HOW TO RAKE AND SCARIFY

The process of raking and scarifying your lawn can be potentially damaging to your lawn, so it is important that you follow the below steps when doing so and follow the golden rule. 

GOLDEN RULE:

Take it easy! We want to gently remove the thatch and dead material. If you start removing healthy grass, then stop and take it easier.

The resulting lawn can look worse than it did before you started, but don’t be put off by that. This process promotes better growth and your lawn will come back stronger for it. 

Raking

When raking your lawn, follow the below advice:

Follow the Golden Rule

Take it easy. Start gently and look to tease out the thatch and dead material. If this is working and not causing damage, then feel free to start increasing the force providing you are not removing healthy grass

Segment Your Lawn

Try to be methodical about raking to ensure you get full and even coverage. Segment your lawn into sections and work on them one at a time. You can use items laying around and physically lay them on the lawn (such as string, rope, bamboo canes, timber, etc). 

Don’t Apply Downward Pressure

You want to pull the rake horizontally through the lawn rather than applying downward pressure. So pull the rake towards you and do not push down on it. 

2-3 Strokes Per Patch

To ensure you do not over-rake your lawn, stick to 2 or 3 strokes on each patch of your lawn each time you pass over the lawn. Collect the discarded material and then do another run if needed.

Use a Lawn Mower to Pick Up the Debris

Once you have done each pass of raking, you will have the dead material and debris sat on the top of your lawn. Rather than collecting it by hand, use your lawn mower to collect this. Set the mower to a high setting and run it over the lawn to collect the material. You are not trying to cut the lawn when doing this, instead, you just want to collect the debris. 

Scarifying

When scarifying your lawn, follow the below advice:

Start High and Work Down

Your scarifier will have different height settings, so start at the top and work down. The first pass should remove small amounts rather than big chunks. 

Do Multiple Passes Over the Lawn

So once you have started high, opt for a lower setting on the second pass and cut a little deeper. A lawn that is well kept will only need 2 passes over it, but a lawn that is less well looked after may need 3 or even 4. 

Change Your Direction

When doing the multiple passes over the lawn, change your direction. By changing direction, this will allow you to ensure that you have a more even removal of thatch and dead material. Avoid going at right angles to the initial direction and instead, opt for a diagonal direction.

Collect the Removed Thatch

When you are done, you will have the thatch and dead material all over your lawn. To collect them up, rake them into piles and dispose of them. It is also a good idea to mow your lawn afterwards to pick up the last bits of the dead material.

And Finally…

Once you have scarified or raked your lawn, this is the perfect time to overseed it. Check out how to do this here.