Crossword Genius

Gardening equipment, if lost, would be more concerning (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

scarifier

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'lost would be more concerning' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't tell whether this works.

'gardening equipment if' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'if' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'scarier' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for scarifier that I've seen is " Tool for lawn care".)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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