OMG, I just planted 50lbs of Johnston turf saver 93% RTF fescue with 7% HGT bluegrass and seeing the amount of thatch you have makes me want to go vacuum up all those seeds.
Wow, Shaun...that is a lot of thatch! My lawn is 60-percent fescue, 20-percent rye grass, and 20-percent KBG. When I scarified last year, not even six months after an aggressive renovation, the amount of thatch removed was unexpected. I used the shallowest setting on the scarifier (same as yours) so it just cut into the soil. The lawn looked a little worse than the lawn in this video, but as you said, six weeks later it was better than before. Even today, I can still easily part the grass and see soil.
That lawn looked a hay field after scarification! Looking forward to seeing the follow up in a few weeks 🙏🏻👏 Thanks to your continued tutelage I’m finally learning how to properly care for my lawn 😊
Truthfully it's not done so well. I strongly believe it was not enough water being applied (was just before a heatwave, and they're on sandy soil and went on holiday too ).. It will come back though
I was absolutely creeped out . . . Until you removed the thatched grass. This was the first time I have seen this. I had no idea that grass could get that thick. Very enlightening. Thank you.
I bought a scarifying rake (don't have the space for an electric/petrol one) and I did it yesterday and was taking up so much dead grass and thatch that I wouldn't have even guessed was there - but like you said, I'm horrified by the state of the garden at the minute! Very brown and muddy, especially with the weather. Took the opportunity to aerate and overseed too so hopefully in 5 weeks, it'll start looking better...!
I agree, manual scarifying is absolutely brutal. I did it for a few years but put my back out the last time I did it so I now borrow my dad's electric one. Bit of a mission as he lives 70 miles away but I would rather that than being laid up for 2 or 3 weeks again.😂
I manually scarified my lawn that hadn’t been touched in 8 years. It took me 2-3 hours to do 15-20% of the lawn and was really hard work. I did the other 80% in 45 minutes after a neighbour lent me his electric one 🤦🏻♂️
Either your household waste recycling centre, or in your garden bin bit by bit or see if there are any recycling farms near you.. You Also sometimes find people on facebook who will get rid for so much per bag
That is insane the amount of dead grass in that lawn!!! I'm very surprised that the lawn didn't have major dead spots in it The lawn didn't look to bad a little yellow from what I could see I guess. Wow great work!
Just found your channel. I’ve just moved into a nice house with a massive garden. It looks great but it’s full of clovers instead of lush grass. I want to get it looking how it should be so I can get a nice stripey lawn. What’s the steps to get these clovers removed and make it full of grass ?? Overseeding ?? Scarify ?? Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you
@@LawnRightI have a ride on mower which helps loads but there’s so little grass blades due to the amount of clovers that it’s easy just to keep on top of the mowing. But I will get some weed killer and start this process. Thanks for the reply
I'm in the same situation regarding wet ground, but I've been advised to scarify very gently, set the machine depth so that initially I just comb the grass and not rake the soil.
Hi it's not essential but in the same breath it will help it recover while tackling weeds.. I'd give it a week after scarifying though, to allow any weeds to grow a little first, and giving you the chance to get weedkiller onto the leaf
Best practise is kill first then scarify then another spray to kill off any spores.. But I've not always followed that to the letter and no major issues
Bought a scarifier a few months ago and haven't braved it yet - its a battery powered one (Einhell, needs 2 batteries) - It feels quite daunting, like I'm going to ruin the garden, it seems like we have a lot of thatch and moss but I'm not sure how to confirm, might be best flogging the scarifier and getting a professional in
You can do it.. Put it on the lightest setting once things are drier. Run over a small section and be amazed how much has come out. Rake it up and see what it looks like... Just know that 99% of lawns look rough once done but within a few weeks they are back.. Where it's nearly all moss you'll see big piles coming out and will look pretty bare.. You can simply scatter some seeds down there and keep them watered daily for a month. Even with moss I sometimes just thin it to see if any grass resurges.. As your confidence grows you'll be much happier and doing it every year. Even a light scarify is good as above... But eventually you'll trust the process and results and will then be setting your height of blades so they cut a fine groove into the soil
Just did my moss lawn and there is nothing left after the wettest winter in my experience. So it’s been treated with iron and feed and now top soul n seed.
Hi I've been back. The lawn didn't recover well as it went into a little heatwave and they underestimated how much water it would need. Since then they been watering welland sit is now recovering and the patches are getting smaller
Great job. I've just scarified our lawn. Loads and loads came off it. Mostly moss. I've seeded a few areas with seed mixed with sand. Should I use a liquid fertiliser now or when. It looks like yours at the moment so cannot wait for it to recover. Thanks for great videos. Cheers.
What do you do with the six inch 'picture frame' of unscarified turf around the edge? Surely that's just going to get higher with more thatch and look silly.
