RENOVATING THE LAWN - Scarifying on a Budget!

[@AnthonyHitmanDarts]

First one here ...... boom The second attachment you used is much better, especially for over seeding and top dressing as it creates slits/trench in the lawn for the seed to sit in so you get a more uniformal coverage (depending on how you spread the seed) Still frosty mornings so seed may be slow to germinate.

[@TheRestorationCouple]

Yeah, thought it would be much more brutal than it was, turned out fine. Holding off until next week as still frosty. 😒

[@Lawn_Care_Lounge_tv_uk]

good job we always doing our lawn and my girlfriends lawn today i did my friends lawn for him will be on my channel in the next couple weeks why not pop over and see our videos all on lawn care on a Budget

[@mikekyffin3779]

Hi Tim, Jo & girls. Well, mine arrived last weekend thanks to your suggestion on Instagram. Looking to do mine soon. Nice to see it in action. Hope you are all well. Thanks for emptying my pockets again ☺️ best to you all

[@TheRestorationCouple]

Apologies! 😂

[@mikekyffin3779]

@@TheRestorationCouple I’ll add it to the invoice.

[@normski4ash]

Scarifying - SCAR ing the lawn, a scar is afrom a cut, hence using the solid blades to scar the lawn is scarifying. the other blades, that look like the tines on a lawn rake, are for raking the lawn...

[@robertwilson6020]

Hi I bought the Lidl version of this (Gardenline) a couple of years ago and use it every year. (look identical) It's well worth the money. I first mow the lawn on a highish setting then I use the second spool you used only without the collector but blow the debris to piles for my compost bin after each pass. 4 passes in total (straight then 90 degree followed by 2 passes at opposite diagonals. Next I mow the lawn again with the grass collector on and then using a 50 year old rotary push aerator I inherited from my late father in law with solid spikes aerate the law. Finally I dress the lawn with a mix of top soil sand seed. That was a week ago and the lawn is already showing promising recovery to look great like last year again. We suffer here with poor drainage, surrounded by trees that see a lot of moss both on my roof and the garden. Incidentally the scarify machine procedure of 4 passes came after watching LHL Garden Services U Tubes which are well worth a watch. Keep up all your great DIY. Really jealous of your Workshop,

[@TheRestorationCouple]

Good to hear it bounces back well. Soil and sand coming today hopefully with some warmer weather! Certainly don’t think if will need to be this severe of a scarify most years.

[@peterhodgkinson2782]

The fitting with the tines is a lawn Rake, the fitting with the blades is a scarifier. I have a similar machine and as I live on the north side of a valley my lawn is mainly moss by this time of the year. I have to do this at least every other year. We loose the sun for all of November to late February..

[@noelkealey]

just started my own prep, careful when ordering grass seed, ended up ordering way more than needed! a good greenkeepers lawn leveler is great to get rid of the lumps and bumps when top dressing before overseeding.

[@andrewhyde5525]

I brought one last year, absolutely brilliant bargain, my lawn has never looked better

[@54mgtf22]

In Australia we just mow the lawn year round. Dethatch once a decade, maybe. Topdress when it needs it. We use African grasses to survive the heat which form a matted surface.

[@nickboggon]

I bought the Screwfix Titan.version of that machine a couple of summers ago. Scarified the lawn, got it all nicely prepared and over seeded just as the heatwave hit (with hosepipe ban) which meant that none of the seed germinated. With the grass so bare, weeds and moss took over over the next year to the point where the lawn is 90% moss. I’ve just started clearing it again in preparation for seeding. Fingers crossed it works out better this time. I’m doing it at the right time of year this time round which should help immeasurably! Oh and I also bought a pair of spiked lawn ‘shoes’ for aerating. You look and feel like an idiot stomping up and down the garden with a dozen 2” spikes on each foot but they seem to do a good enough job of creating holes.

[@nigelbullock9039]

Tim. Worth cutting the lawn first. Then scarify at 45 degrees after the first run. Then top soil, seed and fertiliser. Get a large broom and flip it over then drag up and down the lawn so the seed and soil connect. Lawn will look great.

[@vivaldi1236]

What you have done since the beginning is unbelievable. Bravo. 👏🏻

[@classlessbozo317]

I noticed where I put mealworms down for the blackbirds the lawn is perfect, so they are aerating the soil. On this basis I just wanted a power aerator, but there is so much confusion over these two cassettes. From my research I have concluded the blade cassette is the scarifier, something to use either end of the growing season and the tine cassette is a power rake, I’m going to use this as routine monthly maintenance during the growing season.

[@brawnr]

Worth checking out Iron Sulphate too for killing moss 👍

[@adamwalsh5285]

Iron sulphate just burns moss, perfect for this apply before and after scarification then every 2 or 3 weeks to keep the lawn nice and green.

