Do I need to scarify my lawn?
Scarifying is simply the process of using a tool to clear matted grass and moss from the surface of your lawn, exposing the soil to improve growth. Whether you should include scarifying in your lawn care depends on your lawn’s condition. To check, pull a small metal rake gently through the turf before you start your spring lawn care: if it picks up old grass clippings, weeds or moss, this may indicate inhibited lawn growth. This is particularly common in heavy soils that are low in oxygen and become easily waterlogged; shade can also have a negative impact on the structure of your lawn. Scarifiers with blades do a great job, or you can achieve similar results by putting some effort into careful raking of your lawn.
The benefits of aerating soil
A well-cared-for garden is likely to also be well used – which can cause problems. Heavy traffic can cause lawn soil to become compacted, leading to poor circulation of oxygen and nutrients, and can even prevent water from reaching the roots of your grass. The answer is aeration, added as an extra lawn care step in your spring maintenance schedule.
It’s important to choose a day when your soil is not too dry, so that work is easier and your grass can recover quickly: if the weather is not on your side, prep the lawn the day before you aerate it by watering well. We recommend using an aerator tool to do the job quickly and consistently, but you can achieve the same effect with a simple garden fork, by just driving the tines around 5 cm into the ground at intervals of 5–10 cm.