Maybe my grass just isnt that thick but I think the life in my soil just breaks down the lawn clippings faster than I can mow it and I spread my neighbors grass clippings over my little section of grass as fertilizer. my non professional opinion is that all the salt based fertilizers and weed killers everyone sprays on their lawns kills/slows down the life of the soil enough that it can't keep up with grass clippings.
@@LawnRight thank you! Would you have any alternative cheaper machine for the small garden ? My house is a new house so they did not put enough and good quality top soil , so I plan to dig it with tiller then add topsoil and reseed it. It is around 50m2 . Any suggestion appreciated !
Hi no not really.. Our friends in the US often call them a dethatcher we usually call them scariifers.. Hen there's overlap on the different types.. Groomers in the UK sometime called verticutters.. Main thing is that spokes mean more gentle.. Blades are more aggressive
Hi, im a self employed maintenance gardener in cornwall. I have not been doing a lot of grass as i know its a lot of work to keep nice. I have however taken on a few lawns from some of my elderly customers who cant do it themselves anymore. I have found that just cutting once a fortnight is making these areas look really bad. Lots of moss, pale grass weeds etc. I use a rotary mower. I have just invested in a new scarifier and will be telling my customers that more work needs to be done to these lawns as they are not doing my self esteem or reputation any good as they are. Its a bit scarry tearing up someone's lawn and turning it from green to brown both for them and myself. Any tips would be gratefully received. I have a fertilizer spinner and knapsack spry on the way and some seed, fertilizer and iron from a local landscaper who has given up trading. Help! Lol Ps I really am enjoying watching your videos and I'm look forward to being able to get a lawn looking as good as some of yours.
For thick stuff the knives are better.. They're both in essence removing stuff from the thatch layer but blades will take out more faster as they more aggressive.. You can of course use the rakes but it'll take longer and need to go over it more times. For regular use once you've got the thatch under control you can use the rakes more often
Add mycorrhizae and plant grade molasses to the garden/lawn to stimulate benifitial fungus growth. The worms will love it as well, and multiply. Both will fretilize the lawn. Also consider raising the deck height to increase shade and moisture in the lawn. It will stand tall, and never need another round of fertilizer.
The best Gardner on TH-cam to watch. After watching your videos i did my very first scarifying, Aerating, Over seeding & granule fertilising last year on my small front lawn my turf has been down 3 years. I tried to follow your advice the best i could what Is left of the original grass looks lovely and green. Most of the seeds germinated and the grass was looking lovely and thick. I left the seeds for 4 weeks after first sign of germinating before cutting around One-third each time. After 2 or 3 cuts most of the new grass started to deplete. I watered the grass most days in the early evening. (Any advice would be appreciated) Ps: I have found we get a lot of worm castings in the lawn. We get the morning sun on the grass in the afternoon it goes in the back garden. Fertiliser Ivisons 11-5-5 all season lawn boost pro mini granular. I put a small amount of fertiliser down about 2 months after to see if it would help it made the original grass look more healthy and greener. But this time most of the new grass was gone. ...Grass seed i used.. 50% Creeping Red fescue 50% Dwarf Amenity Perennial Ryegrass
Hi.. What time of year did you doit.. If it was right before. A heatwave this would definitely happen.. New grass has shallow roots.. Watering would have been needed at least twice a day without fail.. Let me know
@@LawnRight Thank you for your quick reply. The seeds went down around the end of May / beginning of June. I try and keep the grass a little longer In the summer to try and keep more of the moisture in. Before watering i always check the soil to make sure it’s not to wet. Only time I did not water is when we had heavy rain. Forgot to say its heavy clay soil with lots of top soil on top. So it does hold a lot of water. The grass is barely walked on only time I go on it is when I am doing some maintenance to it. But we do get cats and foxes comes in every now and then. Is the see mix I’m using good? What time of year do you think I should try seeding again?
@@taylormade2826 That is true we did I guess that did not help. I prepared the garden and over seeded 3 weeks ago and I have just started to see signs of new grass. I know the weather has not been on our side so it will take longer..
