Last Updated on February 15, 2022 by Real Men Sow
Understanding how your lawn grows is key to keeping it healthy. You should be aware of how often your lawn needs to be sacrificed.
This will remove any thatch and encourage new growth. You should also understand why your grass is turning yellow or brown in certain areas. Scarifying your lawn once a year will keep it green and healthy all summer.
What is Lawn Scarification?
Lawn scarification refers to the process of manually removing deeply-rooted turfgrass grass weeds and fertilizing and aerating soil to promote healthy grass cover. It is important to maintain a lawn’s appearance and health by mechanically removing weeds.
There are more than one method that allows penetration to remove pesky weeds without needing to get down on our knees with a small trowel or hoe. Scarifying is one method that makes use of a sharp blade. It is usually powered by a petrol engine mounted to wheels with a drum-type tiller cutter and a rotary disk. You can also consider any of the best rotavators for this task.
To cut down to the root structure of the roots, the blades should be set at a shallow depth. As they move by, you can aerate those roots. You can scarify petrol-powered lawnmowers with sharp hinged blades or tilling attachments.
How to Revive a Lawn After Scarifying
Step 1 – Clear Debris
After scarifying your lawn, you’ll need to rake it and remove all loose debris. You can either use a garden rake to get rid of large clumps or your hands to do this. All this green garden waste can easily be recycled and put straight into the compost bin.
Step 2 – Mow
After all the debris has been removed, it is best that you give your lawn an even mowing using your lawnmower. This is done to remove unsightly tufty bits and to give us an idea how level the ground. Scarification can sometimes leave low spots and you will need this information to fix them.
Step 3 – Top-dress
Next, top-dress your lawn. It is possible to find bare spots where there has been a lot of thatch removed, or even low spots as we mentioned earlier after removing the moss. Topdressing is easy and can be done in a few steps.
Step 4 – Overseed
The act of adding greenery to an already existing lawn by overseeding it is called “overseeding”. You will need to spread your seed evenly over the lawn. Cover any areas that have not been trimmed or bare. It is a good idea, when buying seeds, to make sure that the seed matches what you have. There are many shades of seeds. This is something that many people don’t know.
Step 5 – Fertilise
Another thing many people don’t know is that a lawn that is healthy and lush will need regular fertilization. You will need to make sure that your fertilizer has high levels of nitrogen and phosphate if you are looking for something more versatile. Remember that herbicides can cause more harm than good if used in conjunction with store-bought fertilizers.
Step 6 – Water
This may seem obvious but watering your lawn properly is the last step. For the next two weeks, give your lawn a good soak at least once a day.
If you have a very sunny lawn, it is best to water your lawn late at night when the sun is not beating down. The water could magnify the sun’s radiations and scorch your new grass. You can water your lawn daily even if it isn’t particularly sunny.
What is the Best Time of Year to Scarify a Lawn?
Some prefer to scarify their lawns in the middle of spring, while others wait until autumn to prepare for the next growing season. This is a process that affects the soil’s top layers and therefore, you should be scarifying in wet weather. It is important to allow enough drying time between rains.
Your lawn will be healthier with a fresh, uniform scarification. It’s important to remember is the importance of timing. Doing this too early in spring will cause a lot of root damage and its active growth will instead re-grow new roots.
Should You Delay Scarifying Your Lawn?
You should not delay scarification, although you can still get the occasional rains in the middle of spring. This will keep the soil moist, workable and ensure that any new growth is well-rooted. Mid-spring is the ideal time to scarify your lawn. It’s also the best season for over-seeding because this will ensure that your grass is healthy and ready for natural growth. Your lawn will be lush and green no matter how long it takes.
Conclusion
Before summer arrives, scarifying your lawn is an important step. There are 6 steps that will ensure that your garden is ready for summer. It is now time to start the six steps that will revive your lawn. You can revive your lawn in a matter of weeks if your garden needs some attention and there are weeds growing everywhere.
