Summer turf maintenance

As the warmer weather picks up and more time is spent outside, turf and lawns can feel the effects of the heavy use and footfall. It’s important at this time to stick to a dedicated lawn maintenance regime to ensure that turf survives this season, which can really put it through its paces. Here, we’ve put together an overview of what a typical regime should look like.

Perfect your mowing routine

As the weather picks up and the sun makes itself at home, grass will start to grow at a much faster rate. This is thanks to the ideal environment it creates, including sufficient light, heat and small amounts of moisture that appears in the evening. It’s important not to cut grass too short as it can cause yellowing and ruin the appearance of grass, so it’s best to keep at least 25-40mm of height for a luscious looking lawn.

If you’re dealing with dense, overgrown areas that need a little bit of attention, our BC26 Fixed Deck Brushcutter offers a 27” wide fixed deck ideal for commercial use that provides excellent stability in deep vegetation. It allows operators to effortlessly manoeuvre through and clear meadows and fields. The heavy duty blade spindle is also reinforced on both sides to tackle the toughest cutting conditions and its powerful Honda engine takes all of the backache out of property maintenance.

Clearing these areas will also help the grass beneath, providing it with access to all of the vital conditions it needs to grow and transform in time for the next season.

Remove any loose debris 

It’s very easy for loose debris, such as branches, to find its way onto lawns, but it’s important to regularly remove them to avoid causing lawns serious damage. Debris covering lawns for a short time shouldn’t do too much damage, but leaving it there for long periods of time can scorch it, leaving dead patches across the lawn that requires time and attention to revive. So it’s best to remove it as soon as possible. Don’t worry though, we’ve got the perfect tool for the job!

Our KV601SP Leaf & Litter Vacuum makes light work of clearing up leaves, mulch, fallen blooms, branches, litter and other debris. The self-propelled vacuum also offers rear wheel drive, making operation seamless and effortless, even on hilly areas, with its power backed by a Briggs & Stratton engine.

Aerate to relieve compaction

As the summer comes to an end and we retreat back inside before the rainy, autumn weather arrives, it’s best to relieve lawns of any compaction that’s occurred after heavy footfall. Without this treatment, lawns can very easily become water-logged during the autumn as excess rain will have no where to go. Aeration is the best solution to keep lawns healthy in wetter conditions as it breaks up the compacted soil, allowing room for vital elements – such as water, air and nutrients – to reach the grass roots and help it grow.

Our AE401 Core Aerator offers a 19” wide aerator that is powered by a reliable Honda engine, helping to aerate up to 2.000m2 per hour. Its tine engagement and Lift-n-Lock disengagement also offers the best in class for operator comfort and productivity. Water weight is also positioned directly over the tines to help achieve better aeration depth, instead of utilising bulky steel weights. The Fold-n-Go® handles makes service and transport simple and convenient, so you can cover more areas of grass without the backache.

We’ve got a wide range of world-class property-clean up equipment here at Billy Goat, so no matter the season or task, we have the tools to help keep exterior spaces looking their best, no matter how big or small.

Prepare lawns now to enjoy luscious grass this summer

It may still seem like a long way off, but to be able to enjoy a thick, luscious lawn this summer, it’s best to put the work in now to get it looking and feeling its best. We’ve put together our top tips for reviving your lawns in time for the summer months, along with some of our tools that can help take the backache out of maintenance.

Tackle moss and debris by scarifying

Moss loves damp, shady conditions and so during the winter months your lawn may have formed dense clusters of it, causing the surface to become uneven and spongy in places. There may be a number of underlying problems with your lawn if it is producing a high volume of moss, such as poor drainage and heavy foot traffic. However, annually scarifying can help to alleviate the build-up that has occurred and improve the conditions in which your grass grows, including improved drainage, ventilation, overall growth and a reduced risk of disease growth.

Scarification can be quite harsh on lawns and often leaves it looking patchy initially, but when done at the right time of year, such as late autumn or spring, when grass growth is at its peak, it should recover quickly, allowing strong growth to occur before summer arrives.

