When spring arrives in the garden, the stressed lawn calls for help against moss and felt. If you want to quickly enjoy a lush green, dense carpet of lawn, scarify and fertilize according to the following instructions.
How do you properly scarify and fertilize the lawn?
To scarify and fertilize the lawn, first mow the lawn, work the area twice with a scarifier, collect the weeds, fertilize after two weeks with slow-release fertilizer and water thoroughly until the fertilizer grains have been rained in.
When is the best time to scarify?
In order to properly scarify the lawn, the weather is dry with temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius. In addition, severe ground frosts should no longer be expected, so the months of March and April are recommended. You can scarify a heavily weedy lawn again in September in preparation for winter.
Step-by-step instructions for scarifying and fertilizing
A scarifier works on the lawn with rotating blades, scoring the turf 1-3 mm deep. In this way, all weeds and moss are pulled out of the ground and end up on the surface. Follow these steps to do it right:
- Mow the lawn as deep as possible
- Walk the area lengthwise and crosswise with the scarifier in two passes
- Collect the combed out weeds and moss and dispose of them in the compost
- Apply a slow-release lawn fertilizer about 2 weeks later
- Water thoroughly repeatedly until all fertilizer grains have been rained in
When you fertilize the lawn again later in the year depends on the type of lawn and the degree of stress. Ornamental lawns in the garden usually require two doses of nutrients, while sports lawns are ideally fertilized in April, June and August.
PH value determination provides information about fertilizer requirements
In order to make an informed decision regarding the adequate supply of nutrients to the lawn, we recommend checking the pH value regularly. Every garden center has uncomplicated test sets (€4.00 on Amazon) available for you. Ideally, the value is between 6 and 7. If the result is less than this, it is advisable to add lime in addition to fertilization.
Tips & Tricks
If a lawn appears as an unsightly patchwork carpet after scarifying, experienced hobby gardeners close the gaps with reseeding. Simply loosen the soil and apply a special 'lawn patch' from a specialist retailer. Afterwards, water regularly and do not walk on them so that the bare spots close quickly.