Great video. I laid a new lawn in November ‘23 - when is the best time to scarify a newly laid lawn? The lawn so far is in good shape - I wasn’t sure whether I should wait a certain amount of time before its first scarify? Many thanks in advance
@@LawnRight thanks Shaun, much appreciated and really enjoy your videos and style of explanation. Look forward to more content in the future and wishing you the very best
What's the best way to raise the level of an existing lawn? I'm talking maybe 6 inches. Not all of it though. Just the bottom end roughly 1.5x5m. Cant figure out the best way to go about this
hi you can bring in 1 or 2 bags of topsoil a month.. rub it into the bottom end.. so it adds maybe half an inch of soil, and is rubbed in between the blades without smothering them.. repeat every few weeks.. the grass will grow up through it an you'll be adding anywhere up to an inch a month :)
Nice work you got it to a good start off point,👍👍now a question 🙋♂️ can you asked who is singing in Manchester too stop,so as I can get a dry day or Couple of days to do the same to my Lawn😂 ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️👍👍👍👍👍👍🇬🇧🍀
Great video. My garden needs the same treatment. What scarifier would you recommend purchasing? And maybe a 2nd option if the first is too expensive. 😂😂 Thanks
I'm about to do my lawn - and it has NEVER been scarified - and I'm talking 55 - 60 years, as it was my parents lawn, and now mine. Maybe, a video of me doing it might be worth a laugh for some watchers. I wonder what scarifier I should buy - and bloody ride on I think - as I have a 1680m2 section.
My scarifier has two cartridges. One has metal blades and the other has sprung tines. Is it best to use the the blades by the looks of this video? When should the tine one be used?
Hi.. So both essentially "rake" the lawn.. The spokes are much less aggressive than the blades.. Use the blades when a deep scarify is needed.. The spokes can be used 2 or 3 times a year to keep thatch down..
You can do to help keep the moss spores down but as its getting warmer it's or quite as important. Anything reasonably balanced will be fine fert wise.. Keep watering too
Love abit of scarifying some what therapeutic and never surprises me how much can come out of a lawn really need to get on and get some done down in the south will try to film some I think
I religiously do ours twice a yr. Still i still bring masses out!! In autumn before the 1st leaf drop - i chaff the first leaf drop with the mower. The rest is sliced n diced to put into compost bins. The 2nd is usually mid to late feb then i top feed with compost n seed.
I’m just about to buy a house with a neglected garden. The lawn runs to about 1.5 acres and is a bit like the one in this video but worse. Very mossy - west of Scotland so probably a wetter climate. I’m seriously thinking of getting in a man with a big machine and clearing the lot then re-seeing. Thoughts?
Either that or buy a dethatcher to go on the back of a ride on mower.. Then use backpack blowers to help clear up.. Or just work it in stages.. Perhaps do the closest first
@@LawnRight thanks, that’s a good idea in terms of a de-thatcher and I’ll probably need one anyway but my inclination is to start with a clean sheet and maintain from there. It will also mean I can get it nicely graded.
Thanks for another great video. After such a scarifying job, do you need to spray with something to keep the moss from spreading? I can imagine the scarifyier must spread some moss spores around the lawn. Would it be good to spray with Iron Sulphate, or what would you recommend?
Yes you can do and I often do but if it's getting warmer I sometimes leave it as the mosswillnaturlsly be dying back anyway an the grass will be picking up
Hi every company will be different.. Total time was about 2 hours or so, so depends how much you need to earn.. Our rates cover wages for 2 people (my wife in the office) plus fuel plus waste removal and a little profit
Just about to start my lawn care journey and your videos are great for guidance as a novice. I have a feeling I’ll have as much if not more thatch when I have a go, the lawn at my new house looks about 50% moss all over!
Im a new sub to the channel mate and was wondering if i could get some advice, please 🙏 My back garden is in desperate need of scarifying, which im going to tackle next week. Its very mossy in some areas, would you recommend putting moss killer down first then scarifying a week or so later?
So you mentioned how that lawn needed it at least once or twice per year. If you do it twice and it takes 6 weeks to not look dead and disgusting, that would be 3 months out of the year with a horrendous looking lawn. I'm not sure I'm understanding why anyone would want that. Edit: I should've finished the video before commenting!
I've no idea why people put fescue down, it always causes problems with thatch and dries out in summer because the grass isn't rooted into the earth but into a thatch layer. Ryegrass looks just as good and doesn't have this same problem with thatch and doesn't dry out as quickly.
I have been reading quite a few of the comments. I'm about to buy a scarifier - and.....my property has NEVER been scarified AND its 55 to 60 years of lawn growth - my parents place and now mine. I might vid my efforts for the sadistic delight of watchers....Oh - did I mention the section is 1680m2? Should make for some entertaining vid footage. And the death of me.
Good lord, the amount of material that came out was insane, personnaly this is why i strongly dislike fescue, rye and bluegrass for me.. for now. Ill be off to warm season grasses shortly
Great to see you back Shaun
It’s been a v tough time for you
Often thought about how you were
Keep up the good work
I can’t tell you how much you have inspired me….
To get a gardener 😅
🤣🤣
We really need guys like you in Texas. You do things properly in multiple steps and you give good reasons for what you do.
Thanks!
Never seen so much thatch come out a lawn. Job well done. I watch alot of gardening lawn jobs and I gotta say you are by far the best.
