is it too late to scarify this year?
 

Is it too late in the year to scarify my lawn? (Using a powered
scarifier) There is a lot of moss and thatch in my lawn, but I wonder
if I would be doing more harm than good scarifying at this time of
year?

thanks for any advice

Julian

It would be best if you fed (feed and moss killer) your lawn in the
spring and do the scarifying when the moss is dead. Then you will
disturb and collect the dead moss rather than distributing the live moss
around the lawn, which would be the case if you scarified now.

This informative site may also be of help:

http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Homes_an...Article18.html

Regards,
Emrys Davies.




"J99" wrote in message
om...
Is it too late in the year to scarify my lawn? (Using a powered
scarifier) There is a lot of moss and thatch in my lawn, but I wonder
if I would be doing more harm than good scarifying at this time of
year?

thanks for any advice

Julian

I work in a building which has extensive grounds and two full-time
gardeners. They always scarify the lawns at this time of year, and they were
doing so yesterday. The lawns always look great, so scarifying in December
obviously works.

On the other hand, mine at home needs doing but I'll wait for spring because
the lawn is soggy now and will be all winter.

So the message is, if the lawn is dry and firm enough to do it now, then go
ahead, but if it's too wet now, wait until spring.

--
Neil

Visit my Peak District walking website - www.peakwalking.co.uk


"J99" wrote in message
om...
Is it too late in the year to scarify my lawn? (Using a powered
scarifier) There is a lot of moss and thatch in my lawn, but I wonder
if I would be doing more harm than good scarifying at this time of
year?

thanks for any advice

Julian

i would only scarify once the growing season had begun again and would do it just before every cut until the end of june...scarifying and moss control are really separate undertakings when it comes to lawn care...yes scarifying will remove dead moss but will equally spread live moss around...my opinion is that scarifying is really more about removal of thatch from the lawns soil surface to allow better oxygen exchange and water penetration.

In message , J99
writes
Is it too late in the year to scarify my lawn? (Using a powered
scarifier) There is a lot of moss and thatch in my lawn, but I wonder
if I would be doing more harm than good scarifying at this time of
year?

thanks for any advice

Julian
The simple answer is "probably"
Best time is early autumn to remove debris and thick thatch. If moss is
present (and you want to get rid of it) treat with a moss killer a
couple of weeks before scarifying.
Do not scarify in early spring as the grass does not produce side shoots
at this stage and so you would open up the turf making it vulnerable to
weed invasion. Use in late spring/early summer if required to remove any
patches of dead moss if you have used a moss killer.

If your lawn is not too wet, and the weather reasonably mild then if our
lawn is as bad as you say it is then it might be worth going over it now
but not too vigorously, just to remove the thatch. Leave the moss
problem until the Spring
HTH
--
hugh
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