Scarify Now And Set Your Lawn Up For The Future

My colleague Dick is, as usual, right on the button with his timing in his blog yesterday which extolled the very real virtues of the Einhell GC-SC 2240P  a petrol hero that has pretty much seized the hearts and minds of our customers and filled them with unalloyed enthusiasm…

“You can’t go wrong. This machine is powerful and effective and at this price it will pay for itself in two or three uses” says happy purchaser Roger, “A terrific machine and great value for money.” comments Andy K and “Excellent value for a great German engineered product” adds Eddie.

See what I mean? There are many more reviews here, and this popular machine is one of our gardening machinery superstars. 

So. Yes, now is, indeed the right time to think about scarifying.

Scari-what-the-whoosit? I hear you cry. What in the name of Beelzebub’s back garden is scarifying and what does this mysterious machine do?

Well, for the uninitiated, scarifying sounds vaguely like something to do with halloween or ghost trains, all very Scooby-Doo. But it is important to know the difference.

See? No. Nothing scary about it. Scarifying is in fact a kind of deep raking, a process that removes thatch; organic material that builds up within your lawn and chokes it. The scarifier also helps to aerate the lawn allowing vital water and air in to nourish it and help make it greener and more healthy looking.

Any lawn can suffer from thatch and similar problems and any lawn can benefit from scarifying and the period from late August to early September is one of the best times to carryout a rigorous scarification of your lawn. In fact you can even carry this out even in October (depending on weather conditions) and you can carry it out when there is a little moisture on the ground but NIT when it is really wet, so generally  but NOT in winter as this can damage your lawn.

As I said, most lawns will probably benefit from a good scarification but how do you know if your lawn needs it?

Perhaps you have yellow patches on the grass? Perhaps there are puddles forming? (don’t blame the dog) Perhaps it feels particularly springy and spongy and is closer to the feel of a bouncy castle than a lawn? These can all be indications that thatch has built up or that you need to aerate and scarify your lawn. If you crouch down and take a good look at the lawn you can probably tell if you have thatch, you may see dead looking yellow material. That is a sign you may need to scarify.

And it’s not just thatch that can cause problems, moss, weeds and compaction from heavy traffic on your lawn can cause similar problems. Aeration can help some of these problems, but a good scarifier will remove the organic material and aerate.

I am often asked how scarifiers work. Whether self-propelled or manual, usually there will be a roller or cylinder in the machine that is dotted with with metal blades, or tines, that revolve forwards (clockwise) and cut into the turf, removing thatch and other organic material as they turn and leaving holes that will aerate the lawn.

And when I say removing organic material. I mean loads. This is the really scary part of scarifying. You are likely to be amazed at just how much ‘stuff’ the scarifier will take out… again, our Einhell GC-SC 2240P customers have a fair bit to say about this “The amount of moss and thatch ripped up on the first two passes was incredible…manual raking was getting nowhere” ANDREW and, “the amount of rubbish removed with the Einhell far exceeded the old scarifier. Can not believe how good this machine is for what I paid for it” and also “I could not believe how much thatch it tore out of of the lawn…so effective is this excellent machine that the supplied basket would fill in seconds…Hugely impressed by this machine. And it’s a bargain!”

You’ll be shocked at how your lawn has coped thus far without one.

In terms of use, operating a scarifier is easier than you might think. Most will have height settings so you can decide how deep to go and they are generally very simple to use. You walk up and down the lawn with the scarifier in front of you just as if you were using a mower…unless its a towed model of course.

Here are a few more tips…

1. Make sure your grass is short before you start and check the lawn for obstacles and stones, just in case. Don’t do it when the dew is out, probably better to scarify in the afternoon than early morning.
2. We know from experience, and from what our customers tell us, that most collection boxes or bags on scarifiers are nowhere near capable of handling the amount of detritus that is pulled up, so it might be quicker to let it land on the lawn then rake it up in one go. DON’T leave it on the lawn though, where it might re-seed. You should put it on your compost heap or get rid of it.
3. Your lawn will probably NOT look good initially. It will look ragged, but the long-term benefits will become apparent if you are patient.

So whether it’s a mains electric model like the popular  Al-Ko Comfort 38E Combi-Care Electric Aerator / Scarifier provides both aeration and

scarifying, “(Product awesome.”Olwen), a cordless model like the “Einhell GE-SC 35LI Power X-Change Cordless Scarifier” (`”…a fantastic lightweight but effective scarifier” John D.) or the afore mentioned Einhell GC-SC 2240P Petrol Scarifier  (“Excellent Value…I cannot fault the machine.” W.Skiling) whatever model you look at, we probably have the right one for you, so why not take a look at our comprehensive range.

If you need some more aerator and scarifier questions answered, orany other issues on lawn care, just have a look at our articles here and don’t forget,  if you need more advice and guidance on which machine is right for you, from scarifiers to chainsaws,  just call our product advisors on 0345 4588 905 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri – 10am-4pm Sat) We are very proud of our product team and they know their stuff

 “MowDirect remains my first choice for garden-related machinery and advice.” (GB – London)

And enjoy your garden.    Drew Hardy.