Thanks your very kind 🙏🙏🙏
You've not seen my lawn then😂
OMG, I just planted 50lbs of Johnston turf saver 93% RTF fescue with 7% HGT bluegrass and seeing the amount of thatch you have makes me want to go vacuum up all those seeds.
You'll be just fine.. As long as its regularly scarified it shouldn't ever get to this stage
Jesus that’s bad! 😅 never seen thatch like that before love to see the update on this in a few weeks
Wow, Shaun...that is a lot of thatch! My lawn is 60-percent fescue, 20-percent rye grass, and 20-percent KBG. When I scarified last year, not even six months after an aggressive renovation, the amount of thatch removed was unexpected. I used the shallowest setting on the scarifier (same as yours) so it just cut into the soil. The lawn looked a little worse than the lawn in this video, but as you said, six weeks later it was better than before. Even today, I can still easily part the grass and see soil.
awesome job and self discovery there Mike! One day I will surely visit and lend a hand!
That lawn looked a hay field after scarification! Looking forward to seeing the follow up in a few weeks 🙏🏻👏 Thanks to your continued tutelage I’m finally learning how to properly care for my lawn 😊
Truthfully it's not done so well. I strongly believe it was not enough water being applied (was just before a heatwave, and they're on sandy soil and went on holiday too ).. It will come back though
What a great job. I certainly would like to see what it looks like now. Thank you for all your hard work.
Thank you 😊 I'll be back there soon
I was absolutely creeped out . . . Until you removed the thatched grass. This was the first time I have seen this. I had no idea that grass could get that thick. Very enlightening. Thank you.
Thanks 😊😊
That was an insane amount of thatch!!! Haha super satisfying video to watch all the thatch surface 😂
Glad you enjoyed it!
I bought a scarifying rake (don't have the space for an electric/petrol one) and I did it yesterday and was taking up so much dead grass and thatch that I wouldn't have even guessed was there - but like you said, I'm horrified by the state of the garden at the minute! Very brown and muddy, especially with the weather. Took the opportunity to aerate and overseed too so hopefully in 5 weeks, it'll start looking better...!
Great work! It's gonna look a lot better for sure
You can rent a machine ! Doing this by hand is BRUTAL
Tell you what though! What a workout it is scarifying it manually. I put my shorts on and ditched the gym for the day.
I agree, manual scarifying is absolutely brutal. I did it for a few years but put my back out the last time I did it so I now borrow my dad's electric one. Bit of a mission as he lives 70 miles away but I would rather that than being laid up for 2 or 3 weeks again.😂
I manually scarified my lawn that hadn’t been touched in 8 years.
It took me 2-3 hours to do 15-20% of the lawn and was really hard work. I did the other 80% in 45 minutes after a neighbour lent me his electric one 🤦🏻♂️
I've not seen that much thatch from a lawn before. Awesome work!
For a DIYer whats a good way to dispose of all the clippings?
Either your household waste recycling centre, or in your garden bin bit by bit or see if there are any recycling farms near you.. You Also sometimes find people on facebook who will get rid for so much per bag
That is insane the amount of dead grass in that lawn!!! I'm very surprised that the lawn didn't have major dead spots in it The lawn didn't look to bad a little yellow from what I could see I guess. Wow great work!
Woah!!!! That's the most I've ever seen taken out. That's about 3xtimes the amount I normally take out
😁😁
Just found your channel. I’ve just moved into a nice house with a massive garden. It looks great but it’s full of clovers instead of lush grass. I want to get it looking how it should be so I can get a nice stripey lawn. What’s the steps to get these clovers removed and make it full of grass ?? Overseeding ?? Scarify ?? Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you
Hi just applying a weedkiller suitable for Lawns like weedol for lawns and regular mowing is the way to go 👍😊
@@LawnRightI have a ride on mower which helps loads but there’s so little grass blades due to the amount of clovers that it’s easy just to keep on top of the mowing. But I will get some weed killer and start this process. Thanks for the reply
Got to have been a bent/fescue lawn? I've got a 1500m2 lawn to do this week in a similar state.
Def fescue not sure if bnet wa sin but the matting was incredible.. Good luck you'll need a lot of waste bags
The issue I have is, ‘yeah it looks rough - for 6 weeks’ it’ll look rough into the summer
How on earth have you managed to find anywhere dry enough round your area to be scarifying :D my poor lawn has been a bog since december
Think I'm just lucky.. This lawn is on very sandy soil so drains pretty well
December ? lucky you, mines a bog since last June
I'm in the same situation regarding wet ground, but I've been advised to scarify very gently, set the machine depth so that initially I just comb the grass and not rake the soil.
@@vermo42Hose ban though
Same I’m googling everywhere to cure a boggy/clay lawn! It’s the worst it’s ever been this year
Should you put feed ,weed and moss killer on after scarifying?
