Services

Scarification is the process where we use heavy-duty commercial motorised rakes (scarifiers) to reduce and remove unwanted surface thatch and moss, allowing healthy grass more room to grow and breathe. It requires high skill as blade settings must precisely remove unwanted elements (moss and thatch) while preserving as much healthy grass as possible, achieving the right balance. Over-aggressive scarification can cause serious damage. Conversely, inadequate removal doesn’t properly address the job. ProGrass’s lawn operators are highly experienced, ensuring the job is done to specification. It’s worth noting that scarifying won’t eliminate all moss and thatch at once to avoid damaging existing healthy grass.

In our opinion, aeration is one of the best treatments a lawn can have as it reduces one of the biggest causes of lawn problems, which is soil compaction. When the subsoil of a lawn is compact, vital nutrients and moisture struggle to reach and feed the root zone, causing it to become shallow, resulting in the lawn having less storage capacity for these vital ingredients. A stressed lawn is also extremely vulnerable to moss and weeds, which thrive on compacted soil, so the aeration process will help reduce not only these but also surface thatch as well. Aeration will also greatly improve drainage, as surface water will find it much easier to drain through an aerated lawn.

There are several types of aeration, but our preferred method is hollow tine aeration, which is done using heavy commercial machines that will physically extract thousands of cores (tines), allowing the root zone to feed and breathe. The fact that the soil is extracted means the holes will not close up immediately, and the grass roots will grow into the holes, making this area extremely receptive to moisture and nutrients, resulting in a much deeper and healthier root zone. Grass is, in effect, a plant, and in horticulture, any plant with a strong root is a healthy plant.

With hollow tine aeration, the extracted tines can either be left on the lawn to break down naturally, which is recommended as they are full of topsoil and nutrients, or they can be raked up afterwards. If hollow tine aeration is being done alongside scarification, then the scarification process will chop the tines up, allowing the uncompacted soil to go back into the lawn, which is also very beneficial.

Other types of aeration are solid tine aeration and slitting. Solid tine aeration punches holes in the surface but will not extract the cores, and we will do this on request, but we regard it as less effective. However, cosmetically, it does not leave any cores on the lawn. Slitting is not recommended as we regard it as a shortcut, and its benefits are minimal compared to the other two methods mentioned above.

As an independent provider, this is one of our main strengths, as we have a tried and tested method for rejuvenating even the most severely damaged and neglected lawns at a significantly lower cost than returfing. This process includes the following steps:

• Visit 1: An initial one-off treatment to control moss and weeds while boosting existing grass.
• Visit 2: Hollow tine aeration to reduce soil compaction, allowing the root zone to breathe.
• Scarification to remove dead moss/thatch, stimulate the soil surface, and prepare for overseeding.
• Raking and bagging of surplus green waste extracted from the lawn.
• Overseeding using seed disc drilling machines to cover bare areas and thicken the lawn sward. Any remaining problematic areas will be further hand-seeded using a mix of nutrient-rich top dressing and seed.
• Application of pre-seed fertiliser to encourage seed germination and further nourish existing healthy grass.
• Ongoing visits: Subsequent seasonal treatments to promote grass greening, thickening, and strengthening, while controlling emerging moss and weeds.

Seed germination is a fascinating process. To achieve results, the seed must make contact with the soil surface, making ground preparation essential. The time it takes for tender shoots to emerge varies depending on weather conditions and irrigation. Seeds may appear dormant on the surface, but germination has already occurred. Initially, a shoot emerges from the seed, rooting into the ground before surfacing as a blade of grass.

Regardless of the overseeding method used, the type of seed is paramount. It must be of high quality and suitable for the season and weather conditions. For instance, different seeds are used in spring compared to autumn. We avoid fast-germinating seed as it often results in shallow roots, causing future problems. Our independence allows us to use quality seed that roots deeply, ensuring durability and survival in adverse/dry weather conditions.

For patch repair and challenging areas, we first rake out any dead thatch/moss to expose the soil surface. Then, we carefully apply a compound of nutrient-rich top dressing and seed. Mixing seed with top dressing enhances germination chances and reduces bird loss.

At ProGrass, we primarily overseed lawns using seed disc drilling machines, a practice uncommon among lawn companies. These heavy-duty commercial machines cut multiple grooves into the soil surface and deposit seed, significantly enhancing germination rates and minimizing seed loss to birds. Upon encountering these machines on a golf course, imported from America, I immediately adopted them due to disappointing seeding results. Since then, I’ve never looked back.

Additionally, we employ surface application methods using spreaders or by hand for small or inaccessible lawns.

Wetting agents are designed to help fix hydrophobicity in turf, they make it easier for the soil to absorb and hold water. When applied to the whole lawn the wetting agent will allow water to move freely and quickly through the soil. Once a wetting agent starts to work on the soil, water can move more readily down and sideways in the soil profile. Run-off is reduced, water moves deeper more quickly and spreads more easily. The lawn soil can now hold more water with obvious benefits to the grass. In addition, wetting agents will help stimulate better root development.

The common misconception is that these products replace the need for watering! They don’t. Water is still required but because it is now able to penetrate the soil and be held in the soil more easily you use less water. The water that you do use is also now more easily and readily available to the grass roots.

Through our sister company, PowerPro, we offer a wide range of external cleaning services, including drive/patio cleaning, renovation, and sealing. These services can be viewed in detail here.

We also provide gutter clearing using the SkyVac system, which utilizes a camera to ensure the gutters are completely clear afterwards.

Additional services include emergency and holiday grass cuts. In the winter, we offer cleaning for soffits and fascias, as well as leaf collection and disposal.

We also offer treatments for patios, paths, and drives to remove moss, dirt, and algae, improving safety to prevent falls, slips, and trips on hazardous surfaces.