As of: March 16, 2024, 3:52 p.m
By: Ines Alms
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A matted lawn with moss and weeds is a no-go for many garden owners.
Scarifying aerates the soil and makes the grass lush green and strong.
Especially in winter, the lawn has become compacted and the grass is not yet in the growth phase.
Moisture-loving moss and weeds that thrive on growth have an easy time dominating the area.
It makes sense to take countermeasures in good time: around the time the forsythia blooms in mid-April, the lawn is cut back to around two to three centimeters and then scarified.
This provides the grass with nutrients, fresh oxygen and makes it more resilient.
You can find out here whether and when exactly you should scarify.
Not every lawn needs to be scarified
Scarifying removes old moss and thatch.
These are raked together and composted.
© Zoonar/Imago
When scarifying, you lightly scratch the turf and clear the lawn once or twice a year of dead plant parts, moss and other thatch, so that young blades of grass get space and light and can take the place of the unwanted growth: the lawn becomes dense and watery again can drain better.
Therefore, after this care session, you should give the meadow a few weeks of rest and not put too much strain on it so that it can recover well.
Spring is a good time because the temperatures are not yet too high and the grass is growing particularly well.
If the lawn is free of moss and weeds, scarifying is not required maintenance.
You should not scarify the first two to three years after new sowing.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
How to proceed with scarifying
When scarifying, you have the option of doing this with a normal rake, with a hand scarifier, or using a scarifying device.
The latter is more worthwhile for larger areas and can be rented in many garden centers or hardware stores.
The timing itself is well chosen when the day is not too hot and dry at 15 to 20 degrees Celsius and the ground is not too wet.
The thatch should be dry.
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You then pull the rake or hand scarifier firmly (but not too deeply) across the lawn, first in even lengthways and then in crossways.
They collect moss and weeds, which are removed regularly and are best composted.
The petrol or electric scarifier should only be set to a depth of three millimeters - if you scarify too deeply, it will otherwise damage the roots of the grass.
In the first few weeks you should make sure that the lawn gets enough moisture.
After scarifying, the lawn is fertilized - and if the pH value of the soil is too low, it is limed beforehand.
There should be several weeks in between.
If it is necessary for the lawn, scarify it a second time in early autumn from the end of August to mid-October.