Hi it's not essential but in the same breath it will help it recover while tackling weeds.. I'd give it a week after scarifying though, to allow any weeds to grow a little first, and giving you the chance to get weedkiller onto the leaf
Thank you@@LawnRight
Which do you think works better, scarifying or dethatching?
Hi it's the same thing in my eyes.. Spokes or thin metal spikes are gentler and less aggressive.. The metal blades take more stuff out in one go
One question however - to 'kill' the moss with iron of sulphate first and then scarify OR scarify first?
Best practise is kill first then scarify then another spray to kill off any spores.. But I've not always followed that to the letter and no major issues
Bought a scarifier a few months ago and haven't braved it yet - its a battery powered one (Einhell, needs 2 batteries) - It feels quite daunting, like I'm going to ruin the garden, it seems like we have a lot of thatch and moss but I'm not sure how to confirm, might be best flogging the scarifier and getting a professional in
You can do it.. Put it on the lightest setting once things are drier. Run over a small section and be amazed how much has come out. Rake it up and see what it looks like... Just know that 99% of lawns look rough once done but within a few weeks they are back.. Where it's nearly all moss you'll see big piles coming out and will look pretty bare.. You can simply scatter some seeds down there and keep them watered daily for a month. Even with moss I sometimes just thin it to see if any grass resurges.. As your confidence grows you'll be much happier and doing it every year. Even a light scarify is good as above... But eventually you'll trust the process and results and will then be setting your height of blades so they cut a fine groove into the soil
Thanks for the advice! Going to wait patiently for a dry period and give it a blast!@@LawnRight
Just did my moss lawn and there is nothing left after the wettest winter in my experience. So it’s been treated with iron and feed and now top soul n seed.
Hi.. The iron can affect new seeds.. It's best to wait a couple of weeks if possible after any iron before seeding
@@LawnRight Thank you I will leave it couple weeks.
The more I look at my lawn, and then your videos, but more I’m tempted to just hire you to do it
I grew up having to use a spring rake to de-thatch the yard. Not fun. Wish I’d have had one of those fancy machines back then.
Now i got to search the channel to see if you returned to show the restored lawn
Hi I've been back. The lawn didn't recover well as it went into a little heatwave and they underestimated how much water it would need. Since then they been watering welland sit is now recovering and the patches are getting smaller
What about the borders ?
I might have missed them on this one 😣
Hi. The amount of removed thatch is amazing... Can you tell how do you determine the depth for the blades to sink in?
Hi you just want them to be gently scratching the soil surface 😊
This tool that you used to pit the moss and thach into the bags. Really need that. What is it called?
Hi.. Long handled leaf grabbers
Great job. I've just scarified our lawn. Loads and loads came off it. Mostly moss. I've seeded a few areas with seed mixed with sand. Should I use a liquid fertiliser now or when. It looks like yours at the moment so cannot wait for it to recover. Thanks for great videos. Cheers.
Hi I'd avoid any high nitrogen feeds such as spring or summer feeds.. A feed with higher P and K is better.. Or just give it time to recover..
What do you do with the six inch 'picture frame' of unscarified turf around the edge? Surely that's just going to get higher with more thatch and look silly.
Mostly I hand scarify these lawns round the edges, occasionally I forget 😎
Maybe my grass just isnt that thick but I think the life in my soil just breaks down the lawn clippings faster than I can mow it and I spread my neighbors grass clippings over my little section of grass as fertilizer. my non professional opinion is that all the salt based fertilizers and weed killers everyone sprays on their lawns kills/slows down the life of the soil enough that it can't keep up with grass clippings.
I happen to agree entirely
Great tutorial!
If my lawn had weeds last summer, can I now scarify my lawn this spring? Or will I be increasing the amount of weeds.
All good, just carry on.. You can apply a weedkiller if needed in the coming weeks 😊
Thanks!! for your expertise and quick reply👍🇨🇦
Which scarifier machine do you use ?
The stihl rl540
@@LawnRight thank you! Would you have any alternative cheaper machine for the small garden ? My house is a new house so they did not put enough and good quality top soil , so I plan to dig it with tiller then add topsoil and reseed it. It is around 50m2 . Any suggestion appreciated !
some machines are called lawn dethatcher others scarifier.. is there a difference?
Hi no not really.. Our friends in the US often call them a dethatcher we usually call them scariifers.. Hen there's overlap on the different types.. Groomers in the UK sometime called verticutters.. Main thing is that spokes mean more gentle.. Blades are more aggressive
Hi, im a self employed maintenance gardener in cornwall.
I have not been doing a lot of grass as i know its a lot of work to keep nice.
I have however taken on a few lawns from some of my elderly customers who cant do it themselves anymore.
I have found that just cutting once a fortnight is making these areas look really bad.
Lots of moss, pale grass weeds etc.
