They can cut the lateral shoots (stolons) of grass, encouraging these to root and create new grass plants, making your lawn thicker and more lush. The best lawn rakers and scarifiers are able to effectively pull moss and thatch from the ground, which helps your lawn breathe again. A soft lawn can feel nice to walk on, but these conditions impede drainage and prevent air from reaching the base of the grass. Thatch is a normal part of grass turf, but too much thatch will leave your lawn feeling soft and spongey.

What are lawn rakers and scarifiers used for?Ī lawn covered in dead grass clippings or suffering a build-up of moss can benefit from having a lawn raker or scarifier run across it.īeneath the green blades of your grass there's a hidden layer of thatch, which is made up of grass clippings, flattened stems, shoots, moss and weeds. Need a new lawn mower but not sure where to start? See our lawn mower reviews to see which brand could work for you. Convenience - How easy the machine is to move and operate.Long-term effects - How dense and healthy the grass grew.Short-term effects - How free from moss and thatch the grass looked.Effectiveness - How much moss or thatch was removed and how well it was collected.Speed - How quickly the machines can pull moss or thatch from turf.To help us highlight the best lawn rakers and scarifiers money can buy, we paid close attention to each of the following: The removal scores take account of removal speed, weight of material removed, short-term effectiveness, long-term effectiveness and the collection-box capacity for each material.įor each lawn raker and scarifier we test, we pay close attention to the features that matter the most, to ensure you get good value for money. Overall score: Ignores price and is based on: ease of use 40% moss removal 30% thatch removal ability 30%. Make more of your garden - get our free Gardening newsletter for top tips from our experts We recorded the time it took to cover each test site, weighed the material removed, and rated the machines effectiveness. One had a build-up of thatch and debris, while the other was mossy and treated with a lawn mosskiller before the test started. At our test site, our grass experts used each machine on two lawns. In total, we tested eight electric machines: three for raking only, and five that rake and scarify. To see which lawn rakers and scarifiers will leave your garden looking pristine, we tested some over the course of several months. While some models will banish thatch for good, others are a pain to use. The Which? garden experts have been hard at work putting lawn rakers and scarifiers through their paces. Our testing reveals the best lawn rakers and scarifiers you can buy. When it comes to buying a lawn raker or scarifier, you'll be looking for a tool that's easy to use and well-equipped for treating lawns.

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