Why do you thatch a yard

Measure the thatch, which will appear as a layer of spongy brown material between the grass and the soil. Lawns should be dethatched only when conditions are best to promote rapid recovery of your grass type. The best time to dethatch cool-season lawns is late August to early October, depending on your location, when the grass is growing vigorously and few weed seeds are likely to germinate.

There are several ways. For lawns with moderate levels of thatch, aerating see below may do the trick. Or use a cavex rake aka thatching or lawn dethatcher rake —which has unusual semicircular tines.

Those knifelike blades cut through the sod and pull out thatch. For large lawns with serious thatch problems, the most effective solution is a vertical mower aka power rake. Resembling a heavy-duty power mower but with a series of spinning vertical knives, it cuts through thatch.

Dethatching often creates a large volume of debris that must be removed. If the debris is weed-free and you have not used herbicides or pesticides on your lawn, compost it. Or check to see if your city has a composting program for yard waste. Thatch is inevitable, but appropriate lawn care practices will help reduce the severity in the future. Use the right type and amount of fertilizer for normal growth.

Water deeply, thoroughly, but infrequently. Maintain proper pH levels ; adjust them if needed. And aerate your lawn on a regular schedule to make room for new growth. These are all-in-one machines owned by some professional lawn care companies. They have one set of spinning blades that dethatch, then another set of circular blades that lay down grooves.

They dethatch and plant grass seed in a single pass. In any case, passing over the lawn with any of the above dethatching machine will lift a large volume of thatch — even on small lawns, it can produce enough to fill several lawn bags — that needs to be gathered up with a rake or mower with the mulching unit attached. Reserve these machines for the most-serious thatch problems — 1 inch or more.

They have thick blades that cut through to the soil surface and allow you to remove sod in strips. You need to completely renovate the lawn if using a sod cutter. Aeration is also an option for lawns with a mild amount of thatch.

A core aerator will pull up plugs of sod, which can provide space for nutrients to penetrate beneath the thatch layer. As the name implies, these machines slice through the lawn to pull up thatch. Often used on sports fields. Hand rake loose thatch after slicing, leaving the soil layer as topdressing. Slicing dethatchers, like other options, come in a wide variety. But if you can handle a walk-behind mower, you can handle a dethatching machine, Callahan said.

And a dethatching machine is the way to go. He recommends renting equipment to save yourself plenty of time and sore muscles. There is one valuable advantage of a professional lawn service, though. The first thing to do after dethatching is to remove the piles of thatch from your yard.

After dethatching, seed the lawn and consider topdressing. Most lawn and garden stores carry manual dethatching rakes. Equipment rental stores often keep power rakes and vertical mowers on hand, especial during dethatching season.

Whatever option you choose, finish the job by raking up all the thatch debris and watering your dethatched lawn thoroughly.

Seeding your lawn is an economical and satisfying way to introduce healthy turf to your yard. Water conservation and a healthy, beautiful lawn aren't mutually exclusive. You can do your part to manage water usage, and keep your lawn. When you're on a quest for the perfect lawn, you're bound to encounter challenges. These lawn dethatching basics can help understand: What is Thatch?

If you've ever seen a cross-section of soil and grass roots, you've seen the layer of organic debris known as thatch. A mix of dead and living plant material, thatch forms at the base of grass plants, where stems meet roots and soil. Some organic matter, such as small grass clippings or mulched leaves, break down quickly in healthy lawns, but other materials take much longer to decompose.

When buildup outpaces breakdown, your lawn's thatch layer grows thicker. A thin thatch layer allows water, nutrients and air to penetrate into soil and reach waiting plant roots. But when thatch grows thick, grass suffers. Thatch layers of 1 inch or more become barriers instead of benefits. Thick thatch blocks water and fertilizer, and grass roots get trapped in thatch, where they're vulnerable to heat, drought and stress.

Does aerating lawn make a difference? What does lawn thatch look like? Lawn thatch consists of stems, stolons, rhizomes, and roots that have not broken down, or "decomposed," yet. These are tough components of your grass that do not decompose as easily as do grass blades. How do you know if you need to dethatch? What Causes Thatch? Does Your Lawn Need Dethatching?

Feel The Lawn. A lawn that's spongy or bouncy underfoot, with a springy feel, often has a thick thatch layer. Visually Inspect The Lawn. To determine how thick thatch is, examine the lawn closely. Measure The Thatch. Is it possible to overseed a lawn? Overseeding is an important part of growing a healthy, lush lawn. The process of overseeding involves planting grass seed directly into the existing turf without ruining the turf or soil. If you don't overseed, you run the risk of weeds overtaking your lawn.