Good time to Scarify the Lawn???????

islanderre

Hello All,

Ive a large sized lawn which was sown last year and is in okay condition but has large 'Thatch' areas. I've enquired into the rental of a Lawn Scarifier and can get my hands on one for €35 per day.

What I would like to know is:

• What is the best time of the year to scarify? Would I be best to do it now or in the spring?
• Do I have to put down lawnseed once lawn has been scarified or is it sufficient to simply add 10-10-20 or similiar to prompt grass growth?

Thanks alot for any replies

redser7

Now and through September is the best time of the year to do it.
If you want to go all out, you could also aerate, top dress and overseed. Then apply an autumn feed up to November. Will be in great shape for next spring.

islanderre

Redser7,

Many thanks for replying.

I understand all of your post except for the 'Top Dress' part; could you explain this please.

Also, Considering the big area I've to cover; what fertiliser would be best; would 10-10-20 suffice.

Thanks Folks

aujopimur

Use 7/6/17 on your lawn.

redser7

Here's a link you can read up. There are also some clips on youtube.
http://www.lawn-care-academy.com/top-dressing-lawns.html

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-top-dress-a-lawn

Basically you are adding a mixture of soil, peat and sand (or even just one of them) to the surface of the lawn to help build up the layer of existing topsoil for new and healthy grass growth. Again, read around to see what mixture might suit your lawn. With a big lawn it would be a biggish job. Mine is small so I just throw heaps on and fan it into the surface with a short board making sure it doesn't stick to the blades of grass.

The Lawn Expert is a great book and you can pick it up 2nd hand for the price of delivery (about 3 or 4 euro).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0903505487/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1314775349&sr=8-1&condition=used

redser7

A good autumn fertiliser will be low in Nitrogen and high in Phosphorus (you don't want the grass to grow much over winter but you do want to strengthen the roots so the plants are healthy for spring). Something like 4:10:5

islanderre

Redser7 & aujopimur,

Many thanks for taking the time to reply.

I'm going to invest in that book; cheers for the heads up.

Regards,

Islanderre