With  its power supplied by Honda, our CR550H Compact Power Rake is the perfect tool to help renovate lawns, and with its reduced vibrations, it also provides improved operator comfort and handling. Plus, its rugged design helps it to withstand the most demanding use while its flail reel is perfectly designed to collect accumulated thatch of ½ inch or more, providing a deep extraction that will help to improve grass health quickly.

Aerate to improve ventilation

Once your lawn has recovered from scarification, aeration is a vital next step in growing strong and vibrant grass. Aeration involves piercing the soil beneath the grass with small holes allowing air, water and nutrients to penetrate the grass root. This is especially helpful to do before fertilising as it will encourage more fertiliser to reach the root and encourage greater growth.

It’s best to aerate lawns annually, during prime growing season, but lawns that are used regularly, such as community fields or football pitches, should be aerated more often to maintain its strength and produce vibrant grass for the summer months.

To encourage a flourishing lawn, our Plugr 25 Hydro Drive Series Aerator provides a superior performance and a combination of productivity, operator comfort, variable hole density and is remarkably low maintenance. Plus, with the best-in-class controls and in ground steering, the 25 Hydro Drive Series offers exceptional manoeuvrability and ease in operating.

It also offers The Patent Pending EZ Drop ™ tine system which comes complete with a one-step tine engagement lever. This allows tines to quickly engage when the lever is depressed, but it is also able to rapidly disengage once the lever has been released, so it can pass over any obstacles during aeration so the process can be smooth and uninterrupted.

Feed your lawn

Mid spring, around late March to early April, is a great time to feed your lawn. Feeding grass after your lawn has been stripped of all the unwanted debris will allow the fertiliser to easily travel to the root, increasing vigour and helping to prevent unwanted weeds and moss from establishing. For optimum results, apply fertiliser when soil is moist or when rain is expected.

The importance of aeration for your lawn

Aeration is an important process in encouraging the growth of strong grass as it allows air, water and nutrients to penetrate the grass root, so it’s a vital part of achieving thick, lush lawns.

What is aeration?

The process of aeration involves piercing the soil beneath the grass with small holes so allow air, water and nutrients can penetrate it. All of these elements are vital in helping grass roots to grow deeply whilst producing strong, vigorous and sprightly grass. Aeration should be undertaken to alleviate soil compaction as even slightly compressed soil can obstruct these important elements from reaching the grass roots. This means that grass will struggle to maintain its health during hotter weather and heavy rainfall, causing a risk of deteriorating quality, and ultimately resulting in it dying.

How often should lawns be aerated?

Lawns and turf should be aerated at least once annually to maintain the penetration of water and fertilisers to the grass root. However, lawns that are regularly used, such as football pitches or community fields, or those that have a spongey feel should be aerated more often to help grass maintain its strength and vibrant colour. Prime growing seasons, including early spring and autumn, are the optimum times to aerate a lawn. During this period, grass can recover more quickly and are strong enough to fight off the stress of the aeration process.

At Billy Goat, we have a range of powerful aerators that help to maintain and encourage a flourishing lawn. For the ultimate experience, Billy Goat’s Plugr 25 Hydro Drive Series aerator provides a superior performance and a combination of productivity, operator comfort, variable hole density and is remarkably low maintenance. With the best-in-class controls and in ground steering, the 25 Hydro Drive Series also offers exceptional manoeuvrability and ease in operating.

It also offers The Patent Pending EZ Drop ™ tine system which comes complete with a one-step tine engagement lever. This allows tines to quickly engage when the lever is depressed, but it is also able to rapidly disengage once the lever has been released, so it can pass over any obstacles during aeration making the process smooth and uninterrupted.

For smaller lawns, the Billy Goat 18 Series aerator offers a smaller design but supplies just as much power. The model comes equipped with reciprocating cam tines that propel the unit forward and drive cores up to 7cm deep, meaning water, air and nutrients will be able to travel a sufficient depth to the grass root. With this smaller design, it also offers a lightweight feel so it can be easily manoeuvred around lawns and can reach in smaller, more narrow spaces.  

