Using a Lawn Scarifier

Scarifying is one from the majority of important preservation duties that should be carried out on your lawn. As time goes by organic matter can build up in the lawn adding to what is known as the thatch layer. Thatch is caused by any decaying materials such as grass clipping, leaves, twigs etc. A small amount of thatch is desirable in a lawn (no more than 13mm) as it helps maintain a resilient sward. Nonetheless if the build up becomes to excessive the health of the lawn will suffer.

Lawns with excessive thatch have poor drought resistance, inferior surface drainage, shallow root growth and will suffer from illness complications. Therefore it is critical to keep the build up of thatch in check. Mechanically powered machines are obtainable for the elimination of thatch. These driven models are suitable should you have a key thatch or moss issue as they are able to pass through deep into the sward and remove huge amounts of thatch and moss.
The benefits of these models are that they are very fast and the depth can easily be modified to suit the types of conditions. A spring bok or spring tine rake is suitable for lesser gardens or where the thatch difficulty is not too serious. Rakes are ideal for eliminating moss in the spring time after it has been treated and killed. Making use of a rake is also beneficial before mowing in the summer, by standing up the grass and eliminating any lateral expansion that may contribute towards the thatch layer. Some mowers are actually fitted with a small comb between the front roller and cutting cylinder for this purpose. Brushes can either be trailed (with or with out a collector) or hand held. This operation will most probably be performed with a driven scarifier. Any reasonable scarifying or raking could be carried out any time throughout the developing season averting durations of drought or poor growth. Light brushing are usually undertaken at anytime during the developing season as there will probably be very little problems caused by this operation. It can even be done during suitable dry periods throughout the winter to keep the sward clean of clutter such as leaves, twigs and worm casts.

Before detatching a lawn you should make sure there is not any moss developing there as this procedure will only aid spread the moss around. Destroy the moss first with a specialized moss killer discovered at good garden centers and then scarify the lawn. Grass is a living thing and like all living things it flourishes better when it is able to breath straightforward and get straightforward access to food stuff and water.

Scarifying your lawn takes away thatch (or deceased grass stuff) beneath the healthy grass growth. Thatch is unhealthy for your lawn as it is the breeding ground for fungus, disease and pest insects. Standard mowing at a reasonably short height (say 25-30mm based upon on the lawn species) will aid prevent thatch build-up. Every few years it may be essential to de-thatch your lawn with a lawn scarifier (comber).