If your lawn feels spongy when you walk across it, then you either have thatch or have been using fertilisers with excessive cheap nitrogen that have encouraged too much growth in the grass. Too much grass growth is not desirable and will cause problems. If your lawn is thick and spongy your lawn should be scarified. At Expert Lawn Care, we will check your lawns each time we visit to assess if scarifying is required.

 

Scarifying is the physical process of removing thatch and/or dead moss from the soil surface. It used to be carried out by using a wire rake. Weave powered machines that will scarify far more comprehensively and efficiently than raking. Several vertical metal blades revolve at high speed around a shaft and dig into the ground as the machine is pushed along the lawn.  

 

Scarifying pulls the dead moss and thatch out of the lawn and in the short term it will make the lawn look far worse before it recovers. It is important to schedule scarifying at a time when it will be followed by the appropriate weather conditions to assist the lawn with its recovery.

 

Never scarify without previously applying some moss control at least 2 weeks in advance. If you scarify without applying moss control you are spreading moss spores across your lawn. At Expert Lawn Care, we can advise you if your lawn requires scarifying however, most lawns benefit from scarifying at least every 2–3 years depending on soil and weather conditions.