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Lawn Scarification Aftercare Advice

If you have had your lawn renovated by Lawntech, this will have included intensive scarification. You might now be a little shocked and concerned about how bare and sad the lawn is looking, but don’t worry this is perfectly normal and only temporary. In fact, scarification will have many long-term benefits for your lawn and should ideally be carried out at least once every few years.

The scarifying process

As you will already know, scarifying removes a huge amount of thatch. This is what was preventing your lawn from looking at its best. Once this renovation (scarification, aeration, over-seeding and sometimes, top dressing) service has been completed by Lawntech, it will take time to recover.

The pain is worth the gain!

The recovery could take anywhere from 1 to 6 months depending on the time of year, the germination rate of the newly sown seed and the weather. Lawns which are renovated in the autumn are likely to see a quicker recovery than those renovated during the spring because the soil is warmer, and rain is more likely.

Can I walk on my lawn after renovation?

Yes, but keep off it as much as you can to give the lawn the best chance of recovery.

Can my dog go on the lawn after renovation?

This is tricky, ideally not, but we realise your furry friends need to stretch their legs and toilet. Bigger dogs or those that like to dig are likely to cause more severe damage than those little pooches with light feet! We (also) recommend that dogs don’t urinate on lawns, wherever possible, as they can cause scorch patches. We are very sorry to say that there is no easy answer to this.

Should I water the lawn after renovation?

In most cases for autumn renovation, we would say don’t water and wait for rain; (because) the new seed will sit and wait for rain to arrive. If conditions are dry, and there is no forecast of steady rain then the recovery process will be faster if you can water at least once per day with a hosepipe and sprinkler. If you do start watering, it is essential to be consistent and keep the lawn constantly damp or the newly emerging seedlings will die. Lawns renovated in the spring are more likely to need watering.

When should I mow after lawn renovation?

To give newly sown seed the best chance of germination it is best to wait a few weeks before mowing, we usually advise to start mowing once the grass gets to a maximum of 75mm (3 inches) long. It is important to mow on a high setting to start with and then gradually lower the height of the cut down to around 25mm (1 inch) over several weeks.

Weeds have appeared, what do I do?

Don’t worry, this is normal. Because we have allowed light back into the sward by removing thatch and have disturbed the soil it is likely to trigger dormant weed seeds. These are easily killed off a bit later as part of our annual lawn care programme. Many of these newly emerging weeds are annuals and will die from being mowed regularly.

I can see fresh moss appearing what should I do?

Don’t worry. The scarification process removes all of the thick moss, which was hindering your lawn, but sometimes there are still spores remaining in the surface no matter how much we scarify. Because these final spores have been exposed our liquid Iron treatment will deal with it when we come to do your annual lawn care programme.

My lawn still looks patchy and thin several weeks after renovation, is it ok?

Lawns tend to look patchy as they recover, this is normal because the different types of seed in the mixture germinate at different rates, it is also because some parts of the lawn might have richer/damper soil than other parts or have shade and other challenging factors. Don’t worry because we will always top up thinner areas with seed free of charge when we come to your lawn on our scheduled treatments. In fact we guarantee success of our autumn lawn renovations and will keep coming back until we are happy.

Leaves are falling on my newly renovated lawn, should I rake them up?

Absolutely yes, it is essential to keep fallen leaves off of a renovated lawn as they can very quickly damage the recovering sward. We recommend raking up or blowing off leaves daily. Just be as careful as you can not to damage the lawn surface when doing so.