With the ability to cover up to 4 acres an hour, the Billy Goat Towable 60 Series aerator is ideal for maximising large lawn aerations – helping to save time whilst efficiently penetrating the grass root. With the addition of swivelling tine assemblies, this model operates with ease and is able to provide a quality aeration pattern of up to 4cm deep. The Towable 60 Series can also be mounted onto a standard tow bar or category 1, 3-point hitch and can run behind any type of tow vehicle, with the ability to run up to 8 km/h – offering a powerful and timely solution for aerating larger patches of lawn.

For the ultimate in lawncare, we provide the right tools to help you create and maintain a healthy, vibrant lawn.

The five must-do maintenance activities for winter

Winter is generally a very quiet period for ground and estate maintenance, but despite the harsh weather, outdoor spaces still need tending to over the winter months to ensure they stay healthy for the highs of spring and summer.

We’ve put together our top five tasks and tips that should be kept in mind during the winter to keep outdoor spaces in the best condition possible.

Clear paths and grass of fallen debris

Grass and pathways should be regularly cleared of snow, leaves, branches and algae, as a drop in temperature and a higher chance of rain can cause these surfaces to become slippery and hazardous.

At Billy Goat, we have a range of high-performance blowers that make clearing debris a quick and easy task. The F9 Series Wheeled Blower is the ideal tool for larger commercial clean-ups, with its GX270 Honda engine providing the power to clear areas with ease, an Aim N Shoot directed airflow providing targeted cleaning, and fingertip control allowing for easy manoeuvrability; even with frozen fingers.

Avoid walking over grass

During the winter, remember to try to avoid any direct contact with grass. Walking, playing football or placing heavy objects like garden furniture on grass should all be discouraged. Each of these activities – and others like it – can cause serious damage to the grass by breaking the blades which destroys the cells and can inhibit growth when the spring arrives.

Create the perfect habitat for hibernating animals

Leaves may be a nuisance to grass, but they offer a perfect habitat for animals and insects to nest in during winter, so tidy them into piles and put them to good use. Once the colder months have passed, be sure to check for any animals before clearing the leaves away.

Our LB Series Outdoor Vacuum is ideal for collecting leaves and other debris from lawns, with its powerful Briggs & Stratton engine, lightweight design and superior suction making for an uncomplicated clear-up.

Inspect trees and cut back where appropriate

Winter is the perfect time to prune trees as they are usually dormant during this time of year. It’s important to assess each tree, especially those that are near buildings, and cut back any branches that have become overgrown, diseased, or potentially hazardous to the public.

This annual maintenance will help to ensure that all trees are healthy and growing in a safe manner for the areas around them.

Clear drains and pipes

With such variable weather conditions over winter, it’s a good idea to regularly inspect drains and pipes to ensure they are free from leaves and branches. Even the smallest piece of debris can cause a blockage, so make sure that they are cleared regularly to ensure they don’t overflow when it rains, creating issues of damp and damage to buildings.

Here at Billy Goat, we have a wide range of world-class machinery that can tackle the toughest ground care maintenance, no matter the season, and is suitable for commercial, residential and municipal use. To see our full range of products, visit our website at www.billygoat.co.uk.

How to protect your lawns from snow and frost

Winter is here, and whilst many of the usual maintenance tasks can be put on hold, there is still lawncare to be done. With freezing temperatures and bouts of snow expected, it’s important to keep an eye on lawncare as these colder elements can cause serious damage to grass if it is not well maintained.

There are a wide range of grass species in the UK, and all of them possess a degree of resilience against the elements, whether it’s hot, cold or rainy. However, during these exceptionally cold conditions, heavy snow and extreme frost can cause serious damage to lawns, blocking vital nutrients and elements, such as oxygen and water, from reaching the root if they are not cared for properly.

Whilst lawns can protect themselves from frost, any remaining moisture can freeze, creating clusters of ice, which can easily split the cell walls and cause long-lasting damage. To help lawns recover, it’s best to avoid walking or placing any objects onto it. Even the smallest pieces of debris can cause scarring to grass, such as leaves, twigs and branches, so they will need to be cleared regularly.