[@mechanoid5739]

The 'grass' at the front of my house is very scrubby downland grass. However, I am lothe to make it 'better' as it is a haven for the grasshoppers and the unique downland snails!

[@Stavrosmct]

Just done this process to my lawn a month ago, new seed now starting to come through. A1 do great fertiliser which is also worth investing in. Good luck!

[@magill4046]

For £70 it’s practically paid for itself already. I’d recommend putting in some pre-seed fertiliser & light but regular watering as soon as the seed is down. I’ve had to delay over seeding as it’s still freezing overnight up here (Notts) Can’t wait to see your results, it should look fantastic in about a month 👌

[@mechanoid5739]

We had snow here two days ago in 'Sunny South Coast' Brighton!

[@James_Fisher]

This is perfectly timed as I was looking at my lawn today thinking it needed some TLC! Great video as always

[@eddy7236]

Apparently you shouldnt do the second pass at 90°, more like 30° as it will stress the grass less. You should try spraying with 'green keepers secret'. Just goes on the end of your hose and sprays on a treat

[@mechanoid5739]

I never knew that grass suffered from OCD!

[@MarcGray1990]

Great video Tim and a lovely big lawn! Not that I’m a pro by any means but I tend to cut the lawn first then scarify and then hoover up again with the mower on a higher setting.... just helps the scarifier dig down a little further into the dead stuff. Can’t go wrong with A1 products... they are the dogs watsits! I scarified mine last week and used a1 feed weed and moss killer just to mop up the last bit of living moss on Sunday. It’s probably still a bit on the cool side but we’ve actually managed to get away to centre parcs for a week so the nipper and dog won’t be on it all week haha! Your lawn will kick itself back into life over the rest of April and by mid may will look amazing again! Chicken pop works a treat too hehe! 👍

[@alisonfromaccy]

Had similar m/c for a couple of years now and each year at this time we carry out same routeain. One thing I would add is, mesh over the seeded areas will deter Dave and friends and the local flighted vermin from eating all your had work.

[@mctend9108]

Tip: work away from the cord and put the first part over your shoulder. It won't be in the way anymore

[@thewatermillscotland]

Amazing to see how much growth you already have down there. We got some early daffodils up here in the far far north, but they all died with the snow over the last weeks heh. That grass will look good again in no time!

[@mrgari189]

Got one of these a couple of weeks ago - the collecting basket is pretty small and ended up not using it and gathering the thatch into piles with a grass rake. Other than that the Aldi one works well

[@stevecraft00]

Our front lawn was awful last spring, it was very very spongy under foot. When I investigated it, it was all moss, not much grass there. anyway, next door neighbour lent me his scarifier. Then he apologised to me for 6 months then because it completely wrecked the lawn! 😂 Kept feeling guilty for it, but I told him I knew it had to get worse before it got better. Only now, one year on, does it look half decent as the grass has grown back! Thankfully without the moss.

[@simonpond6914]

So glad you are doing this project as I am just embarking on the same thing. Did the scarification last week, bought a roller mower last week from Facebook (didn’t work, another project 😩) fixed it, did a test run and it bumps all over the place. This is a second season lawn from seed that is very patchy and uneven. Really keen to see how you go about levelling, how short you cut the grass before you start, what you will use and how much gear to top dress and seed. I have been watching so may videos and I can’t work out if I should be using mix of sand and soil or just soil. Also what type of Uk sand to use as I’ve been told plasterers sand is no good🤪

[@bidders77]

Blades are 100% a better option than the little spring tines. Blades help open up the soil to take seed too. Gotta break an egg to make an omelette

[@TheRestorationCouple]

Yeah, soon realised they were better and quite as harsh as I was worried about. Bring on the omelette! 👍

[@timjw5704]

Just scarified lawns that I look after, good you did it twice, opposite directions just like you did. Aldi are correct, the blades are for scarifying, but whatever suits you. Lawns always look bad afterwards, get some fertiliser on & it will quickly recover!

[@tonygill3344]

I was always told to go diagonal on the second pass otherwise you just chop up the lawn??

[@megaman2016]

I scarified my lawn manually with a rake. It left me sore for 3 days!

[@marks-0-0]

Haha same here. I knew about scarifying machines but didn't want to buy one. While playing with a rake i found a particular technique that was amazing!

[@colinmiles1052]

Good exercise though!

[@megaman2016]

@@marks-0-0 haha what is the technique?

[@marks-0-0]

@@megaman2016 well i tried raking the usual way but it was too slow and too hard. Somehow i ended up on my knees with one of those square edged rigid rakes and the technique i discovered is to lay the rake virtually flat over the ground and run it back and forth to bring up the moss.