I use a rotary mower.
I have just invested in a new scarifier and will be telling my customers that more work needs to be done to these lawns as they are not doing my self esteem or reputation any good as they are.
Its a bit scarry tearing up someone's lawn and turning it from green to brown both for them and myself.
Any tips would be gratefully received.
I have a fertilizer spinner and knapsack spry on the way and some seed, fertilizer and iron from a local landscaper who has given up trading.
Help!
Lol
Ps
I really am enjoying watching your videos and I'm look forward to being able to get a lawn looking as good as some of yours.
Hi 😊. All I can say is that it is scary and daunting... Go slow and steady... Maybe do yours and family first to gain confidenxe
can anyone advice. do i use the rakes or the knifes on the scarifier?
For thick stuff the knives are better.. They're both in essence removing stuff from the thatch layer but blades will take out more faster as they more aggressive.. You can of course use the rakes but it'll take longer and need to go over it more times. For regular use once you've got the thatch under control you can use the rakes more often
@@LawnRight thanks for the advice
Great job. What's the name of the scarifier machine?
It's the stihl 540.(viking 540)
What do you do with all the bags of waste?
Usually I ask if I can use their bin first and I take the rest to a farm that does green waste recycling
dethath and then seeds them?
Yes after seeding they ideally should be covered with a thin layer of dirt or compost
Add mycorrhizae and plant grade molasses to the garden/lawn to stimulate benifitial fungus growth. The worms will love it as well, and multiply. Both will fretilize the lawn. Also consider raising the deck height to increase shade and moisture in the lawn. It will stand tall, and never need another round of fertilizer.
Thanks for the tips!
The best Gardner on TH-cam to watch.
After watching your videos i did my very first scarifying, Aerating, Over seeding & granule fertilising last year on my small front lawn my turf has been down 3 years. I tried to follow your advice the best i could what Is left of the original grass looks lovely and green. Most of the seeds germinated and the grass was looking lovely and thick. I left the seeds for 4 weeks after first sign of germinating before cutting around One-third each time. After 2 or 3 cuts most of the new grass started to deplete. I watered the grass most days in the early evening. (Any advice would be appreciated)
Ps: I have found we get a lot of worm castings in the lawn. We get the morning sun on the grass in the afternoon it goes in the back garden.
Fertiliser Ivisons 11-5-5 all season lawn boost pro mini granular. I put a small amount of fertiliser down about 2 months after to see if it would help it made the original grass look more healthy and greener. But this time most of the new grass was gone.
...Grass seed i used..
50% Creeping Red fescue
50% Dwarf Amenity Perennial Ryegrass
Hi.. What time of year did you doit.. If it was right before. A heatwave this would definitely happen.. New grass has shallow roots.. Watering would have been needed at least twice a day without fail.. Let me know
@@LawnRight Thank you for your quick reply. The seeds went down around the end of May / beginning of June. I try and keep the grass a little longer In the summer to try and keep more of the moisture in. Before watering i always check the soil to make sure it’s not to wet. Only time I did not water is when we had heavy rain.
Forgot to say its heavy clay soil with lots of top soil on top. So it does hold a lot of water. The grass is barely walked on only time I go on it is when I am doing some maintenance to it. But we do get cats and foxes comes in every now and then.
Is the see mix I’m using good?
What time of year do you think I should try seeding again?
@@Islander.1 hi the seeds fine.. I'd look to reseed early April if possible
@Islander.1 if I remember right last year may and June was red hot so definitely seed early April mate
@@taylormade2826 That is true we did I guess that did not help. I prepared the garden and over seeded 3 weeks ago and I have just started to see signs of new grass. I know the weather has not been on our side so it will take longer..
Great video. I laid a new lawn in November ‘23 - when is the best time to scarify a newly laid lawn? The lawn so far is in good shape - I wasn’t sure whether I should wait a certain amount of time before its first scarify? Many thanks in advance
Hi.. Now is as good a time as any.. Basically good to go once the lawn is established which is usually a few months with turf
@@LawnRight thanks Shaun, much appreciated and really enjoy your videos and style of explanation. Look forward to more content in the future and wishing you the very best
Wow, insane the amount of old grass that was in the one piece. Great job !!!!
Thanks.. I reckon id have got even more out if I went again
Great video, really professional.
Much appreciated!
What's the best way to raise the level of an existing lawn? I'm talking maybe 6 inches. Not all of it though. Just the bottom end roughly 1.5x5m. Cant figure out the best way to go about this
hi you can bring in 1 or 2 bags of topsoil a month.. rub it into the bottom end.. so it adds maybe half an inch of soil, and is rubbed in between the blades without smothering them.. repeat every few weeks.. the grass will grow up through it an you'll be adding anywhere up to an inch a month :)
Hi..can I scarifying on damp soil/grass 🤔
Hi yes if it's not squelchy underfoot.. But always better to wait a little longer
@LawnRight absolutely loads of moss.. hired a scarifier for weekend so will just have to go for it 👀
Great video. Can you get decent diy scarifiers?