Snow can also be troublesome for grass. A light coating of snow is unlikely to cause any damage to lawns, but a heavy layer can cause fungal diseases, such as snow mould. When heavy snowfall rests on grass, it tends to insulate the ground, blocking out the colder temperatures. As a result, the small air pockets between the snow and the grass will become warm and moist in dense areas, and will then attract these diseases, which are far more likely to kill the grass. Because of this, it’s best to clear lawns of any heavy snow fall as soon as possible to avoid any serious damage whilst helping it to survive the winter so it can thrive in the spring.

Blowers are handy tools to have for clearing this potentially damaging debris, and Billy Goat has a powerful and versatile range of blowers for residential, commercial and municipal uses, so there’s something for every requirement.

The X3000 Stand-On Blower is perfect for more demanding jobs, taking productivity to a whole new level. With zero turn manoeuvrability, seamless operating controls and robust blowing power, clean-up is quick, simple and stress-free. Its Dual Deflector Air Flow System also allows for a more efficient clean as the airflow can be altered, moving in three directions – left, right and straight ahead – so every inch of lawn can be cleared.

The F9 Series is ideal for large commercial clean-ups, offering a GX270 Honda engine and the capacity to clear 2.000m2 from leaves in only 45 minutes. Its Aim N Shoot feature also provides a more directed airflow, helping to clean areas quickly. Its fingertip control and lockable position also delivers ease in use and manoeuvrability.

The F6 Series is better suited to smaller residential clean-ups, but it provides next level performance and productivity to get the job done thanks to its B&S Vanguard engine. Plus, these models are also 30% lighter than comparable steel units, taking the backache out of winter maintenance and offering ease in operation. The F6 Series is also able to clear 2.000m2 from leaves in just over an hour.  

For any ground care needs, Billy Goat have got you covered, whatever the season. With world class machinery, Billy Goat products are capable of tackling any lawncare jobs, leaving you with grass that looks like new. To see our full range of products visit our website at www.billygoat.co.uk.

Autumn tidy up: Prepare the lawn before the frost arrives

Autumn is a prime time to conduct lawn maintenance as it is the last chance to complete some of the much needed ground care before the colder, wetter months arrive. September and October are the final months you should conduct any sort of lawn maintenance, making sure to prepare the grass so that it can withstand the effects of the frost and wet conditions.

To help, we’ve put together a list of all the most important jobs that should be done in preparation for the winter, so you can be fully prepared for the months ahead.

Scarify to remove unwanted thatch

Scarifying is a vital task that helps to eliminate thatch and keeps lawns looking healthy, eliminating the risk of any diseases occurring. Scarification results in improved drainage and ventilation, allowing much needed air and nutrients to reach the root, promoting better growth and overall health.

It’s best to scarify during the autumn months as it can initially leave lawns looking patchy. During September and October, though, grass regrowth is at its peak, so grass should recover quickly, transforming lawns into a sprightly sea of vibrant green.

Billy Goat’s versatile range of scarifiers make it simple and easy to transform your lawn and the PR550 Power Rake efficiently removes matted thatch thanks to its rugged design and powerful Honda engine. The model is also self-propelled and can be fitted with a spring tine reel, so thatch can be removed from hard to reach spaces

Aerate to relieve summer compaction

After heavy use over summer, the soil beneath grass can become heavily compacted, which can prevent the circulation of air, water and important nutrients. Aeration helps to relieve soil compaction by piercing small holes throughout the lawn, creating small pockets of space where the important elements can easily travel to the root and encourage them to grow stronger. It’s important to aerate at least once a year too, so lawns can stay vibrant and healthy.

The Billy Goat AE401H Core Aerator is the perfect aerator for both small and large spaces thanks to its reliable Honda engine having the power to tackle any type of space. Its proprietary water tank also eliminates the usual bulky side weights thanks to it being positioned across the back of the machine – allowing the user to achieve even better aeration depth.

