Scarifiers

Fresh air for your lawn

|The right time to scarify 
The best time to scarify is in spring (April) and autumn (September). After scarifying, the lawn should have time to regenerate. Please mow the lawn beforehand.

Every garden owner dreams of a beautiful, lush green lawn. But why do some gardens look like a dried-out desert and the lawn of the neighbour's garden glows with the most beautiful green? Mostly because the neighbour regularly scarifies and aerates his lawn. Two processes that are essential for a radiant lawn:

Airing is necessary so that the lawn can absorb enough nutrients and get enough air to breathe again.  

Scarifying is, simply explained, more intensive aeration, whereby the sward of grass is also scarified. This loosens the soil even more and allows it to regenerate wonderfully.

Gardeners usually scarify their lawn in spring to refresh it after the cold season. This should be done again in autumn. Especially if the winter before was particularly hard. In this way, the lawn will once again receive the necessary nutrients to survive the next winter well.

What exactly does scarifying mean?

A scarifier has a scarifying roller with stepped steel blades. These blades penetrate into the turf and remove lawn felt, moss and plant debris. This can be compared to a solid, narrow-pronged rake that pierces the ground a little and takes some of the desired lawn felt with it when it is pulled out. For small areas this method can also be used, but for large areas a motorised scarifier is recommended. No matter what type of machine is used, it is important to remove the parts of plants that have died off in winter, as they take away the light and air from the sprouting grass. It is important to remember that only dry, freshly mown lawn should be scarified.

When and how often should the lawn be scarified?

The lawn should not be scarified too early - only when ground frost can be excluded. It is also important that the soil is dry. To achieve a good result with scarifying, the grass should first be cut to a length of approx. 3 to 4 cm. This makes it easier for the scarifier roller to get through the grass. that is, depending on the weather conditions in March and April. It is also possible in September, as long as there is sufficient soil heat. scarify once or twice a year is sufficient.

One more tip: The collected lawn felt should not be added to the compost afterwards.

This is what you should bear in mind when aerating

In addition to scarifying, the lawn should be aired regularly. Some of our machines are already equipped with an aerator roller in addition to the included scarifier roller. Unlike scarifying, aeration is possible more often throughout the year, so that the green remains fresh for longer. In technical terms, this process is called 'aeration'.

Aeration is almost self-explanatory. The turf is lightly scored with the aeration roller, which is fitted with steel spring tines. The process is important because the surface gradually becomes denser and thus no longer receives oxygen. In addition, the lawn absorbs the water better after aeration and so-called stagnant moisture is prevented. The nutrients therefore reach the grass roots more easily.

Measures after aeration and scarifying

In both cases, the grass should then be heavily watered and fertilised. This is good for the soil and the plant, which, in addition to the oxygen, can feel the water all the way to its roots. After scarifying, a fertiliser has its greatest effect, as the nutrients can then be absorbed and processed best. New lawn seeds should also be sown if necessary.

Conclusion: Aeration and scarifying should not be missed by any gardener. Once or twice a year, a lawn also needs exfoliating care, so that it will appear and grow full of splendour even in spring. If you stick to this, you no longer have to be envious of your neighbour's garden.

The right scarifier tools

When buying a scarifier, you should pay particular attention to the working width and the dual functionality (aerating and aerating). Nowadays, scarifying is occasionally carried out with a hand tool, e.g. a rake or a manual scarifier. This makes this work tedious, labour-intensive and, with a larger lawn, hardly manageable. In the power-operated version, they make the work much easier and reduce the effort involved. High-quality scarifiers also collect the felt and the dead plant remains in a collection bag, so that raking together is no longer necessary. Like lawnmowers, scarifiers are also available as petrol or electric-powered units.

Petrol-powered units usually have more powerful motors and are therefore optimally designed for larger lawns, while electric scarifiers are particularly impressive due to their lower weight. The biggest disadvantage here is the power cable, which has to be carried along during the entire work process and must be moved regularly.

Use the scarifier effectively  

Only scarify if it is not too cold. After scarifying, the lawn needs moisture to regenerate. When scarifying, the steel blades of the scarifier roller tear moss, tangles and dead grass out of the lawn. This promotes the plant's absorption of nutrients and destroys the moss.

To effectively scarify the lawn, we recommend, the petrol scarifier AL-KO Combi Care 38 P Comfort, the electric scarifier AL-KO Combi Care 36 E Comfort or the AL-KO Energy Flex battery SF 4030 scarifier. Practical: Equipped with a catcher basket, these units pick up loose plant parts - subsequent raking is not necessary. Fertiliser is applied after scarifying. Then sow the grass evenly by hand or spreader and water the lawn vigorously.