Gardeners who have a lawn in their garden are being urged to rake it as soon as possible in November or face a ruined patch of grass next summer.
In spring and autumn, gardeners need to ‘scarify’ their lawn in order to get rid of moss, weeds and dead grass which can choke out your lawn.
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.
It’s vital, though, that this is done before the first frosts of the season, which can only be around the corner as we head into November.
As 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.
“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.”
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.
On the other hand, failing to do it now could lead to your grass thinning, yellowing and dying next summer just when you want it to be looking at its best.
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