Lawn Dethatching: Do You Have A Thatch Problem?

Thatch is a tightly intermingled organic layer of dead and living shoots, stems and roots that accumulate just above the soil surface. A thin layer of this (less than ½ an inch) can be beneficial to the lawn because it helps to limit weed germination, reduce water evaporation, moderates soil temperature fluctuations, protects from frost damage and provides a cushion on the soil surface. However, too much thatch interferes with water and air movement, reduces fertilizer and pesticide response and increases disease and insect activity.

Thatch buildup can occur for many different reasons. Certain types of turf create much more thatch than others (i.e. Kentucky Bluegrass). Other factors such as fertilization, irrigation, microorganism activity, compaction and soil type can play significant roles in how thatch builds up.

In any case you can check to see the amount of thatch that your lawn has in three easy steps.

1.      Simply dig out a scoop of your lawn and look at it from the side (you will be able to put this piece back after this exercise, don’t worry!)

2.      You should be able to clearly identify the soil, the thatch (a tightly knit layer of brown debris) and the top growth of the lawn

3.      In a healthy lawn the thatch will decay naturally providing nutrients to the lawn, however if it looks like there is more than half an inch of thatch you will want to dethatch your lawn to make sure it stays healthy.

There are a few different ways you can decide to dethatch your lawn to make sure it stays healthy. The first way is to hand rake; however this may be difficult depending on the size of your lawn. Mechanical dethatchers such as vertical mowers or power rakes, typically work the best. If you have a thick thatch layer then a vertical mower is your best option. Practices such as power raking and aeration are great maintenance practices to help prevent your thatch layer from reaching excessive levels.

If you think that your lawn is at a point where dethatching with a vertical mower is necessary, there are a lot of important issues to consider. The timing, condition of the lawn (i.e. moisture levels) and how much of the thatch layer to remove are all very important. After you are done dethatching make sure you rake up all of the thatch you pulled up. This thatch can either be composted or disposed of, just don’t let it sit on the grass for very long!

If you have any questions about this blog or other landscape related questions please comment on this blog or on our Facebook wall at https://www.facebook.com/SnowandSonsLandscaping