Lawn Thatching and Thatch
Define Thatch: Lawn thatch is the build up of excessive unwanted material in your lawn that can
choke out air, water, and sunlight. Excessive build up of thatch in your lawn can cause grass to stop growing and even become more prone to insects and lawn diseases. Thatch is composed of dead grass build up, pine needles, or moss. It can also refer to the dead layer of sod that is left over after an insect infestation.
When is the best time to thatch lawn? (Powerake)
The best time to De thatch lawn with a thatching rake is in the spring
and in the early fall. Lawn thatching allows your lawn to recover before it gets too hot or too cold. Most lawns will not look that bad after they get de-thatched. Because lawn thatchers can take a lot of moss or bad grasses out of your lawn, they may need to be re-seeded in order for them to heal properly. (If there is a lot of moss you may also need to add iron to get rid of the remaining moss before seeding.) Lawns with 'dead thatch' can be very tricky to deal with if insect damage is extensive. (See 'dead thatch') Lawn thatching can be done using a lawn thatcher, or a thatch rake.
Why power rake? (Thatch lawn)
Power-raking or dethatching a lawn can remove harmful yard build-up. This can allow water, air and sunlight to reach the surface of the soil. Lawns can grow better once lawn thatch has been removed. This can be done with a machine or by using a thatch rake or a dethatching lawn rake.
Different benefits of Lawn Thatching
In order to maintain your lawn healthy and looking its best is may be necessary to lawn thatching on a yearly basis. To know whether or not your lawn needs to be thatched, you need to be able to recognize whether or not you have a thatch problem. Below are some of the most obvious signs that a thatch problem exists in your lawn:
You have a lot of moss in your lawn. Moss is referred to as living thatch. It causes problems for your lawn because it is ugly and because it can out grow cool season grasses in cooler climates. Often these thatch problem are fairly easy to fix. The best way to fix a thatch problem cause by moss is to thatch it out with a thatching machine and then finish off the residue with an iron moss killer. A thatching machine works great because the moss has virtually no roots. It may also be a good idea to waited two to three weeks after applying a moss killer and then over seed your lawn. Having a thick healthy lawn going into the winter, will make it less likely to have a severe moss infestation.
Another sign that you have a problem with thatch is if you have dead grasses building up in your lawn. This relates directly to two factors. The type of grass you have in your lawn, and varying amount of sunlight available to your lawn throughout the year. The way to treat this is to thatch the lawn and then reseed it with better grasses. Unfortunately, this may only be a short term fix and you may end up needing to tear ou the whole lawn and replace it anyway.
Another sign that you have a thatch problem is if you have pine needles building up around the edge of your lawn. Not only do these pine needle choke out water and sunlight, but they are also 0ver acidic. You may need to use lime when over seeding these areas to counteract the effects of the acidic pin needle. In addition areas with pine needle often have related problem, such as a lack of water and roots to fight will. Eventually you may decide to let the fir tree win and just make your lawn smaller.
How to I de thatch a lawn or get rid of thatch
There are four ways to manually thatch your lawn. If it is a small lawn, you could do it by hand. It de-thatching a 1000sq ft front yard could easily take 2-3 hours. It is real backbreaking work. Most people prefer do dethatching or thatch lawn by renting a machine. These machines are called lawn thatchers or power rakes. These lawn thatchers should cost between $30 and $65 for a 4 hour rental. Another way to do it is to hire someone to do it for you. Rates vary according to area, but in Seattle we typically charged $100-1$20 for a 2,000 sq foot yard including clean up. With two people this took about an hour. If you are doing it by yourself, you should plan on 3-4 hours. Bigger lawns will take longer. Before thatching make sure to mow your lawn about 1/3 shorter than usual. If you normal cut your grass at 1.5", cut it down to 1". It is best to thatch when the grass is dry. Wet lawn can very quickly turn into a mess.
If the main problem is moss, try using iron (moos out) first to get rid of the moss or lawn thatch. (Sweet soil is an alkali that may raise the PH to inhibit future growth, however it is not very effective once the moss is already there.) It may be important to stay on top of it, by adding moss out to your lawn in the spring and the fall. In Seattle, the best time to put the iron on is whenever is is actively growing.
How often do I need to thatch my lawn
It depends on the lawn and the type of climate. Most experts recommend thatching once every 3-5 years. Some yard may not need to be thatched for many more years. You can tell if you have thatch by placing you foot on the grass and seeing if your foot makes an impression that stays on the lawn. You may also be interested in finding out more about dethatchers or power rakes.
Why should I aerate?
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