Scarifier or rake?

mandrose

Myself & mum share a house with a large garden and we have finally admitted this year that we need some help to maintain it.

The lawn particularly needs a lot of work as it is thick with moss. We had a gardener come for 4 hours a couple of weeks ago who only managed to rake a small section in that time. To be honest I wasn't keen on him, so a friend has introduced me to another gardener who seems very knowledgeable and obviously loves gardening. He also said he was happy for us to potter around while he is here!

I mentioned getting an electric scarifier and he said that would be a good idea to speed up the process but he was also happy if we wanted to get a manual one. He has a licence to spray moss killer too & may use that if needed.

I didn't realise how many different scarifiers there are and I'm now completely confused. I need to keep,the price down, so maximum spend would be approx £70. I just wondered if anyone can advise me on the best one to get? Also is an electric rake the same thing?

If anyone can help,with my dilemma I would be very grateful

glasgowdan

What's a manual scarifier when it's at home? Sounds like a whole lot of work.

I am a pro gardener and have a large commercial machine. However, I once used a client's electric one and it did an ok job. You need to take the bag off and throw it in the bin though! Prop the flap open with string and wear overalls and eye protection, and run the machine over every bit of the lawn in 3 different directions. You'll be walking through a sea of moss.

Once you're done, pick it up with a rake. A chelwood 32p is an excellent rake for this type of thing.

You also can get good mosskill by applying evergreen 4 in 1 to the whole lawn 2-4 weeks beforehand.

I wouldn't go mad with the depth you scarify as springtime usually sees a light tickle and autumn is the time for verticutting.

glasgowdan

This is an April scarify on a lawn that didn't actually look very mossy. Be prepared for a lot of moss.

I_have_spoken

I'd speak to your new gardener about hiring a unit. An electric rake is under a tenner a day from HSS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy2iNtSKn54

That said, if you do have a big lawn with moss problems, consider going for hollow-tine aeration then scarify and application of lawn sand by a professional crew.

paddyrg

Off-topic a bit, but why are people so down on moss? It's softer and comfier than grass!

mandrose

Thank you so much for your replies - I'm waiting for the Gardner to contact me to talk about it properly. After seeing the amount of moss in the photo above (my garden is slightly bigger), I'm a bit fearful of having a very bald lawn for the summer if we go ahead now, as I know we definitely have a lot of moss! I'm going to ask if we would be better to leave as is for now (at least it's green), so we can enjoy the garden a bit & maybe start clearing it in Autumn. Although we are not the greatest gardeners ourselves we work hard to have a lovely show in our borders & plant lots of pots. We enjoy being out there with friends, so it would be a shame not to have that this year!

To be honest I had never heard of a scarifier before until I started researching a bit - by manual I meant a non electric one that is like an old fashioned push mower! :rotfl:

mandrose

paddyrg wrote: »

Off-topic a bit, but why are people so down on moss? It's softer and comfier than grass!

My sister said exactly the same to me yesterday and I have to admit I couldn't answer her!! I love stripes in my grass when just cut & I didn't get that in the mossy parts last time I cut it! Maybe that's it!

I also love our garden so much in the summer with the arched wisteria in bloom and pots galour with colourful pansies etc. To me it would finish off the fantasy to have a lovely luxurious lawn to go with it!