Older turf sometimes develops a dense turf that appears spongy and soft when wet. At the same time, the lawn loses its rich green color and becomes mossy. It's high time to scarify the finished lawn. How to do it right.
How do I properly scarify turf?
To properly scarify your turf, first mow it to 3 cm, scarify to a depth of 5-10 mm, remove any combed material and then sand, roll and water the lawn. Targeted reseeding and fertilization after 14 days promotes regeneration.
Scarifying once a year is enough – step-by-step instructions
Only when all other care measures fail should the drastic method of scarifying be considered for matted turf. To do this, choose a dry, overcast day in April/May or September/October. To comb out all unwanted growths from finished lawn, proceed as follows:
- Mow the dry lawn to a cutting height of 3 centimeters
- Depending on the degree of matting, scarify the finished lawn to a depth of 5 to 10 millimeters
- Remove all combed material from the surface
- Finally, sand, roll and water the turf
Immediately after scarifying, finished turf is particularly receptive to reseeding. Experienced hobby gardeners therefore sow fresh lawn seeds before rolling and watering. The ventilated turf will receive the next fertilizer after 14 days at the earliest. You should only mow for the first time after scarifying when the grass has reached a height of 8 centimeters.
How to effectively prevent matting in turf
Finished lawns only recover slowly from the intensive scarifying procedure. So that you don't feel compelled to take this measure in the first place, the following preventative care is important:
- Lime the turf immediately if the pH falls below 5.5
- Do not administer nitrogen-based long-term fertilizer
- Activate soil life with organic fertilizers
- Don’t attack weeds and moss with chemical weapons
- Sweep away the leaves consistently in autumn
In particular, avoid frequent watering in small quantities. During dry summers, penetrating irrigation twice a day benefits the turf much better. As a result, the noble grasses root deep in the ground, so that moss and thatch have no chance.
Additional information on laying turf is compiled here for you.
Tips & Tricks
Leaving clippings on the lawn after mowing does not necessarily lead to the formation of thatch. On the contrary, for young, leafy grasses, a thin layer of grass clippings serves as valuable mulch, making additional fertilizer unnecessary.
