Can I scarify again?

I did a first ever heavy scarify at the end of June (we were newly in the house and it had to be done!).

The lawn has recovered really well, greener than ever and pretty thick, but there is still some moss in it deep down and its very spongy in places.

I know now is the time to do it if ever. Do you think I would I be ok to give it another run over some time this month before winter? Possibly just not as deeply / aggressive as before. I also have a hollow tine core aerator to get that done also.

 

Go for it, it'll be my third time this year soon.

 

The plan is to do it next Saturday. I have ordered an Einhell scarifier. I have an autumn feed in the garage but would I be better using another fertiliser right after until the grass recovers a bit and then use the autumn feed a few weeks later ?

 

What Autumn fertiliser do you have already?

You don't want to start adding high N feeds after this weeks scarify. A good Autumn feed will be fine but there are two school of thoughts about applying the fert.
One is to apply before scarifying, the other afterwards.
Personally I tend to look at the lawn and decide.
What you do need is an Autumn feed with Fe as an active ingredient forming part of the fertiliser.
As you have mentioned that you did a late scarify earlier this year and it's recovered well I would say unless you go in over the top you will not need to overseed and you should get away with a lighter scarify than normal.
Scarifying will not solve your moss issue and without knowing the cause at this point you need Fe to keep it at bay.
Don't try to remove all the moss with a scarifier, they can't and it's a common mistake to try as the results are normally areas damaged to a degree where you need to seed.
Perhaps a photo or two will help others give you advise on your situation.

 

This is how it was a day or so after scarifying, end of July.

http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/attachments/29th_june_recovery-jpg.51483/

This is what it was like towards the end of august

http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/attachments/12_19th_august-jpg.55121/

 

Thanks.
The August one shows it's still recovering and I've no idea what the thatch levels are like or the general condition of the soil so my advice is as best as I can do.
If you have clean soil showing around the plant then I would say to be very gentle with scarifying.
If the grass is weak and stressed then more mechanical treatments can create more issues and sometimes it's best to take a step back and not rush into anything while it recovers.
A good Autumn feed will help it, spread accurately with the Fe ingriendent I mentioned. Fe deters moss, kills a percentage of it, harden the plant making it more resilient against disease, drought and general wear and tear. It also adds a nice colour to the turf. Most will last around 6 weeks depending on conditions once applied.
If you do scarify it helps to know the precise model then I can see what it's designed for.
The reason being is that different machines have different abilities. If you use it incorrectly you end up doing more harm than good and recovery times are much longer.
Unless it's really full of moss or weed overseeding is not needed but you often see lawns needing it due to using the equipment incorrectly or technique. Often people will do too many passes at the wrong depth leaving areas of damaged turf. It's one of those jobs that will keep throwing rubbish up until your lawn is bald but you only want to remove some but not all and it's also a case of if you can cut in if the machine is capable.
Domestic lawns need just two a year, Spring and Autumn if need be. They don't need any more than that if done correctly even if you go over the top with fertilisers. Autumn is when you normally go in hard so that the turf has the time to recover before the harsh weather sets in and Spring you go lighter for a faster recovery plus thatch levels don't increase to the degree they do in the summer. The spring one is just a tidy up and to promote a thicker, denser growth pattern.

I've another post on another thread explaining more about scarifying and feeds which may be of help to you.
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/lawn-advice-on-sandy-soil.102753/

If you let me know the model I can point you in the right direction on how it's best used.

 

Thanks for your detailed reply! The autumn feed is by ever green.

This is the machine I bought
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Einhell-BG-SA-1231-Purpose-Scarifier/dp/B002ZG7T9C

 

Thanks again.
Ok, it's Electric with 3 height setting with wire rake or blade attachment.
The height adjustment makes it a tad hard as you can't cut in with this machine. Cutting in is where blades enter the soil to a deeper degree to cut the turf roots.
You need to set the height to a position where the fixed metal blades can't run deep into the soil. You may get into to a few mm but it will rip away if too deep as the blade can't maintain speed to do a clean slice. You may be limited on the height adjustment though to avoid this. If it can be set so that it's just touching the soil that's the best way as it will dig in on any lumps and bumps.
The rake will remove surface rubbish like moss. That's all a wire rake can do and is designed for.
If unsure simply put the machine on its heighest setting and see what happens, adjust down if need be. If you hit high points avoid going over them to much and any dips you can touch up at the end.

 

Evergreen Autumn should be fine. Just double check it has Fe listed and remember this stains so it's best to avoid walking on it once applied until it's watered in for a few days.

 

It does indeed have iron. I plan to keep the scarifier on the highest setting for sure to be safe. After that I'll look to do some core aeration and then over seed and brush in a thin layer of top soil

 

Ah just double check you can apply the fert after seeding, it should be on the packet. Some ferts can't be used for a set period and I'm not sure of evergreen without looking online.


Edit, I did check online and there's no mention, just apply at it's recommended amount as it can still scotch like summer feeds. I would apply and water in straight away as well.
Is there a reason why you want to over seed?

Don't forget the soil you add will contain nutrients so that will feed the plant for a limited time.

 

Haha no I just thought that over seeding was standard practice after scarifying. New to this!

I went a bit beserk this afternoon and hollow tined the lawn. The sun was out and I wanted a job to do! Hard graft and my back is in need of a rest...

Was I supposed to do this after scarifying, or does it not really matter? :o

I'll leave it for a couple of weeks perhaps to scarify now.

As for the cores....should I let them dry and mower them?

 

Rake the cores up so they don't sit on the surface or else when you cut or walk on them they will make a mess and its not good for the turf.
Ouch I bet your back is aching after all that. Some tend to scarify first other afterwards, I've always scarified first.
You can now dress the lawn if you wish with soil which depending on soil you have could have sand included to aid drainage. Dressing can be purchased and you don't need to go deep but more a light coat worked in. Some brush it in, some rake, some use a net but I use a Lute to work soil in.
You could also simply leave it as the holes will close up but it's nice to dress after aerating the lawn.
I would personally feed the lawn with an autumn feed and monitor it. If in a few weeks it looks good I would wait till spring to scarify.
What you don't want to do is decide in a few weeks to scarify and find the weather in your area has changed where the temps have dropped off for the grass to recover at a steady rate.

 

Cheers!

I was actually thinking the same about leaving it now to see how the aeration alone helps the density and look etc. (I kinda wish I didn't buy the machine now!!)

In the garage I have five 25kg bags of top soil and four bags of sharp sand in the garage. If I mix them in the barrow and just do a very light coating over the whole surface would that be ok? My mix may not do the whole lawn but I can always get more as I need.