Scarifier recommendations for our grass

grassylawn

Our lawns are probably about a third of an acre. We have compacted heavy clay soil. Our grass is not doing great. There are bare patches and yellow patches and in other places it is yellowing a bit even while generally dark green.

There is a lot of moss. Not something we dislike for its own sake but perhaps that is part of the issue.

We left large areas grow untended with a view to improving biodiversity. This might have worked because we get loads of wildlife including bats, foxes, voles and loads of birds. But those areas now are fairly yellow with a lot of thatch from flattened long grass or clumped clippings.

Have a mulching mower that works great if it's dry enough when cutting. But a lot was cut while damp, or cut with a brush-cutter.

The ground is uneven in places to varying extents. That said, the most important parts are level enough that it shouldn't be an issue, and the worst parts are so bad that I don't see any scarifier working great...

I think a scarifier might improve things a lot, especially in the areas that we let turn to meadow last year.

This one looks good for the price but a number of reviews suggest the motor can burn out. It would be annoying using a cable device but I think I can get over that with a tool that would only be used once a year or so.

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/wr6002-1500-32cm-raker-scarifier-230-240v/296fg#product_additional_details_container

This one is a safer bet but is almost four times the price before you add the battery price (I have one 5V ryobi battery already but it takes two)

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/RY18SFX35A-0-Ryobi-18-V/dp/B084XX1TVS

Any opinions on the above, or other recommendations/advice?

I greatly prefer electric tools to petrol ones.

Blowheads

grassylawn wrote: »

Our lawns are probably about a third of an acre. We have compacted heavy clay soil. Our grass is not doing great. There are bare patches and yellow patches and in other places it is yellowing a bit even while generally dark green.

There is a lot of moss. Not something we dislike for its own sake but perhaps that is part of the issue.

We left large areas grow untended with a view to improving biodiversity. This might have worked because we get loads of wildlife including bats, foxes, voles and loads of birds. But those areas now are fairly yellow with a lot of thatch from flattened long grass or clumped clippings.

Have a mulching mower that works great if it's dry enough when cutting. But a lot was cut while damp, or cut with a brush-cutter.

The ground is uneven in places to varying extents. That said, the most important parts are level enough that it shouldn't be an issue, and the worst parts are so bad that I don't see any scarifier working great...

I think a scarifier might improve things a lot, especially in the areas that we let turn to meadow last year.

This one looks good for the price but a number of reviews suggest the motor can burn out. It would be annoying using a cable device but I think I can get over that with a tool that would only be used once a year or so.

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/wr6002-1500-32cm-raker-scarifier-230-240v/296fg#product_additional_details_container

This one is a safer bet but is almost four times the price before you add the battery price (I have one 5V ryobi battery already but it takes two)

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/RY18SFX35A-0-Ryobi-18-V/dp/B084XX1TVS

Any opinions on the above, or other recommendations/advice?

I greatly prefer electric tools to petrol ones.

Rent one, it'll be bigger and stronger and do a better job than this one. It's not something you'll be doing regularly throughout the season, maybe one a year.

But I'm not sure it will solve your problem since you don't have a lawn or a scrub. A decent cut, fertilizer, moss killer, weed killer?
Good fertilizer will green it up

Zardoz

You really need the grass to be fairly short to scarify it , if its a meadow then it wont be feasible to scarify.

Best to cut it on the lawmowers highest setting and try to reduce it to 3-4 inches high.

Gradually reduce it to 2-3 inches high and spray iron sulphate to kill the moss, it will also green the grass and encourage finer grass to grow.

Maybe scarify it in the Autumn then once its someway resembling a lawn.

legend99

Screwfix is a tiler/rotavator. Different tool to a scarifier.

grassylawn

legend99 wrote: »

Screwfix is a tiler/rotavator. Different tool to a scarifier.

It says it is a scarifier in the name.

legend99

grassylawn wrote: »

It says it is a scarifier in the name.

