Gardener - How To Scarify A Lawn

Gardening Advice & Tips - How To Scarify A Lawn

Scarifying can be done by hand but if the lawn covers a large area, a scarifier machine will save a lot of labour. A scarifier may be hired by the day or the week and it is possible to hire one with a grass collector, which will save even more labour. The debris from scarifying should not be put on a compost pile as it may contain fungus spores. If only a light scarification is desired, a drag brush or rake on a cylinder motor would be enough. This type of scarification will lift the stems of the grass before mowing, which will result in a neater looking finish and allow oxygen to get to the roots of the grass plant.

Approximately one month before scarifying, kill weeds and moss so they will not establish themselves in bare patches created by scarification. Mow lawn extremely low prior to scarifying and wet down lawn areas until it is damp. Scarifying is performed in two or three phases, each time lowering the tines of the scarifier a little deeper; the scarifier should never be low enough that it tills the soil. Each pass of the scarifier should be done in a different direction however; they should not be at a ninety degree angles to each other. A good pattern is to do corner to corner and then lengthways. After scarifying, mow the lawn again since some of the lower lying grasses will now be standing up enough for the mower to reach. After scarifying, it is a good time to aerate, fertilise, over seed and dress with loam.

Scarifying a lawn is an important maintenance step for a healthy dense lawn but it is important to do it at the right time of year.