Scarifying lawn.

Elizabeth225 · March 2022

Hi everyone.I scarified my lawn last November as it had a lot of spongy yellow thatch,I used an electric Scarifier,& got loads of it up.It’s now nearly as bad again.Is it ok to do it again this spring.Many thanks in advance.

Fairygirl · March 2022

Not something I often do, but the electric scarifiers do remove a lot of thatch and moss compared to doing it by hand with a rake.
In shady damp sites, grass can be in short supply over winter, so you may have to look at whether it's worth having grass too.
I'm sure you can probably do it again, but others may be able to advise better. You'll probably need to reseed too.
I tend to leave moss in mine most of the time, because I'm not that bothered. Once the ground and the temps warm up, the grass takes over well enough.

Pauline 7 · March 2022

I sacrificed my grass with an electric scarier in the autumn and did it by hand last weekend.

JennyJ · March 2022

I do mine once a year in the autumn. On the rare occasion I've scarified in spring, it didn't recover quickly, I think maybe because the weather tends to be drier in spring than autumn, and a lot of weeds came in.

Fairygirl · March 2022

That's a good point @JennyJ. We're the opposite way round - autumn is a better time for a lot of things, as it can be much warmer and drier than this time of year.

That's where getting some grass seed in quickly would be a good idea too, if @Elizabeth225 is doing it soon. Assuming the location is suitable enough in terms of warmth etc.

JennyJ · March 2022

I just had a look up of monthly rainfall averages, 1991 to 2020 https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcx21p9fr Our wettest month is October (a bit over 56mm) and the driest is March (32mm). Picking a random weather station in west-central Scotland https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcuvdyxy0 , the driest month is April with 66mm.

I reckon @Fairygirl's driest month is, on average, wetter than my wettest, so it's not surprising that the best time to do things in the garden varies a bit depending where you are. If you think you'll get plenty of rain so that grass will recover well from scarifying now @Elizabeth225, then go ahead and give it another go.

Fairygirl · March 2022

Interesting @JennyJ. I'm always surprised that you area is so dry though. I'd never have thought your wettest month was so dry

The only thing I'd slightly dispute is the months they reckon are the driest here, although it's probably down to the distribution of the rain, and averages are just that - averages.
We possibly have more wet days in April, but the wet days in May might have more rain during them. May is always considered a drier month up here. September too, because the summer months are often very wet.
Those are the best two months for holidaying, or generally being out and about, as they tend to be sunnier too. April often has sleet and snow, so actual rainfall might strictly be a bit less because of that. I don't know how they calculate it. Our average annual rainfall is around 4 feet, about 5 feet further north.
East side is always drier than the west, although the south west of Scotland can have a lot more dry weather than further north where I am.

Last year's weather will have knocked the averages a fair bit though!

JennyJ · March 2022

I might not have picked the closest weather station for you @Fairygirl, there were a lot of choices around there so I just guessed. A friend of mine who knows about such things says we're in the rain shadow of the Pennines, but too far from the coast to get the coastal stuff. It certainly rains a lot more at my parents' place in Sheffield which is maybe 25 miles or so further West. Those rainfall forecast maps on the met office site often show rain coming towards us and then stopping or going around us.

Fairygirl · March 2022

That makes sense @JennyJ. It's the same reasoning for here - a lot of hills, so the west gets the rain created by that cloud that hangs onto them - just when you're hoping for a summit view

The east has lots of hills too of course, but they're quite different from western ones.

My sister is only 40 miles away from me [just west of Edinburgh] and it's surprising just how much drier it is there.

GardenerSuze · March 2022

It hardly rained hear at all in January which is very strange. It was cold but I did manage to dig out a new border before it got too wet bizarre!

Fairygirl · March 2022

We had the driest January on record here @GardenerSuze. Most peculiar, but I did a lot of jobs that would normally have to wait for the odd dry, milder day at this time of year.

Scarifying lawn.

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