Weird. When I clicked last night a rotavator was coming up. Now it's a scarifier so apologies.

grassylawn

I don't understand the advice to wait until there is more of a lawn. One of the problems is that there is a lot of thatch, especially where I let it grow long before clipping it. I would have thought it would make sense to remove the thatch sooner rather than later?

charcosull

I have that scarifier. Our lawn was probably 70% moss. It removed an incredible amount of moss and thatch.
Everything is nicely thinned out now. I have fertilised the grass that is remaining and will probably Where are you based? I am in Galway, you are more than welcome to borrow the scarifier for a week if you want to give it a go. I took a chance on it as it was a similar price than renting.

Zardoz

grassylawn wrote: »

I don't understand the advice to wait until there is more of a lawn. One of the problems is that there is a lot of thatch, especially where I let it grow long before clipping it. I would have thought it would make sense to remove the thatch sooner rather than later?

You said that you thought the scarifier would work well in the areas that you let turn to meadow last year.

How high is that grass ?
Have you heard of the 1/3rd rule about reducing height ?

SouthWesterly

Lidl or aldi have one in the next week or so. For 79e.

The trick is to pull it backwards not push.

grassylawn

I have that scarifier. Our lawn was probably 70% moss. It removed an incredible amount of moss and thatch.
Everything is nicely thinned out now. I have fertilised the grass that is remaining and will probably Where are you based? I am in Galway, you are more than welcome to borrow the scarifier for a week if you want to give it a go. I took a chance on it as it was a similar price than renting.

Thanks, nice of you, but I'm not near Galway.

You said that you thought the scarifier would work well in the areas that you let turn to meadow last year.

How high is that grass ?
Have you heard of the 1/3rd rule about reducing height ?

Oh I see. I didn't make it clear that I did cut them in the late Summer last year. Some with a brush-cutter, some with a good mulching mower but the grass was often too damp for it to work as well as it might have. Those areas remained noticeably more yellow compared to the grass around them that was clipped more regularly. I realise that is because of thatch on them from flattened dead grass and clumped clippings. Though most of the grass did just turn yellow before I cut it at all. I think that was because the soil is very compacted so there wasn't anywhere for the roots to go to support such long grass.

Lidl or aldi have one in the next week or so. For 79e.

The trick is to pull it backwards not push.

Thanks for the heads up. That's a similar price point to the one on screwfix that I linked. How does it compare? Is it petrol/battery/corded?

legend99

SouthWesterly wrote: »

Lidl or aldi have one in the next week or so. For 79e.

The trick is to pull it backwards not push.

Aldi. Next Sunday. Ironic, after my earlier mistake that the picture on the link is a tiller but when you click in it is a scarifier lol!

Electric Lawn Scarifier & Aerator for just €79.99. Check it out: https://aldi.ie/p/803586462124800

SouthWesterly

grassylawn wrote: »

Thanks, nice of you, but I'm not near Galway.



Oh I see. I didn't make it clear that I did cut them in the late Summer last year. Some with a brush-cutter, some with a good mulching mower but the grass was often too damp for it to work as well as it might have. Those areas remained noticeably more yellow compared to the grass around them that was clipped more regularly. I realise that is because of thatch on them from flattened dead grass and clumped clippings. Though most of the grass did just turn yellow before I cut it at all. I think that was because the soil is very compacted so there wasn't anywhere for the roots to go to support such long grass.



Thanks for the heads up. That's a similar price point to the one on screwfix that I linked. How does it compare? Is it petrol/battery/corded?

Electric with 3 year guarantee. We spread mobacter on the lawns this afternoon to deal with what's left.

Citizenpain

grassylawn wrote: »

Thanks, nice of you, but I'm not near Galway.



Oh I see. I didn't make it clear that I did cut them in the late Summer last year. Some with a brush-cutter, some with a good mulching mower but the grass was often too damp for it to work as well as it might have. Those areas remained noticeably more yellow compared to the grass around them that was clipped more regularly. I realise that is because of thatch on them from flattened dead grass and clumped clippings. Though most of the grass did just turn yellow before I cut it at all. I think that was because the soil is very compacted so there wasn't anywhere for the roots to go to support such long grass.



