarifying helps.
An electric scarifier at work.
Scarifying removes moss and mowing residue from the lawn.
©Panthermedia/Imago
Why scarify the lawn?
Scarifying is one of the most important steps in lawn care.
Scarifying
removes thatch of moss and leftover clippings
.
This allows more oxygen, nutrients and water to get into the grass and the lawn can grow and thrive beautifully, becoming denser and more durable.
When should you scarify the lawn?
A simple test shows whether your lawn needs scarifying: pull a small metal rake or a cultivator loosely over the lawn.
If moss and old mowing residues get stuck on the tines, you should get started.
The best time to scarify your lawn is
in spring or early
fall .
Basically you can scarify from April to September.
Which devices are suitable for scarifying the lawn?
A scarifier is equipped with blades on a rotating axis.
The knives scratch the turf a few millimeters and remove thatch and moss.
A hand scarifier
is sufficient for small lawns or only a few matted areas
.
However, this requires a lot of effort.
If that is too tedious for you, you can use an
electric scarifier
(promotional link).
It is suitable for smaller, easily accessible lawns, but has the disadvantage that a power cable makes handling quite cumbersome.
Petrol scarifiers
are therefore the first choice
for large lawns .
They do not require an annoying cable and are also heavier than their electric counterparts.
This in turn has the advantage that the blades cut deep enough into the turf even on dry, heavy soil.
Scarifying the lawn - Instructions:
The lawn is usually scarified once a year.
To strengthen the grass, you can fertilize the lawn about two weeks beforehand - but it also works without.
When scarifying, the
lawn should be absolutely dry
.
The grass must first be
mowed as short
as possible , to a height of about two centimetres.
Then it can go:
First
, set the scarifying height correctly
: the blades should score the turf no more than two to three millimeters deep.
Scarifying too deep would damage the lawn roots and wear out the device.
Walk briskly across the lawn with the device.
Don't stay in one spot for too long, it could damage the turf too much.
Run the device
first lengthways and then across
the surface.
This should create a fine checkerboard pattern.
When changing the direction of travel, push the handlebar down so that the blades are in the air.
After scarifying
, thoroughly rake the loosened thatch
from the lawn.
What work is to be done after scarifying?
Immediately after scarifying, bare spots are sprinkled with lawn seed so that fresh grass can grow back there and covered with a thin layer of lawn soil.
Here we explain how to seed the lawn correctly.
In the case of heavy soil, the My Beautiful Garden
portal also recommends sprinkling
one to two kilograms of
building sand
per square meter on the lawn.
This should improve the air balance of the lawn.
Instead of scarifying: prevent and combat moss in the lawn
So that you don't have to laboriously scarify your lawn, you should definitely prevent moss growth.
This works best by
strengthening the health of the lawn
.
A healthy lawn gives moss no chance.
You can use different fertilizers for this.
But natural home remedies such as coffee grounds should also help to combat moss in the lawn.
If the weeds are already sprouting, you should get to the bottom of the causes of the moss infestation.
In addition to too much shade, acidic soil can also promote moss growth.
On the other hand, liming the lawn helps.
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