One final over seed

Throughout September and October, germination is at its peak, so it’s an opportune time to over seed your lawn. Overseeding can result in grass becoming thicker and more vibrant as it helps to infill any bare or damaged patches of grass, improve the colour of lawns and reduce the amount of unwanted weeds and moss that can appear.

Billy Goat provide the very best overseeding tools, taking the stress and fatigue out of turf renovations. The OS500 Overseeder makes overseeding quick and simple. With is Auto Drop feature, it can automatically start or stop seed drops, conserve seeds and prevent spillages or an uneven spread of seeds, resulting in even, thick turf growth. Its rugged design also allows for the most demanding use and its Fold-n-Go handles makes it easy and comfortable to transport.

Avoid damage by removing leaves and trimming hedges

It may seem like a simple job, but clearing leaves from lawns is vital in keeping it healthy. A blanket of leaves covering grass can starve it of light and can encourage the growth of different diseases, so it’s important to clear it multiple times a week. It’s also ideal to cut back hedges in the autumn, whilst they are in a dormant state, to make sure lawns are getting as much light as possible, so it can flourish in the coming months. 

Preparing lawns for winter can help it face the harsh conditions during the winter so it can be as thick and healthy as possible for the spring and summer months. Here at Billy Goat, we provide the ultimate tools in lawncare, so you can care and maintain lawns of any size with ease.

Take the strain out of mowing sloped lawns

Mowing the lawn can be a laborious task, especially if you’re dealing with sloped lawns or verges. It can also be a tricky and potentially dangerous job if you’re using traditional machines over uneven surfaces and steep slopes. Hover lawnmowers offer a practical and lightweight alternative, so you can get the job done without the backache.

Here at Cobra, our AirMow range offers three versatile hover lawnmowers, providing the perfect cutting solution thanks to their innovative features and technology. Each hover lawnmower mimics our revolutionary design, allowing you to cut even the most difficult of spaces with ease.

Each model in the range floats effortlessly on a cushion of air, so you can glide across lawns with very little effort. The air between the mower and the ground also allows you to easily manoeuvre the machine in any direction so you don’t have to sacrifice on cutting ability. The machines in our AirMow range also provide a lightweight design, making it even easier to maintain sloped lawns compared to traditional models.

All three models come equipped with a 20” cutting width and also supply a 3-in-1 Wheel Kit System, so the mowers can easily travel across difficult and uneven surfaces, making it just as effortless to transport as it is to operate. The wheels can also be clipped back when they are not in use, or they can be removed completely.

With both petrol and battery powered models available, there’s a hover lawnmower to suit both domestic gardeners and professional landscapers.

Cobra AirMow 51B

Powered by a Briggs & Stratton petrol engine, the AirMow 51B supplies a best-in-class performance, ensuring optimal torque and efficiency and resulting in lower emissions. With its two-stage height adjustment and hand propelled drive, the AirMow 51B is perfect for domestic gardeners and makes light work of cutting on uneven ground thanks to its smaller size.

Cobra AirMow 51 Pro

If you have a larger garden or work as a professional landscaper, the AirMow 51 Pro offers the ultimate in power, with a mighty yet quiet Honda GCV160 engine helping it meet any demanding applications – so you can glide across even the unruliest of slopes and verges with very little effort. The AirMow 51 Pro also features a three-stage height adjustment and is able to cut on a 45-degree angle, allowing you to transform medium and large lawns, leaving you with a lawn to be proud of.

Cobra AirMow 51 80V

The AirMow 51 80V is powered by twin 40V Lithium-ion batteries which delivers an impressive 80V of cutting power, providing just as much force as the petrol models. Its battery-powered feature also means that the AirMow 51 80V offers quieter running and a more environmentally beneficial design, whilst its cordless feature encourages an easy operation. With its fast chargers, both batteries can also be fully charged within 45 minutes, making lawn maintenance quick and simple.

It can be difficult maintaining lawns with uneven surfaces or sloped edges, but here at Cobra, we have the tools to make it easy to transform even the most awkward or hard to reach places, so you can achieve a perfectly trimmed garden without the hard work.