Thanks for the heads up. That's a similar price point to the one on screwfix that I linked. How does it compare? Is it petrol/battery/corded?

I have it . Collection box is useless and it’s small . Wear something to protect your legs .
It’s fine for a once every 3 years job

glog

SouthWesterly wrote: »

Electric with 3 year guarantee. We spread mobacter on the lawns this afternoon to deal with what's left.

FYI:
I have previously used Mobacter, in the middle to end of March, to combat moss.
Ultimately, it had little or no effect on the moss so I contacted Viano (manufacturer).

This is what they said:
The higher the temperature the faster and better the effects will be against the mosses. A minimum of 12°C is needed to notice an effect.

So, you may have put it down too early to kill the moss, however, you will still get a residual fertilizing effect.

grassylawn

Citizenpain wrote: »

I have it . Collection box is useless and it’s small . Wear something to protect your legs .
It’s fine for a once every 3 years job

Protect my legs from getting dirty or protect them from getting injured?

grassylawn

grassylawn wrote: »

Protect my legs from getting dirty or protect them from getting injured?

For protection against the flying stones and stuff that will get ejected out the back.

Don't wear shorts!

DJIMI TRARORE

Sorry for ambushing the thread, I'm in the market for a scarifier at the moment, non electric which rules out Aldi and the screwfix models. Willing to pay 3-350,any help appreciated, will be used between 2 houses with decent size lawns

grassylawn

DJIMI TRARORE wrote: »

Sorry for ambushing the thread, I'm in the market for a scarifier at the moment, non electric which rules out Aldi and the screwfix models. Willing to pay 3-350,any help appreciated, will be used between 2 houses with decent size lawns

No worries.
I got the Aldi one anyway. It is still sitting in the car though.

charlesanto

Has anyone used the like of THIS

adocholiday

Anyone tried the Aldi one yet? Might pick it up tomorrow if there's any left, my front and back lawns are blanketed in moss badly needs doing.

grassylawn

adocholiday wrote: »

Anyone tried the Aldi one yet? Might pick it up tomorrow if there's any left, my front and back lawns are blanketed in moss badly needs doing.

Yes. But for long stalky dead grass thatch rather than moss.
It clogged easily with same when i tried it without cutting it short first. But seems to work well when used as instructed on highest setting with blades.

Gorteen

I have a scarifying blade I use on my push mower. It's easy to change and I put it on once a year to scarify after treating the moss... Mighty job!

hanloj1

adocholiday wrote: »

Anyone tried the Aldi one yet? Might pick it up tomorrow if there's any left, my front and back lawns are blanketed in moss badly needs doing.

Still few left in my local

nicol

charlesanto wrote: »

Has anyone used the like of THIS

I just had one delivered to me this morning. I've heard differing recommendations as to when to use it. One person suggested letting the lawn (and the moss) dry out a bit more before using. The other suggestion was to use Iron Sulphate to kill the moss and then use it.

Gorteen wrote: »

I have a scarifying blade I use on my push mower. It's easy to change and I put it on once a year to scarify after treating the moss... Mighty job!

Do you do any prep on the lawn first?

Gorteen

nicol wrote: »

Do you do any prep on the lawn first?

I cut the grass to reduce the amount of "stuff" to collect after scarifying. I use my push-mower with no box (wear wellies to protect shins) and the I gather up the result of the scarifying with the ride on mower

hanloj1

nicol wrote: »

I just had one delivered to me this morning. I've heard differing recommendations as to when to use it. One person suggested letting the lawn (and the moss) dry out a bit more before using. The other suggestion was to use Iron Sulphate to kill the moss and then use it.



Do you do any prep on the lawn first?

https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2058065966/1

Qwerty?

charlesanto wrote: »

Has anyone used the like of THIS

Yep, bought one last year. Does a great job. Can't be used on a ride on though.