[@shandon147]

Dogs and sprogs grass seed came out great for us last year after scarifying our lawn still looking good now

[@cowboyal75]

Great job, I do my lawn in much the same way beginning of spring and end of autumn. Great videos and very informative.

[@colinmiles1052]

Yep! Always looks worse for a bit but soon comes back. Just remember to leave a pile of moss somewhere for the birds!

[@bobw9297]

Your property sure has come a long way , looking good

[@davidsmith-py2xs]

The blade is for scarifying will de thatch and leave grooves for seeds to settle in.

[@tomreid8696]

That’s a nice hayter mower you’ve got there. What a great machine

[@myatix1]

I hope your soil temperature is about 10C? Otherwise you are a bit early and stressing the lawn. It’s usually best to do this in late summer as you have less weed seeds around then. Right now you are risking a lot of weeds in your new turf!

[@magill4046]

I respectfully disagree. Now is the perfect time to scarify.

[@Norwichjase]

I bought one of these this week too, will see how I get on with mine too :)

[@JohnnyMotel99]

Hot tip, use a leaf blower to pile up the detritus.

[@bobbysilver272]

No, don't use a leaf blower. Noisy bloody things.

[@felixreali7101]

"Dave is now laying eggs" !!!!!! 😂😂😂😂

[@mechanoid5739]

Dave is now Davina! :)

[@essuu]

Rats, sold out on the Aldi website, will have to keep an eye out for its return. Great video, thanks for sharing.

[@michaeltaylor4824]

I think they are back in stock £70

[@essuu]

@@michaeltaylor4824 Sadly still out of stock at Aldi but Lidl are about to sell their Parkside version from Thursday. Same price and practically identical, probably out of the same factory in China ! www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/garden-tools/parkside-electric-scarifier-aerator/p41933

[@athloneduke]

I moved away from a petrol mower this year having bought a battery operated one which more than does the job , is quieter and lighter. No more pulling the arm trying to start it and our lawns are a little bigger than yours. Alas, yesterday on my hands and knees cutting dandelion out, and the moss is pretty bad this year, so first to kill off the moss 🙄

[@andrewm3961]

A light scarify/raking is fine to do in the Spring however as it's so close to the Summer you often have very warm weather and limited rainfall the new grass can struggle to fully establish before going dormant again (assuming you're using cool season grass like PRG, Tall Fescue or KBG). Ideally you would do any major work in late Summer/early Autumn as the weather cools slightly and you have more chance of rain.

[@robthomas7232]

Interesting that you don't use the cable over the shoulder technique which keeps it right out of the way. Must be because you're used to a petrol mower. Good stuff though and I think my grass is mostly lost to the lack of sunlight.

[@TheSadButMadLad]

Also the technique of working away from the extension cable so that you don't run over it. Ask me how I know.

[@cooking.with.rob.official]

Hi Tim, check out Premier Lawns. Robbie is fantastic and has really helpful videos

[@michaeltaylor4824]

What about ye! He’s great isn’t he.

[@cooking.with.rob.official]

@@michaeltaylor4824 What about ye!!! 😂

[@RiderReview]

Thank you

[@welshkid12]

My front lawn had the neighbours feeling green with envy for the past two years but this year I don’t know what’s happened! It’s turned really patchy! And weirdly when it rains we have these little maggot things that appear on the slabs next to it, not sure if the patching is down to some sort of infestation? I wouldn’t know where to start with that. I’ve raked it over quite heavily and I’m going to attempt to lay feed and see and just see what happens 🤷‍♂️

[@tonygill3344]

Google lawn jackets bud... alternatively dig a square foot of your lawn say 6 inch deep and see what is feasting on the grass roots??

[@flashback9966]

Down here in Surrey, there's no way we could let any hens roam freely in our garden. Foxes would take them within minutes.

[@phillipjohno]

I've just used westland weed and feed as I had moss and lots of dandelions. I didn't want to use something like roundup as I thought it would be to harsh. The weed and feed has killed large areas and now looks terrible. I've been on message boards and have been told it will get worse before it gets much better. The jury's still out though. Wish I'd used something like that first.

[@davidbanner9001]

You are absolutely right to top dress and then use a good seed from A1 Lawns. In fact A1 Lawns even do a pre-seed fertiliser and grass seed mix. I don't work for them by the way. Just really good products. Although I could do with a couple of 10kg bags of slow release fertiliser if they ask?

[@pumpkinhead456]

One of those tools that you only need one between a few households.

