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scarify and mow or mow and scarify
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Posts: 18
hi hope you are well.
ive put down moss killer / lawn improver 3 days ago
i have an electric scarifier.
the grass is reasonably long - do i cut the grass first then scarify or the other way round??
do i need to wait longer for the weed killer to work?
thanks for your help!
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Hello, personally if the lawn is quite long I would cut on a high setting just to expose the moss, then scarify. I don't use moss killer so have no experience of that. Best of luck
I'm not a lawnsperson either so definitely not the best qualified to give you advice (others will know better).
My instinct, however, is telling me that you should at least allow the moss killer etc time to work before you scarify. I think I have read that you can actually make the moss problem worse by scarifying if the moss is still alive. (You just end up spreading it around to unaffected parts of the lawn).
Like Wonky - I'd cut the grass quite high, give the chemicals time to do their stuff and scarify when you think the moss is dead.
But I'm definitely no expert in this field ... Others might have another view.
I would leave the moss killer on for a bit longer - it should turn black. Cut the grass quite short (not scalped!), then use your scarifier. You will be horrified at how much comes up. If it is a small electric scarifier, you will find the collection box tiny. I always scarify with the box off then go over with the mower to pick up the moss, But then I am a girl and raking lawns tire me out. If you have two lawns in sight of each other, I would only do one this year and the other one next year because you have no idea how disheartening it is to see your previous green lawn horrible and bare once the moss is removed. But that's me!
Just another thought - I wouldn't put the next 2 lawn cuttings or the thatch that comes out after scarifying in the compost bin if it's had weedkiller type chemicals on it.
Don't want any residues near precious plants!
I cut my lawn in March then scarified it and then it was fed and treated for moss/weeds by Green Thumb. Just the way it all worked out. Haven't had any problems with moss spreading and the grass has filled the gaps on its own without adding extra seed. I used to treat the lawn myself and the moss did turn black but for some reason when they treat it the moss just seems to disappear and not go black. It's been done this way for a few years now.