How many of you have taken a quick stroll across the lawn in the recent milder weather just to see how it all looks.
Alright, I know it looks green, but is there any moss lurking in the damper areas? Are there any clumps of dead grass? And does it look, well, a bit choked (think the Welsh rugby squad after the international with England)?
For the lawn will soon need its first trim of the year, just enough to knock the whiskers off.
There’s not a lawn in the land which would not benefit from scarifying – pulling out the dead grass and flat growing weeds and moss. If you read the excellent and detailed blog by my mate Drew yesterday, you’ll know exactly what I am talking about.
You can try scarifying with a tined rake if you like, the sort used to clear up leaves up autumn, but that’s a backbreaking job if ever there was one. Far better to let machinery do it for you.
So here are ten top scarifiers from small machines for smaller lawns right up to ones made for professional gardeners who have large areas to maintain.
The smallest machine and one ideal if you have a small garden is the Al-Ko Comfort 38E Combi-Care Electric Aerator / Scarifier, a 2-in-1 machine from a German engineering company.
This great little device has two cassettes, one with 24 sprung hooks to pull out all the debris we talked about above and the other with 14 steel blades to cut small slits into the lawn which allow moisture to penetrate to the roots.
It has five working depths adjusted by a simple dial and a 55-litre catcher to collect the rubbish.
It is 38cm wide and the underside is smooth making it easier to clean after use. The two cassettes are powered by a 1300W electric motor.
See here for other customer’s views of this best-selling machine.
It costs £169, £20 below the recommended price and we deliver it FREE to your door the next working day following receipt of your order with a two-year warranty.
This one is exclusive to MowDirect and is the first cordless scarier produced.
The Einhell GE-SC 35LI Power X-Change Cordless Scarifier and is delivered with two 3Ah batteries and a charger and has 15 steel blades to tease out all the rubbish which stops lawns from thriving.
It is built around a plastic housing to resist corrosion and the inevitable bumps and has three depths and sits on large wheels which will not scuff the lawn.
It is very light and simple to manoeuvre and as an optional extra you can buy an easily-fitted aerator roller and debris collector.
It costs £199.95, £180 off the recommended price and we deliver it FREE the next working day with a two-year warranty.
This one is the first petrol-powered one and another exclusive to us.
The Einhell GE-SA 1335P Petrol Combi Scarifier / Aerator is another which combines the functions of a scarifier and an aerator, with one roller with 26 spikes to pull out the debris and the other with 20 knives to cut irrigating slits into the turf.
Powering it along is a 52.2cc Einhell four-stroke engine with a large petrol tank to keep you working longer.
It costs £269.95, £130 off the recommended price, has a two-year warranty and FREE next working day delivery.
Back to Al-Ko for this next one, the Al-Ko Comfort 38P Combi-Care Petrol Aerator / Scarifier powered by a 53cc engine.
Boasting a working width of 37cm it has two cassettes, one with 14 sprung hooks to tease out the debris including flat-growing weeds and the other with 24 steel blades to leave small cuts in the lawns to allow moisture and nutrients to penetrate.
It has five working depths so you can set the level of severity and there is a 55-litre box to collect the debris.
Large rear wheels make it easy to steer around the lawn without scuffing it.
It costs £339, £30 off the recommended price. We deliver it FREE the next working day with a two-year warranty from Al-Ko.
This next one is a long-time favourite offering great value for money for a powerful machine engineered in Germany.
The Einhell GC-SC 2240P Petrol Lawn Scarifier, on special offer, is the lowest priced in its class but has been delighting customers for some time and is suitable for lawns up to 1000m2.
It has 18 steel blades to tease out the rubbish and let existing lawns breathe and take in moisture and nutrients.
A 118cc engine powers the 18 blades and with working width of 40cm it can cover a large area quite quickly.
This is a very solid machine and has large wheels and handlebars which fold down for easier storage and transportation.
It has six working heights from -15mm to 5mm and a debris collector which holds 45 litres, although the first time you use it on a lawn which has not been scarified for some time you are best to leave it off and rake up the rubbish.