[@TheRestorationCouple]

Already lent out to someone. 😀

[@pumpkinhead456]

@@TheRestorationCouple I'm next. If you could just drop it off South of Edinburgh please, much appreciated😊

[@JonathanRobinson42]

Just did the same with an older version of the same machine, had to buy a replacement rake drum half way through as I discovered I was down to two tines out of 42 after a few passes. Got it on Amazon, ordered late afternoon and with me to continue mid afternoon the next day (Prime - www.amazon.co.uk/Einhell-BG-SA1231-Aerator-Scarifier-Accessory/dp/B0044D5H52). Don't know where they all the tines went, we might find out while walking barefoot later in the year! Much bigger collection basket on the one you got, BIG bonus, must have saved a few trips to the barrow by comparison to mine. We had a whole dumpy bag full of moss and thatch. Our lawn looks much like yours for now but I have not used the 'aerator' drum yet, you have encouraged me to have a go. Also going to over-seed and level up a bit if I can.

[@declanmdr]

Can you do a video update to show an after please?

[@garvielloken3929]

NOOICE!

[@heriothandyman3148]

What’s everyone paying and going for with top dressing? Struggling to find decent price locally.

[@bruceshaw2402]

David was obviously Davina 😁🤷‍♂️

[@SoftwareInTheWoods]

Your seed might struggle. The ground is still pretty cold.

[@TheRestorationCouple]

Holding off a little still, plenty to get done with all the soil and sand to barrow up and down. 🥶 this morning!

[@dj0men666]

@@TheRestorationCouple what top dressing mix are you getting and did you get a tipper load or bagged up? And where did you order seed from? I need some that is good for low light under a wall and trees. The ground under my lawn isnt great - i tried aerating last year (ended up using a drill and a big bit) and it was full of stone and hrdly any soil in places... Two minds on digging the lot up and relaying.

[@ashleygill5040]

I had a few bare patches that I seeded a couple of weeks ago, new grass is up already 😀

[@TheRestorationCouple]

@@dj0men666 just mixing up my own with soil and washed sand that coming tomorrow. Somewhere between 50:50 and 70:30. Not being too scientific about it. Seed I’ve gone for is A1 premiership. I’ll link in next vid or this one if I get chance.

[@MarkDurbin]

Down to grass roots :)

[@Spreadsheets_and_pizza]

Ooh, new isotunes?

[@fl3162]

Brush in a few bags of cheap compost ... grass will appreciate it

[@adelaideinvigilation5230]

Is that when you had more hair Tim?

[@TheRestorationCouple]

Most likely! 🙄

[@eduardvaniersel7535]

Maybe borrowing the neighbours dog for an afternoon is even more budget friendly :)

[@no-oneshome3083]

Is Dave for Christmas, or life?

[@nickevans7049]

you should use scarifier in autumn not spring

[@jaypalmer3806]

Don't think that's correct. You can do both or one or the either.

[@HalfManThirdBiscuit]

Ignore the comments about your lawnmower. Hayter's gonna hayt.

[@magill4046]

Just gotta roll with it

[@royster3345]

I've had one of the Spirit Hyters for some years now, chosen specifically for the plastic no rust bed. Outside of the usual primer bulbs needing replacement and one carb diaphragm (erratic speed control) been great.

[@wiltshiregardener8038]

Sorry, you used the lawn rake, not the scarifier..

[@tedmeisterb]

Please consider seeding with wild flowers and letting large patches of your lawn grow long for wildlife! And don't listen to anyone suggesting you spray it with poisons to kill moss, weeds etc. I'd much rather my children played on a lawn full of moss than rolled around in perfect-looking grass full of toxic chemicals.

[@TheRestorationCouple]

No chemicals needed, that’s what chickens are for. 👌

[@incorrect1844]

Dave 😂😂😂

[@chwilhogyn]

Dave the non-binary Turkey!

[@bender6942]

Scarifying on a budget would be simply buying a rake

[@TheRestorationCouple]

That’s how we started but depends how many takes you need to replace! 😂

[@fredsmith8897]

Me thinks you have another new toy in the form of a camera?

[@TheRestorationCouple]

I wish! We are still holding out. Think most of this is just on the little go pro.

[@fredsmith8897]

@@TheRestorationCouple oh OK. You an tell the difference from this end. Looks good though.

[@ridgmont61]

Hey, what’s this reading the instructions nonsense - this is totally against Bloke Code! We did the same to our lawn and removed 90% of what was growing, the grass came back very quickly and a better lawn as a result. I wouldn’t bother over seeding it - as it will come back by itself in a couple of weeks.

[@TheRestorationCouple]

Thought you might not notice if I sped it up! I used the Greek instructions for an added challenge though! 😂

[@alexinnes402]

Literally dead. I'm sick of the grass. Stone and decking the lot. Low maintenance

[@pyrrhical3423]

Your laziness is sacrilege to the British way. Nothing better than a nice lawn. Decking is temporary and generally of poor quality and construction, stone is a haven for cat shit and you’re forever weeding