I think we can all be forgiven for thinking that it is in fact January rather than the beginning of May so Spring lawn treatments will still be tucked right back on the 'to do' list of many gardeners.
However, if you haven't already done so, you would be wise to consider your plan and think about getting some lawn maintenance under way.
One job, if you have not given your lawn a good once over last Autumn, is to scarify out all of the dead grass (thatch), lateral growth and moss so that the grass can recover without having to struggle through a deep layer of debris before poking the leaf blade tip into the big bad world.
Thatch not only weakens grass - by having to grow through thatch - but it does not do your mowing equipment any good either and of course, you have to work that much harder yourself.
So, if you are going to scarify, make sure that you cut the lawn with a rotary mower first. If you have never done any scarifying before, save yourself a great deal of time and effort by removing as much grass and rubbish as possible with a mower before running a scarifier through your lawn - otherwise, the amount of debris to clear up will scare you.
Scarifying is best defined as a vertical raking action, carried out with either solid knife tines or spring wire tines, which spin at high speed, usually attached to a cylinder type reel but occasionally attached to a rotary lawn mower blade.
I tend to work on a vigorous scarifying in the late summer, just after the warm weather breaks and the early autumn rains start to fall. The soil is warm and good root regeneration and grass seed germination and overall recovery is achieved at this time.
The blades slice through; sometimes touching or penetrating the soil surface. Penetration of the soil surface is much more beneficial as part of any remedial lawn works and provides excellent surface aeration benefits too.
In spring time, there is always the possibility that the weather can break to the warm and dry side - especially if you leave your spring maintenance too late - so avoiding too much surface stress is advisable.
I carry out a vigorous maintenance regime in autumn and just a light grooming of the surface in the spring (allowing the tines just brushing the soil surface to lift lateral grass growth and any developing thatch). Bear in mind though, there is not a set rule and you must monitor this your self.
When you do scarify, the thatch and moss is agitated to such a degree that it comes out fluffy. If you achieve 5 bags of grass clippings when mowing a one hundred square metre lawn, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that you will achieve ten times this when scarifying.
You may be interested in this article: Which Mower?
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