Yes there's a budget one in screwfix and some reason ale budget ones with blades.. Hyundai on amazon which are pretty good
What is your opinion on pre-germinating the seeds prior to spreading them? I’m about to overseed my lawn and considering trying pre-germinating them
It's a great idea ☺️
@@LawnRight thanks💪🏼 will defo try then
Wow! That’s a lot of dead grass, do you get the same problem if you use a dwarf rye grass seed for your lawn
Hi.. Almost zero thatch with dwarf Rye 😉😉😉.. But it doesn't spread or repair so any patches would need seeding
thankyou for you advice@@LawnRight
Nice work you got it to a good start off point,👍👍now a question 🙋♂️ can you asked who is singing in Manchester too stop,so as I can get a dry day or Couple of days to do the same to my Lawn😂 ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️👍👍👍👍👍👍🇬🇧🍀
I can... Hang on... Just done it.. Should be good day after tomorrow
@@LawnRight cheers 🥃☘️☘️
Great video. My garden needs the same treatment. What scarifier would you recommend purchasing? And maybe a 2nd option if the first is too expensive. 😂😂 Thanks
Hi screw fix have one in at under £70... See my latest video as I mention this th-cam.com/video/EtvVeEcQwqA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ifmly06iejY-05cm
thanks mate. have a great week. best wishes from Liverpool
You too
Where about are you in Liverpool Dave?
Do you ever top dress with compost as a type of feed?
By the way, you really gave that spongy lawn a good seeing to!
Hi, yes :). In fact I use compost in 99% of my renovations, simply as a feed, and seed covering
If I did this a lot I’d have to get myself one of those big outdoor vacuums, hoover up all the stuff it pulls up.
Sound like a plan! 😁😁
Can you imagine what a lawn would look like if it never been done and they finally do it
I'm about to do my lawn - and it has NEVER been scarified - and I'm talking 55 - 60 years, as it was my parents lawn, and now mine.
Maybe, a video of me doing it might be worth a laugh for some watchers.
I wonder what scarifier I should buy - and bloody ride on I think - as I have a 1680m2 section.
Why arent scarifiers power driven?
Im not sure but it's a good question 👍
What sort of depth do you set your scarifier for this?
Awesome vids by the way
I'm curious too (posting so I can see the reply 😃)
Hi the aim is to get it to just scrape the soil surface about 5mm
I have never de thatched my lawn ever. 30 years and it comes in green every year.
Cool story, bro
Take it to the next level lad I want to see it looking like anfield
In the USA we call it “dethatching}
Gota say, That looked like the bottom half of my rear lawn, But with more grass..lol
I always fertilise straight after the clearing up mow, grass always recovers quicker, do you agree?
Yes absolutely and plenty of watering
My scarifier has two cartridges. One has metal blades and the other has sprung tines. Is it best to use the the blades by the looks of this video? When should the tine one be used?
Hi.. So both essentially "rake" the lawn.. The spokes are much less aggressive than the blades.. Use the blades when a deep scarify is needed.. The spokes can be used 2 or 3 times a year to keep thatch down..
That is most material pulled up from one pass I have ever seen.
Good god
😊😊
Should i spray liquid iron after scarifying and also what fertiliser best to use after scarifying ?
You can do to help keep the moss spores down but as its getting warmer it's or quite as important. Anything reasonably balanced will be fine fert wise.. Keep watering too
Love abit of scarifying some what therapeutic and never surprises me how much can come out of a lawn really need to get on and get some done down in the south will try to film some I think
I religiously do ours twice a yr.
Still i still bring masses out!!
In autumn before the 1st leaf drop - i chaff the first leaf drop with the mower. The rest is sliced n diced to put into compost bins.
The 2nd is usually mid to late feb then i top feed with compost n seed.
Nice!
Where do you buy your nail varnish? 😂
It's nice isn't it 😁😁
What in the Margaret Thatcher is going on with that grass. Wowzers!
😂😂
How come you got shut of the stihl scarifier?
Hi stihl got it ☺️☺️ it's needing new blades that's all
@@LawnRight bloody Eck! Do you change your car if it gets dirty as well 😂🤣😂
@@betterlawns4u 🤣🤣. I thought every one did? 🤣🤣
@@LawnRight 😂🤣😂🤣
I’m just about to buy a house with a neglected garden. The lawn runs to about 1.5 acres and is a bit like the one in this video but worse. Very mossy - west of Scotland so probably a wetter climate. I’m seriously thinking of getting in a man with a big machine and clearing the lot then re-seeing. Thoughts?
