Should i scarify my lawn in october

Some lawns don't need much in the way of scarifying so check for thatch first. If it needs doing only consider this in October if it has remained mild and grass growth is good.

The temperatures, particularly from Yorkshire and Lancashire northwards are getting a little too low for good recovery. In addition, if conditions are dry then recovery after scarification may be compromised. Either water thoroughly, wait for enough rain several inches may be needed or postpone until the spring.

If you're new to scarifying a very handy tool is our Lawn Scarifier. This is great for smaller lawns or for the edges and awkward places on larger lawns. For small to medium lawns an electic lawn raker can usually manage but consider hiring or buying a petrol scarifier for large lawns. Finally, don't forget to fertilise and over seed your lawn after raking or scarifying. This is an often neglected part of the renovation process leading to slow recovery with patchy lawns that end up full of weeds and weed grasses.

So, use the Autumn Fertiliser and finally over sow with new grass seed to make your lawns sparkle. Watch the Video See the Scarifier. Leaves: Weekly collection is very important for grass health and to reduce moss, disease and worm activity. If you have a rotary mower and the leaves are dry use it to suck up the leaves.

Make sure conditions are not too wet or soft before working on the lawn. If the surface is firm then re-cutting edges is in order plus any repairs using turf. Disease: Two diseases rust and fusarium may be present at this time of year though they usually go unnoticed by all but the most addicted Lawnsmith! Fusarium can also be a sign of poor turf health, high thatch levels, poor air circulation, compaction or just persistent wet conditions.

If you do experience an attack it is usually of little consequence in a domestic lawn. Do look for possible causes though as you can resolve any problems ready for next year. Leatherjackets: Though this is the time of year you'd normally treat for leather jackets the chemical Provado Lawn Grub Killer has been withdrawn from sale in the EU. We will advise you when we know of a replacement.

Worms: Though it's best to treat for worms at the first sign, they will continue to surface throughout the winter and produce muddy casts that cause mowing problems.

Worms are beneficial in that they digest organic matter providing nutrients and enriching the soil. They also do some valuable aeration. As the warmth of August and September starts to disappear, grass growth slows at this time of year, so typically it will be your last month of regular mowing.

Expect to adjust the mowing frequency to once a fortnight or less, and keep mower blades high. If you have sown new grass seed , this month offers the last opportunity to mow newly sown areas. Look for inches of growth before mowing newly seeded areas. Just like in September , you should keep your mower clean by brushing down grass clippings after every use.

This will prevent problems caused by the build up of damp grass. Stick to mowing in the afternoon where possible and avoid mowing after heavy rainfall. You can also use a hollow tine aerator. This will improve drainage and help with moss problems. Do this before applying a lawn treatment to help prepare the soil. October is actually a great month to fertilise your lawn. Just make sure you switch to an autumn lawn fertiliser.

These contain a different balance of nutrients which support the growth cycle of your grass at this time of year. As you may have read in our September lawn care diary , your autumn lawn will need more potassium and magnesium. These minerals will help to strengthen root growth rather than encouraging the green shoots.

After reading your informative guide on scarifying, I tried to show this to our gardener BUT as you mentioned the work is slow for them in winter, so sacrificed!! IF there is frost there, surely scarifying is not possible, or is it?

We live very near the sea and the ground was frosted over. Am I right that we should have waited until spring for scarifying? Any idea what temperature should be there to carry out scarifying? Your help would be very helpful to show our gardener. Hi Kiran, Thanks for reading.

You should only scarify your lawn when the grass is growing strongly. This is only in periods of warm soil temperatures, good sunshine and rain.

Usually this is spring and autumn. At this time of year November the frosts have arrived and the grass has slowed its growth. This means that if you scarify it aggressively and take all the leaves off then the grass will just stay damaged all winter. It will look awful and be prone to disease, rotting and moss ingress on the soil surface, as there will be no leaves to protect it.

This is bad news and you may not have a very good lawn next year. So yes, you should have waited until spring. Regards Kris Lord. Now though I am seeing signs of moss! Moss ingress is generally a symptom of weak grass, so if you are getting thick moss every year, try to look at why that might be and look to cure the source problem rather than just tackling the moss.

Have a look at my article How to scarify a lawn for more information on how to judge if your lawn really needs scarifying or if other treatments maybe more suitable.

Hi, Just wanted to say a big thank you for such clear, explicit and really helpful advice — makes a massive difference to novice gardeners like myself! This is very useful information. I have scarified only part of my lawn today, it was quite long and lush and quite damp but now seems to look awful very ruffed up and has left bare patches! Have not done the rest as I am afraid it will not recover. Should I have cut it shorter prior to doing the scarifying or should it look like this?

Please help. Hi Norman, I would give it a month and see how it gets on. Sometimes you can be a little too aggressive and some patches may struggle to recover, for these areas you can repair with a little grass seed and topsoil.

If it was a very lush lawn beforehand, it will have a good healthy roots system and should be just fine. Hi Kris, All sound advice but I have just one query at the moment. We are waiting for delivery of a scarifying machine and intend doing the job at the end of September or early October.

Would we need to scarify in the spring as well? Basically, doing a thorough job with a proper scarifying machine in the autumn will save you lots of work in the future!

Thank you! I live in the greater London area. Temperature today is 8C and no frost is forecast for the next several days. Plus there are rain showers forecast.

Can I go ahead and use my new scarifying machine? Hi Roshan, Thanks for your nice comments! We are just on the edge of the scarification season at the moment, so I think you should be okay to give it a light scarification.

However, if it has a thick thatch layer or if you plan on overseeding afterwards though then I would wait a couple of weeks yet. Very useful advice thanks I have just scarifyed my lawn it was fine yesterday but woke to a frost this morning will my lawn be ok many thanks. Hi Ben, Thanks for your question. This dormant period will allow fungal diseases and moss to encroach, which is not ideal at all. Next time, wait until the soil is warmer! Your email address will not be published.

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Join the RHS today and support our charity Join now. Lawns Improving In many colder areas, this month is the last opportunity to scarify, aerate and top dress lawns. Feeding Afterwards apply an autumn lawn feed; these are low in nitrogen, so discouraging lush green growth that would only succumb to cold and diseases over the winter months. Sowing This is definitely your last chance to sow grass seed in mild areas of the UK.