Gardeners who have a lawn in their garden are being urged to rake it this October or face a potentially ruined patch of grass next summer.
In spring and in autumn, gardeners need to ‘scarify’ and aerate their lawn in order to get rid of moss, weeds and dead grass which can choke out your lawn and stop it from growing properly.
But if you rake the lawn thoroughly with a metal rake in a process known as scarifying, you’ll be able to boost your grass and end up with a lusher, greener green space when the summer returns. A little bit of TLC now can totally overhaul the way your lawn looks next year.
As BBC Gardeners World says: “If your lawn has developed lots of bare patches or moss, you probably need to scarify it. Scarifying a lawn is simply the process of removing dead thatch (the brown material found beneath the green grass blades).
“A small amount of thatch is a good thing in lawns, but in large quantities it can inhibit growth of new grass, prevent water and nutrients from reaching the roots, and encourage moss to form.”
Scarifying is best done in early autumn – ie now – well ahead of the first frosts.
To scarify the lawn, get a metal rake, ideally spring tined, and gently rake the ‘thatch’ out of the lawn. You will quickly find a pile of yellow/brown grassy material and moss. You need to leave a little bit of thatch behind to help protect the lawn, so don’t be overly rough, but the rest of it can go into your compost bin. You can also get a scarifying machine if raking is too difficult.
Afterwards, get a garden fork and use it to aerate the lawn at regular intervals, which will help the roots.
Don’t be alarmed if it looks worse than it did before – this is normal and it will grow back stronger for having been scarified.
Gardeners World adds: “To scarify a lawn you will need a rake or scarifying machine. You, in effect, scratch the grass to remove the thatch – it can look unsightly initially but if you trust the process you’ll have a lush, green lawn in no time.
“Aim to keep the amount of thatch in a lawn less than 1cm deep. Any more than that will result in a patchy lawn with lots of moss, but less than 1cm could damage the lawn.
“Scarify your lawn in spring or early autumn (well ahead of the first frosts), ideally once a year, to keep the lawn in good shape. On new lawns, wait at least a year before scarifying, otherwise you can damage the turf.
“After scarifying, pick up the spent thatch and add it to the compost heap. Then, it’s a good idea to aerate the lawn, which reduces compaction and creates a healthier root system. Simply use a garden fork and push it into the ground at regular intervals, moving it back and forth.
“After scarifying and aerating your lawn, it will look worse than it did when you started. You may want to apply a fertiliser to boost lawn growth or leave it to recover on its own, but it will definitely be healthier for a good annual scarifying”
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