Either that or buy a dethatcher to go on the back of a ride on mower.. Then use backpack blowers to help clear up.. Or just work it in stages.. Perhaps do the closest first
@@LawnRight thanks, that’s a good idea in terms of a de-thatcher and I’ll probably need one anyway but my inclination is to start with a clean sheet and maintain from there. It will also mean I can get it nicely graded.
Was she related to William....Thatcher?
Maybe 🤔🤔😁😁
Wow I thought I got a lot of thatch out of my lawn
done my brother in laws lawn and it was just like that.
looking forward to the after visit :)
Thanks for another great video. After such a scarifying job, do you need to spray with something to keep the moss from spreading? I can imagine the scarifyier must spread some moss spores around the lawn.
Would it be good to spray with Iron Sulphate, or what would you recommend?
Yes you can do and I often do but if it's getting warmer I sometimes leave it as the mosswillnaturlsly be dying back anyway an the grass will be picking up
Just like doctors say, it looks worse afterwards, give it time to heal.
I've never seen so much moss come up. How much would you charge for scarifying a lawn of this size?
It's thatch(dead grass and debris),not moss.
Hi every company will be different.. Total time was about 2 hours or so, so depends how much you need to earn.. Our rates cover wages for 2 people (my wife in the office) plus fuel plus waste removal and a little profit
You should have shown the six weeks after pictures…
I've got this little video which was 1 week later th-cam.com/users/shorts7pcy8Y-al5A?feature=share. But I've not been back yet
30 cm of snow this week. Snowing like crazy here at 4 in the morning. I could say this lawn looks rough. I won't because mine is covered in snow! 🇨🇦
Omg! Whereabouts are you?
@@LawnRight calgary alberta
New scarifier? That’s amazing how much comes out
Hi it's my older one.. It's got good blades on it whereas my new scarifier is in need of new blades
Just about to start my lawn care journey and your videos are great for guidance as a novice. I have a feeling I’ll have as much if not more thatch when I have a go, the lawn at my new house looks about 50% moss all over!
@@stevensamuel4093 you got this!
I do that to my cat each spring to help him get rid of his winter coat.
😲😲😲 🤣
Great video
Thanks very muchly 😊😊
Blimey, that keeps you fit!
Yep!
Im a new sub to the channel mate and was wondering if i could get some advice, please 🙏
My back garden is in desperate need of scarifying, which im going to tackle next week. Its very mossy in some areas, would you recommend putting moss killer down first then scarifying a week or so later?
Hi, and welcome! yes it makes sense to do so, but going against the grain, Id also say while its warmer its not the end of the world if you don't
@LawnRight much appreciated buddy 👍
Why didn’t you scalp it first?
I'm happy to scarify anywhere upto an inch or 2
I thought people only scalped when they were over seeding after scarifying. No over seeding was done here.
Mine is like that only it's not big enough to justify a powered scarifier so I do it with the wolf garten rake, swearing in German for hours!
Ouch! Lol..
So you mentioned how that lawn needed it at least once or twice per year. If you do it twice and it takes 6 weeks to not look dead and disgusting, that would be 3 months out of the year with a horrendous looking lawn. I'm not sure I'm understanding why anyone would want that. Edit: I should've finished the video before commenting!
Hi 😁. Yeah when done regularly it looks very minimal when done and recovers very fast, maybe a week
I've no idea why people put fescue down, it always causes problems with thatch and dries out in summer because the grass isn't rooted into the earth but into a thatch layer. Ryegrass looks just as good and doesn't have this same problem with thatch and doesn't dry out as quickly.
I put fescue down because it handles our drought times a lot better than other grasses.
I have been reading quite a few of the comments.
I'm about to buy a scarifier - and.....my property has NEVER been scarified AND its 55 to 60 years of lawn growth - my parents place and now mine.
I might vid my efforts for the sadistic delight of watchers....Oh - did I mention the section is 1680m2?
Should make for some entertaining vid footage.
And the death of me.
Oh my.. Slow and steady and perhaps just do a section at a time eg the closest lawn section first
Can you imagine just leaving the thatch on there 😂😂😂
Would make my job easier 😁😁
Wow thats alot of thatch, would love some after videos if your near by, but appreciate they could be a one off visit.
I'll try
Wow!
WOW, that was a LOT of thatch. Did she ask "what have you done with my lawn" when she popped out? 🤣
Lol no. She was aware of what was happening 😊😊
Good lord, the amount of material that came out was insane, personnaly this is why i strongly dislike fescue, rye and bluegrass for me.. for now. Ill be off to warm season grasses shortly
Wow a sea of thatch! 😅
Swimmingly 🤣
Dang! That's some serious thatch going on there.
Bet that was satisfying to do
very much so :)