Scarifying Your Lawn: A Simple How-To Guide
Give your lawn a new lease of life: scarifying loosens the soil and encourages thick, green growth. What do you need to look out for, what are the steps to follow, and which scarifier is right for the job? Find all our top tips here.
Scarifying your lawn – what is it?
Scarifying is like a deep exfoliation for your lawn. Using a scarifier, you cut into the turf to comb out mulch, thatch and weeds. This cutting action encourages the grass to produce new shoots, while combing it out allows the soil to breathe better. This helps to prevent mould and optimises nutrient supply. The result? A denser, healthier and more beautiful lawn!
When should you scarify your lawn?
The best time to scarify your lawn is in spring – before you tackle any other lawn care tasks. This is the perfect way to prepare the grass for its growing season. If needed, you can scarify it again in autumn, but no more than that. To find out what else you should be doing throughout the year, check out our ‘Lawn Care’ guide!
Which scarifier is best?
Scarifiers are similar to lawnmowers but are designed for a specific task and come in a range of different models. It's up to you to decide which one is the best fit:
Petrol ScarifierPerfect for large areas, powerful and with a long reach.
Cordless ScarifierGreat for medium-sized areas, easy to handle, versatile and quiet.
Electric ScarifierGreat for medium-sized areas and very quiet too
Hand ScarifierIdeal for small spaces, great value and quiet.
By the way: Scarifiers with a collection bag will gather the thatch for you. You can also get lawnmowers with a built-in scarifier. These 2-in-1 models save you space and money.
Scarifying Your Lawn: Four Steps to Perfect Lawn Care
- Mow the lawn
- Set the cutting depth
- Scarify methodically
- Lawn aftercare
1. Mow first, then scarify
While scarifying is important for your lawn, it can also be stressful for it. That's why you should let it rest for a while after scarifying. Before you scarify, you should mow it two to three times. Cut the blades to a length of about 2 cm.
2. How to scarify correctly – how deep should you cut?
Scarifiers can be set to a specific cutting depth. You can determine this by placing the scarifier on the ground – the blades should just touch it. A short test run will show if the cutting depth is set correctly. As a general rule:
- For a young lawn with a shorter root system, set a cutting depth of no more than 3 mm.
- For an older, mossy lawn with weeds, you can work with a depth of up to 5 mm.
3. How should you scarify?
Haphazardly across the lawn? It's better not to. Scarify the area methodically – first in straight lines lengthways, then again in straight lines crossways. This chequerboard pattern ensures that you cover every spot.
4. What should you do after scarifying?
After a deep clean comes deep conditioning: if you lime, fertilise and water your lawn after scarifying, the nutrients will be absorbed into the soil much more effectively. If any bare patches appear after scarifying, reseed these areas.
