Why do you scarify a lawn?

During the course of a season, dead grass (called thatch) and lateral grass stems build up, thus restricting light and air from getting through to the grassroots. As thatch builds it restricts any desired grasses and instead moss and weeds are encouraged to take over, leading to a downward spiral in the health of a lawn.

A scarifier is in effect a vertical mower with knife blades (or wire tines) spaced out along a reel – much like a cylinder on a mower. These vertical blades act like a vigorous comb, forcing out any build-up of rubbish at the grass-root level. They can be lowered, or raised, to combat the depth of thatch, or in some applications, penetrate into any crusty soil layer.

The deeper the blades go, and the more extreme and vigorous the action is on the roots, potentially the more beneficial this remedial action has on grassroots. A deep incision into the soil cuts through any shallow grassroots, which stimulates tillering – tillering occurs when the grass sends out new shoots where a root has been pruned.

When to scarify your lawn?

It is especially beneficial if carried out during the active growing season.
Regular root pruning will encourage a thicker grass root zone and aid in crowding out of undesirable weeds whilst also discouraging moss.