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Lawn
Dig2006
Posts: 65
Hi we had turf put down about a year and a half ago. Looks fine, though when I cut it, you can see the dead grass between the green grass. I had a go at scarifying using a cheap leaf rake, just in a small area and it pulled out lots of old dead grass. If I do this to the whole garden, do I need to do anything else like spread new seed or do i just leave it? Im not clear on how to seed after scarifying, whether I need a machine or not.
0
Posts
It's quite normal for that to build up in your grass, ie 'thatch', and it can leave grass/lawns looking pretty rough. It isn't usually a problem though, and it'll depend on a couple of things as to how you proceed. If it's very bare, you can certainly, seed as long as your conditions are suitable, and that depends on the climate where you live. Seed needs enough warmth to germinate. In mild areas it can be fine at this time of year.
It's a good idea to add a little soil or even compost in with the seed too, and make sure it has good contact with the soil below. Unless the area is massive, you can do it easily by hand. It's also a good idea to broadcast some of the seed over the rest of the lawn, because unless you can get an exact match to the existing grass, the newly seeded bits will look a bit odd.
If the bare areas are small, you might be able to simply leave the grass. If you cut the grass regularly, only taking a small amount off each time, the grass will gradually spread sideways [tillering] and gaps can often just close up over a few months.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...