Home gardeners with a penchant for home-made garden tools don't think about investing in an expensive scarifier. With a little imagination, the existing machinery can be expanded to include a self-built scarifier. This guide explains what a scarifier has to do. Browse tips, tricks and ideas for building your own.
How can I build a scarifier myself?
To build your own scarifier, you can use a worn-out seedbed harrow (€7.00 on Amazon) or a meadow tractor with spikes or tines. These are attached to a lawn tractor and pulled over the mossy lawn to remove moss and weeds.
What does a scarifier have to be able to do?
The motto “Nothing happens without moss” is refuted twice in the garden when a frugal home gardener with DIY skills works here. In order to scarify the mossy lawn and transform it into a representative green area, you don't have to dig deep into your pockets. Rather, resourceful gardeners construct the useful device themselves. A scarifier has to do the following work:
- Use sharp tines, spurs or knives to pull moss and weeds out of the turf
- Leave he althy, well-rooted lawn grasses
- Scratch the soil 2 to 5 mm deep to aerate the roots of the noble grasses
Furthermore, a scarifier should be able to be moved evenly across the lawn, either with muscle or motor power. To ensure that the device fulfills its purpose for many years, weatherproof building materials are recommended.
Ideas for a homemade scarifier
Proud owners of a lawn tractor solve the problem quite easily. A worn-out seedbed harrow (€7.00 on Amazon) or meadow tractor is quickly converted into a scarifier. Farmers regularly offer used harrows for little money on the Internet. Hauling and harrowing are equipped with spikes or tines as well as a suspension device.
The device is attached to the lawn tractor and pulled over the mossy lawn. For the most part, moss and weeds stick to the spines. Then sweep away the remaining clippings with a rake. Meadow trails have the additional advantage that uneven areas, such as molehills, are leveled out. After scarifying, we recommend reseeding so that bare spots close quickly.
Tip
A home-made scarifier only meets high expectations if it is used at the right time. Scarify the mossy lawn when the ground temperature is at least 8 degrees Celsius and there is no risk of frosty temperatures. Primarily, no rain should have fallen in the previous two days.
