OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Lawn Care & Maintenance Beginner's Guide for Cylinder Mowers?

OK, sand coming tomorrow. Just picked up the scarifying machine. Any guide on setting the height? A little googling says to adjust so the blades are just hitting the ground on a flat surface?

I would play around with the depth of cut depending on how much you need/wish to do. Scarifying typically cuts below the thatch layer and into the soil. Ideally you should be able to see visible grooves cut after each pass. Do 2-3 passes at varying angles. Something I always try to do is get rid of as much of the debris once you have finished the scarifying. It is really pain staking and dirty, but if you don't once you add the sand you end up with a mat layer of organic material which will stop water and nutrient flow. The best way is to run the rotary over it several times until it has sucked up all the trash.

Hello vosadrian and SimRice,

I very much support what SimRice has suggested and would ingnore the googling. SimRice has quite a vast knowledge on doing this process as I also have and as Simrice has suggested I would follow that to the letter for the best results. I think what you have found is more so grooming and not scarifying.

Cheers,
BB.

What a mess!! I am going to have several trailer loads of stuff!

Hi vosadrian,

I know somewhere here that I mentioned to another member that they should end up with a few trailer loads and not bin fulls as the end result. It's amazing how much waste you'll get out of scalping and scarifying, especially if it hasn't been done for a few years.

Don't know how much humidity you've currently got over there but I'm glad I'm not doing your job here in Adelaide today. It's Darwin weather here today and we've had over 100ml's of rain over night, purely awful.

Cheers,
BB.

Yeah, I ended up filling 3 large sulo bins and have a large pile of thatch that would fill a trailer... so probably 2 trailer loads.

I ended up getting pretty aggressive with the height of the scraifying machine. Was probably cutting about 10mm below the ground level. After that it looked terrible with piles of thatch all over the lawn, and then raked that up and then ran the scarifier in a perpendicular direction and took almost as much again. I then raked and it still looked pretty bad. After that I ran the rotary mower at low height over it, and it looked pretty neat if not brown. Ran the rotary mower over it several times reducing height to lowest setting. It then looked neat... but dead!!

I ended up getting a top soil mix. The place I planned to buy sand from was shut for Christmas. I got some flower power and was planning to buy some bricky sand but he convinced me to use their top soil mix which was 80% sand. What was delivered was very dark brown. I am not convinced it was 80% sand, but too hard to change it, so used it. I have learned a lesson here on following advice of drones in shops. Top soiled and levelled and then fertilised. Have been watering often. It looks like a neat dark brown lawn now, but already after only a few days the grass is starting to come through.

Unfortunately some neighbours called out Sydney Water for a problem, and one of the utes decided to park on the newly levelled lawn. Not just one side of the car on the edge... Whole car on the lawn, so I am now sporting a nice trench on the lawn. I don't lose my temper much.... but this time!!....... Have done my best to fix the damage. I suspect I will get another tonne of sand in future to fix the levelling.

I will post some photos once it has recovered a bit more.

Cheers,

Adrian

Hi vosadrian,

Yes you're spot on about some disrespectful idiots that will just dump their heaps of Sh%t on your handy work. This is because they can't respect anything they own so how can they respect something that belongs to someone else.

It would be good to take some shots of how it is now and post up on here and as it progresses along post more shots. We all love photos around here.

Cheers,
BB.

Just adding some progress photos. This is about 4 days after the job. Unfortunately lots of leaves all over the place which is typical for my house.

More.... (Top right of first photos shows my pile thatch I need to still get rid of!!)

More....

I bet all the neighbours tongues are wagging behind your back saying how you've ruined a perfectly good lawn ???

Remember he who laughs last, laughs longest. (and loudest)

The last photo shows that there is quite a bit of unevenness, especially near the sides, is that correct or is it just the photo ?

Must admit I would've preferred to have seen sand being used which would've been far easier to work with, but hey it is what it is.

Cheers,
BB.

I am sure the neighbours think we are crazy... but we will see in a few weeks!!

Yeah, I have regret about the top soil. But it is what it is. I should have gone down to look at what they were sending, but I ordered over the phone. It was dumped on the driveway before I saw it, and I needed something that day. Will use sand for any future work.

The photos show it more uneven than it is. The sprinklers have been on (a lot!!), and the tend to wash the soil part ot the top soil mix away and leave the sand behind which makes it look like there is bumps that are not really there (well really shallow bumps from running water leaving marks). I did level with a spreader and then roll with a roller and it was pretty good. I expect to get some more sand in future (maybe next spring) and correct a few areas which had some depressions that were a too deep to do in one go (and fix up the trench from the ute!!). Unfortunately my lawn does not lend itself to a perfectly flat surface as it is on a hill, so the lawn is kind of a mound in areas with lowest at edges. It would be difficult to correct this without a lot of work in moving soil.

The grass does seem to be coming through nicely... which is a relief!! The lawn looked very dead after the scarification and I was a little concerned. With the current weather I think it will be looking pretty good in a week or two. I have buffalo in the back yard and I scalped and top dressed that and it is going off and already needs mowing only 4 days later. I will post some more photos in a week.

Cheers,

Adrian

All Slade fans are Crazzee ! as Noddy Holder used to say.

Like I said he who laughs last laughs longest and I feel you'll get the last laugh.

It's always an encouraging sign when you see fresh growth and it gives you that Ahhhh feeling that it's all going as it should.

I would've made the twits come and shovel it all back in and give you what you asked for, anyway a lesson learnt about paying over the phone isn't it ?

Looking forward to some update photos in about a weeks time as we're about to get some more warmer weather.

Constant progress photos instills confidence into other members to do the same as you have.

Anyway, good work and looking forward to the next installment.

Cheers,
BB.

Just an update on my Lawn.

It will be 4 weeks in a couple of days since I did the scarification. I have just mowed with my SB45 (after watering the night before to keep the sand from blowing around) to around 10mm height. In some places the lawn looks great and shows some exciting promise. Unfortunately the photos are a bit over exposed in that area so you can't see how good it looks. In other areas, there has been little to no regrowth. These areas are areas that are shaded by trees and not getting as much sun. I am hoping there is still something alive under there, but just taking its time to come out!!

Excuse the photos which were taken this morning and the light was not great.

Yesterday I add some more fertiliser to the areas that are not growing back as quick as I hoped. I am hoping to kickstart them a little as I am a little concerned the grass will not recover there. In the last month, Sydney has had lots of sunny hot days and fairly reasonable rain also (afternoon storms). On the days it does not rain I normally run the irrigation system which gives it a good soaking. Is there anything I can do to get these areas that are not coming back to speed up? Is the couch still alive under there somewhere?? Am I being impatient!!!???

Also, because the good quality fertilised soil has been exposed for the best part of a month, some weeds are starting to take hold. Can I spray with Kamba M for Oxalis? That little clover leaf is the bane of my lawn's existance. I prefer to get it quickly before it gets too established. Just not sure if herbicides might stunt the fledging lawn in some areas?

In some areas the lawn looks fantastic. Better than ever. If I can get the whole lawn to come back that well I will be over the moon!!

Cheers,

Adrian