I'd spend probably £80 or so and buy a scarifier, get the thatch and moss out each year in spring. they come with aerator too. It's one of the easiest wins in the garden in terms of making a huge difference ( about eight weeks after your hard work). it will only take a few (hard) hours work. use a moss killer/feed about a week before you scarify, it kills the moss, makes it a touch easier to remove, and the feed helps speed recovery. expect to see very little grass remaining above ground in deep shade areas, but it will recover, it really will, grass is tough it survives draught, fire, flood.
Okay, I’m not a fan of more tools to be honest but if that’s what it takes, I’ll just have to find more storage space.
I can’t repurpose my unused rotovator by any chance?
How big is the area? Bag the moss up and get rid, or cram into garden wheelie bins. I've a job in a couple of weeks that will see me rake out enough moss from a 400m2 lawn to fill 8-10 wheelie bins!
How big is the area? Bag the moss up and get rid, or cram into garden wheelie bins. I've a job in a couple of weeks that will see me rake out enough moss from a 400m2 lawn to fill 8-10 wheelie bins!
Garden waste is already full and I won’t go to the recycle unit.
Its fire or compost then, I’m guessing the thatch can compost but the moss would not.
Hi all, an update because I’m not sure what to do now.
As below, a lot of my lawn looks okay but the bad bits look, well, bad. If this needs scarifying some more I think I’m going to have to leave it until I get an electric scarifier. Is there anything else I can do...seed, feed?
Right - spring and summer have passed so I’ve bitten the bullet and bought a cheap scarifier, Homebase’s Finest with a 10% off voucher and shall have at it in the morning!
Im hoping it’s mostly thatch now, but I am braced for huge amounts of the stuff. In fact I need to empty my compost heap first, really.
I also realise Ive got really hard compacted areas I’ve dug up with a fork. Not sure the aerator will be powerful enough.
I find aerating manually (ie sticking a fork or hollow-tine aerator in) is all but impossible if the soil is dry so I tend to do it in spring. It makes no noticeable difference with my machine (the kind that cuts shallow slits). Scarifying I find easier when it's dry because the stuff that comes out and needs carrying away is lighter.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Posts
I can’t repurpose my unused rotovator by any chance?
Will try to leave it until next week to get the scarifier but I might just do it manually tomorrow.
Looks like I’m doing it manually
Its fire or compost then, I’m guessing the thatch can compost but the moss would not.
As below, a lot of my lawn looks okay but the bad bits look, well, bad. If this needs scarifying some more I think I’m going to have to leave it until I get an electric scarifier. Is there anything else I can do...seed, feed?
Im hoping it’s mostly thatch now, but I am braced for huge amounts of the stuff. In fact I need to empty my compost heap first, really.
I also realise Ive got really hard compacted areas I’ve dug up with a fork. Not sure the aerator will be powerful enough.
Any tips?