A common question asked by many is, "Should I aerate, scarify and top dress my lawn?" The quick answers are as follows.

1. Lawn Top Dressing:

Only top dress your lawn to remove the lumps and bumps in the lawn.

The best thing for lawn top dressing is river sand, which can be purchased in bagged quantities from your local nursery. River sand remains soft (unlike regular topsoil) throughout the hot summer months allowing the turf to easily take hold. Also bear in mind to top dress with river sand lightly so as not to totally cover your lawn turf. Another tip: only top dress in spring or summer, not in winter.

2. Lawn Aeration and Coring:

Your lawn will benefit from lawn aeration or lawn coring if the soil profile has become compacted and hard. Make sure you water the lawn areas heavily the couple of days prior to carrying out the aerating or coring. Remember, after aerating you need to follow up with good watering so as to maintain a wet soil profile until the lawn turf grows vigorously. Lawn aeration is best carried out in the warmer seasons for quick recovery.

3. Lawn Scarifying and Combing:

Scarifying your lawn removes thatch (or dead grass material) beneath the healthy turf growth. Thatch is unhealthy for your lawn as it is the breeding ground for fungus, disease and pest insects. Regular mowing at a reasonably short height (say 25-30mm depending on the turf species) will help prevent thatch build-up. Every few years it may be necessary to de-thatch your lawn with a lawn scarifier (comber).