When To Scarify Your Lawn
What Is Scarification?
Before we begin to answer that question you may be thinking ‘what is scarification?’. Scarification is the removal of thatch (the tightly webbed network of dead stems and roots of grass that form between the growing layer of grass and the ground). Thatch removal allows important nutrients to reach the roots. Leaving a lawn to accumulate too much thatch results in an unhealthy lawn that is spongy and full of moss.
Tools Of The Trade
There are various tools you can use to scarify a lawn. The simplest yet most labour-intensive tool is a garden rake. A rake is pulled through the grass and its metal tines pull up the thatch and pass the blades of grass mostly unharmed. The mechanical version of this is a scarifier, and instead of pulling tines through the grass, the tines are revolved on a tube (known as a cassette) mechanically. An example of a modern scarifier is this from PowerWorks.
The image shows the aforementioned PowerWorks scarifier fetching up thatch without its collection bag attached. This demonstrates just how much thatch there is even on a seemingly ordinary-looking lawn.
When?
So, when to scarify your lawn? There are two times of the year when you can scarify your lawn: spring and autumn. The reason for this is that these two times of the year are the only periods that satisfy the following criteria:
* The temperature is high enough that the grass is at a growing stage, and may continue to grow after scarification
* The soil, grass and thatch aren’t too dry (such as in summer) as this will be a futile task
Spring (around April) and early autumn generally satisfy these times of the year. An informative article goes into further detail here.
Some people prefer Autumn over spring, as you can do more thorough scarification (because the bare grass will not be as unsightly over the winter compared to doing it in the spring). This is an ideal time to overseed the ground, as it will be aerated from the scarification. By the time the grass grows back, it will look much better than it did before.
Find Out More
Scarification should be in the toolkit of everyone who is tending a lawn. It keeps the lawn healthy and looking its best.
If you’d like to find out more about what tools can help you with your lawn then visit our site.