Repair and transform lawns with a sod cutter

Now that summer is well underway, more time is being spent enjoying the great outdoors meaning lawns are being used more and are on full display. With this increased usage of lawns, grass is more likely to become damaged, increasing the need to have maintenance and repair regimes in place, such as sod removal, to make sure lawns stay vigorous and beautiful.

Say goodbye to scorched lawns!

With the weather heating up, it’s important to keep a close eye on lawns as too much sunlight can put serious strain on grass, resulting in areas becoming scorched and water stressed. As well as resulting in an unsightly appearance, damaged patches on football pitches or golf courses may affect player performance. In these circumstances, it may be necessary to perform a sod removal and replace the patch of grass with healthy grass.

Sod makes up part of the soil beneath the grass that is attached to the grass root, so sod cutters are often needed to neatly remove patches without causing further damage to other areas of the lawn.

Here at Billy Goat, we have the perfect tool to help make sod removal quick, easy and simple. The SC18 Hydrostatic Drive Sod Cutter offers the ultimate in design and power, providing a host of features that deliver a seamless finish.

With paddle-style drive wheels and a rear swivel caster, the Hydrostatic Drive Sod Cutter provides ease and comfortable manoeuvrability, meaning even curved cuts can be done with little effort. The rear swivel caster even locks in position for straight cutting so perfect straight lines are guaranteed. The sod cutters handle isolation mounts also absorb vibrations, delivering a smooth and fatigue-free operation.

The Hydrostatic Drive Sod Cutter also comes equipped with a ‘Set and Forget’ blade depth adjustment so different heights can be set with a single lever, allowing turf to be removed with very little effort. Other features – such as the six different tie down point – make it safer to transport and the venting housing and service doors allow for additional ventilation, which ensures a cool operation.

Transform lawns and outdoor spaces

The Billy Goat Sod Cutter is also useful if turf needs to be removed to create edging, walkways or patios. So, whether you’re looking to incorporate a budding flurry of plants and flowers to community parks or transform private gardens into the perfect patio lounging area, a sod cutter makes it easier and creates a seamless finish.

Billy Goat has all the tools you need to look after and modify lawns without any hassle. So, you can enjoy healthy, sprightly lawns and enjoy a summer basking in the great outdoors!

What is aeration and why it’s important for your lawn

The nearing arrival of summer means that it’s time to undertake the seasonal jobs to maintain lawns and make sure they are healthy, vibrant and ready for the months ahead. Aeration is an important process in growing strong and vibrant grass as it allows air, water and nutrients to penetrate the grass root, so it’s important that this process is carried out to achieve lush, thick lawns.

What is aeration?

Aeration involves piercing the soil beneath the grass with small holes to allow for air, water and nutrients. These elements are vital in helping grass roots to grow deeply whilst producing strong, vigorous and sprightly grass. Aeration is mainly undertaken to alleviate soil compaction as even slightly compressed soil can obstruct the important elements from reaching the grass roots. This means that grass will struggle to maintain its health during hotter weather and heavy rainfall, meaning grass left with increasingly compact soil is at risk of losing its quality and gradually dying out.

How to recognise a lawn that needs aerating and the best time to do it

You should aim to aerate your lawn at least once annually, to maintain the penetration of water and fertilisers to the grass root. However, lawns that are regularly used, such as football pitches or community fields, or those that have a spongey feel should be aerated more often to help grass maintain its strength and vibrant colour. Early spring and autumn, which are prime growing seasons, is the optimum time to aerate a lawn. During this period, grass can recover more quickly and can better fight off the stress of the aeration process.

What can I use to aerate a lawn?

The Billy Goat, we have a range of powerful aerators that help to maintain and encourage a flourishing lawn. For the ultimate experience, Billy Goat’s Plugr 25 Hydro Drive Series aerator provides a superior performance and a combination of productivity, operator comfort, variable hole density and is remarkably low maintenance. With the best-in-class controls and in ground steering, the 25 Hydro Drive Series also offers exceptional manoeuvrability and ease in operating.

