In addition to fertilizing, scarifying is also part of the processSpring lawn care. This promotes the growth of grass blades and eliminates weeds. But when is the right time for this, what is the correct order of care and in which cases should you additionally ventilate and re-seed the lawn, we will tell you in the article. Scarifying your lawn, made easy!
Scarifying the lawn: What is the correct order for lawn care?
An important prerequisite for a dense and healthy lawn is proper care in spring. In March, in addition to scarifying, the program also includes fertilizing and reseeding. We give you an overview of the most important onesGardening work in spring.
First lawn care in spring
After the permafrost has passed, you can start caring for the lawn. Proceed as follows:
- Remove lawn thatch, moss and weeds
- Rake the lawn thoroughly and remove any mowing residue from last year
- Fill holes with soil and pull apart piles
- if necessary: loosen the soil
- Mow the lawn for the first time in early March.
- Fertilize the lawn in mid-March.
- If the weather is good, scarify the lawn once from the end of March to the end of April.
- After scarifying, you can re-seed individual areas if necessary.
- From May onwards the lawn is ventilated once a month.
Scarify or aerate the lawn?
Many hobby gardeners ask themselves whether they should scarify or aerate the lawn in spring. The two terms are often confused, although they are actually two completely different gardening tasks.
When scarifying, the lawn is mown close to the ground. The blades of grass should be a maximum of 3 cm high. Scarifying is carried out a maximum of twice a year - once in spring and once in autumn. The grasses then need some time to recover and grow again.
In contrast, ventilation can take place once a month. It is significantly gentler on the lawn, but cannot completely replace scarifying.
You can get one in specialized garden centerslawn aerator and a scarifierrent. Alternatively, you can also invest in a combination device.
When is the best time to scarify the lawn?
About two weeks after fertilizing is the right time to scarify the lawn. Choose a frost-free day. A very important prerequisite for the final result is that the lawn is dry.
The correct height is very important when scarifying. If you cut the lawn too deeply, you can damage the roots and the grass will die in this area. If you leave the grass blades higher than 3mm then weeds can spread. Try to scarify the lawn as evenly as possible. Only drive the device over the lawn once. After scarifying, you should definitely rake the lawn residue.
Reseed and repair the lawn
After scarifying, you can re-seed the lawn if necessary. If there are individual bare spots, you can simply scatter the seeds. For larger lawns you can use a spreader. The seeds take four weeks to grow and reach a height of about 12 cm. Then the right time has come to aerate the lawn for the first time.
When is scarifying unnecessary?
As a rule, annual scarifying is an absolute must. If you miss the right time in spring, you should definitely scarify the lawn in autumn. Otherwise, you risk the lawn drying out, becoming significantly weaker and moss spreading.
However, there are also exceptions. Sometimes scarifying the lawn is unnecessary. For example, if the garden soil has a high sand content and is loose. Moss and weeds don’t stand a chance. Therefore, you can save yourself the trouble.
If you are inSpring the lawnscarifying can be eliminated for the first time. However, you should ventilate it regularly in summer. Scarifying in autumn is also unnecessary and can be postponed until next spring.
Three common care mistakes
1. Choosing the wrong time. Like many gardening tasks, scarifying also depends on the weather. If you scarify the lawn too early, you risk night frost setting in again and the lawn freezing. To avoid this, you should check the current 14-day weather forecast.
2. Scarify wet or damp lawns. If it has rained in the last few days, wait before scarifying. The lawn should be completely dry.
3. First scarify the lawn and then fertilize it. The correct thing would be the other way round – this one firstSupply lawn with nutrients, so that it can recover well from pruning.