It costs £299.95, a saving of £200 on the recommended price, has a two-year warranty and FREE next working day delivery. Plus a FREE bottle of oil is included.
Hayter has an excellent reputation for making some of the best lawnmowers available and here is a scarifier with an equally enviable reputation.
The Hayter SP36 Petrol Lawn Scarifier has a Briggs & Stratton 155cc engine, quiet and fuel efficient while giving loads of power and a very easy starter and designed to last.
It has 15 fixed blades and a working width of 36cm and five working heights from 0mm to 20mm so you can be as gentle or as aggressive as you chose.
The machine is mounted around a steel deck and has handlebars which fold down for easier transport and storage.
It costs £509, that’s an £80 saving on the price recommended and it has a one-year warranty. We deliver it FREE the next working day with a FREE bottle of engine oil so you can get started right away.
Now we’re getting into some serious professional machines, the sort designed for larger areas like the elegant lawns of country houses where finish is all important and regular scarifying is the norm.
The Weibang Intrepid 384RB Pro Lawn Scarifier is from a Chinese company which makes top gardening equipment for professional use and this one has a 163cc Briggs & Stratton engine which starts very easily.
This one has 22 carbon steel blades to clear out the rubbish and has adjustable working depths and lets you disengage the raking rotor when crossing paths and surfaced areas.
The machine is based on a steel chassis finished with a powder coated paint to resist corrosion and has a 40-litre debris collector and for a substantial machine weighs only 46kg.
It is priced at £649, £50 off the recommended price and it has a five-year warranty. We deliver it FREE the next working day and comes with FREE oil.
This next professional machine is from a leading Italian manufacturer of garden machinery, the Efco AG40-S50 Semi-Professional Petrol Lawn Scarifier.
It has a working width of 40cm and is powered by a Subaru Japanese 160cc engine. It has steel blades to do the work and a steel chassis to give it great strength and durability.
And is supplied with a fabric collector for the debris.
It has a three-year warranty and is delivered FREE of charge the next working day and costs £749, £130 off the maker’s recommended price. It also comes with a bootle of FREE oil.
The Weibang Intrepid 486CRB Professional Scarifier has a working width of 46cm and has 28 swing-tip blades to efficiently tease out deep-seated dead grass, moss and other lawn debris.
These blades can be disengaged when crossing paths and drives, saving time stopping and starting the motor.
As an optional extra you can buy blades which will cut down thick fibrous grasses which can develop on lawns untouched for some time.
This is a very solid machine built around a steel chassis with a powder-coated finish to give it a long life.
It costs £849, £50 less than the recommended price and we deliver it for FREE the next working day with a five-year warranty and a FREE bottle of oil.
And finally the Eliet E401-GC135 Petrol Scarifier a top machine made for work fitted with a Honda 135cc engine.
This one boasts 14 Permanently Sharp blades with two edges to give a twin raking action to tease out thick accumulations of dead grass and which stop the lawn from breathing and thriving.
It has a 40cm working width and two depth settings made on each wheel and is fitted with a rear deflector to keep the debris away for the person using it. And it has a large 60-litre debris collector.
The transmission is a via a belt and it is mounted on 200mm ball bearing wheels with shock absorbing rims so it is more comfortable to use on uneven ground.
This one has a one-year warranty and is delivered totally FREE with a FREE bottle of oil within two to three working days of receiving your order.
It costs £999 and finance options are available as they are on all our products over £300.
Remember you can always give us a ring on 020 3026 8712 if you have any queries about this of indeed any machine on our site. We’re here during normal office hours.
See these pages for a wide selection of aerators and scarifiers.
And while not wishing to tempt fate the time is fast approaching when you can give your lawn its first haircut of the year.
You’ll find a huge selection of mowers on these from small hand-propelled ones to larger wide cut models. And it you need something for a larger area then remember we are the country’s leading retailer of ride-ones and lawn and garden tractors and one many of these you can order as late as 3pm on Friday and have it delivered on Saturday for a small extra cost.