It also offers The Patent Pending EZ Drop ™ tine system which comes complete with a one-step tine engagement lever. This allows tines to quickly engage when the lever is depressed, but it is also able to rapidly disengage once the lever has been released, so it can pass over any obstacles during aeration so the process can be smooth and uninterrupted.

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For smaller lawns, the Billy Goat 18 Series aerator offers a smaller design but supplies just as much power. The model comes equipped with reciprocating cam tines that propel the unit forward and drive cores up to 7cm deep, meaning water, air and nutrients will be able to travel a sufficient depth to the grass root. With this smaller design, it also offers a lightweight feel so it can be easily maneuvered around lawns and can reach in smaller, more narrow spaces.

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With the ability to cover up to 4 acres an hour, the Billy Goat Towable 60 Series aerator is ideal for maximising large lawn aerations – helping to save time whilst efficiently penetrating the grass root. With the addition of swivelling tine assemblies, this model operates with ease and is able to provide a quality aeration pattern of up to 4cm deep. The Towable 60 Series can also be mounted onto a standard tow bar or category 1, 3-point hitch and can run behind any type of tow vehicle, with the ability to run up to 8 km/h – offering a powerful and timely solution for aerating larger patches of lawn.

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For the ultimate in lawncare, Billy Goat provides the right tools to help you create and maintain a healthy, vibrant lawn.

Scarify to promote healthy and revitalised lawn

Scarifying is one of the necessary tasks to undertake to ensure lawns stay healthy. It can be an effective process, when done at right time of year, as it removes thatch and other debris from your lawn. Thatch (dead grass) builds up over time and stops any light, air, moisture, or nutrients from reaching the grass root, restricting growth and stimulating an unwelcome flourish of weeds and moss. This is why eliminating it is vital in helping to keep a lawn thriving. 

The scarification process can be quite harsh on a lawn, leaving it looking patchy and neglected initially due to the rough process of collecting dry, dead thatch. Because of this, it is best to scarify in the autumn months or now, during the spring, when grass growth is at its peak, allowing lawns to recover quickly.

Whilst intensive scarifying should be undertaken between September and October, when the soil is still warm, to get a lawn looking its best for summer, the coming weeks will be an opportune time to conduct some light scarifying before the warm weather arrives, to remove the layer of thatch that may have built up over the winter. It is also best to combine scarification alongside other maintenance jobs, such as overseeding and fertilisation to ensure the best results.

Despite its seemingly harsh effects, scarifying is extremely useful and supplies a multitude of benefits to your lawn. For example, the scarification process helps to improve surface draining, so you can be sure lawns won’t suffer from being waterlogged. The removal of thatch also gives grass efficient ventilation, allowing air and nutrients to reach the root more easily, promoting better growth and overall condition and limiting the risk of any diseases occurring.

To get your lawn looking the picture of health, Billy Goat’s versatile range of scarifiers takes the hard work out of transforming a lawn. The PR Series is designed to withstand the most demanding use and all manoeuvre effortlessly to remove any matted thatch from turf in 20” passes, saving you time and avoiding the strenuous work of using a regular rake.

With their power supplied by Honda, the PR550 Power Rake and PR550H Power Rake are the perfect tools to help renovate even the largest lawns, and with their reduced vibrations, they improve operator comfort and handling. These models are also self-propelled and come with several optional accessories, including a spring tine reel, which removes thatch from areas where objects, like sprinkler heads, may cause concern. Both models can also be converted into an overseeder and vertislicer, providing several lawncare solutions in one tool.  

The CR550HCEU Compact Power Rake is a smaller model, but still has the power of Honda to get the job done. With its smaller design, the compact power rake can effectively remove thatch from smaller areas. This model also comes with optional accessories, such as a vertislicing reel, which can help improve drainage and overseeding which may have been compromised due to the build-up of thatch.

Billy Goat has all the tools to help you get the job done quickly and easily – leaving you with a lawn looking like new.