I have irrigation and I feel like the dead grass needs to be raked out. Will it kill my grass if I do it in mid summer? I had sod put down 3 years ago on my new property here in Connecticut. It seems very temperamental reacts to hot dry conditions fast. I enjoyed keeping it longer like 4 to 5 inches but I think alot of the roots are growing on top of the soil.
If I rake thatch out aggressively with a rake it seems to kill the grass. I tested an area off to the side that is predominantly more wet then my other areas.
I will aerate the lawn this month and hopefully when I spread some seeds some will land in Holes and grow like they should from the ground not on top of. I decided to cut my lawn shorter down to 2. Can I thatch areas of dead weed grass in my lawn with thatching rake in mid-Oct in Southeast CT- and then patch with topsoil and grass seeding? In zone 5, it is better to do this in early September. Omg I need help!!!! I had my yard dethached and it just died I live in Colorado Springs Colorado!!!
Do you think I killed my yard??? You will need to find someone local to have a look at the lawn. Dethatching, if done properly, will not kill the grass.
You really need to cut through the thatch with sharp blades. I recommend a professional machine for this, which you can probably rent, or have done professionally.
I dethstched and mowed short this week in spots lawn looks very brown. Should I seed? I Am in South Dakota. My wife thinks the lawn is dead there is much green but a lot of brown down low.
I live in the Norteast,NH, and have always gone back and forth on spring thatching…. It is not useless — it provides an important aesthetic feature for gardens and is the best plant for making walking areas. If everyone was a gardener — then we could get rid of the lawn — but they are not. I have been looking at lawn alternatives and have yet to find one that meets the requirements provided by a lawn and takes less chemicals to control. It is a common battle cry from environmentalists — but they have not provided an alternative.
Should the remaining lawn be dethatched at this time of year? Dethatching has nothing to do with climate or dead lawns. How much thatch do you have? If you have too much then you should dethatch. Early fall is a good time to dethatch so the grass roots can heal themselves in the coming cool months.
I have small leaves and flower pedals that collect in my lawn. Can I seed over it or do I need to de thatch before seeding. Not sure if the seed will reach the soul. Will seed that falls onto leaves germinate? If you are going to over seed you need to remove the leaves.
But this has nothing to do with dethatching. Consider this — most over seeding does not work. Unless the seed reaches the soil, and is covered with a bit of soil it will probably not grow. Seed bigger patches where you can rake seed into the soil, but forget over seeding the whole lawn.
When it needs it. If it never gets more than this — you never dethatch. At first we have to decide that if the lawn needs dethatching or not. And if you think that lawn needs dethatching than it should be done in the early days of the corresponding season. If it is done during cool season than it will be done during early spring.
If the lawns are big than power dethatcher is being used that covers the lawn area once. Do you have a reference that confirms dethatching for cool season grass should be done in spring? So if you try to dethatch, you will pull lots of grass plants up out of the ground. Robert, is there evidence about how tall grass is allowed to grow and how that correlates to build up of thatch? Does mowing height affect thatch? I could find no reference to indicate that longer grass would increase or decrease the amount of thatch.
When grass grows better, it does form more thatch. For example, if you fertilize you will make the grass grow better, which in turn increases the amount of rhizomes and roots, which in turn increases the thatch.
Mowing higher does make the lawn grow better, so I suspect it will also increase thatch. But I suspect the benefits of longer grass outweigh the downside of more thatch.
Moreover, many disease-causing fungi can live on cut clippings as well as on living grass plants. These clippings are then added to the thatch layer that harbors disease organisms until the environmental conditions are right for disease development. Leaving grass clippings on the lawn, however, does not necessarily cause an increase in thatch buildup. Leaving short clippings after mowing does not add to thatch development— soil microorganisms break the clippings down quickly and return a valuable source of balanced nutrients back to the turf.
Proper management practices, therefore, promote healthier turf that will need fewer pesticides and can maintain a healthy population of beneficial organisms. Grasses which produce a large amount of side shoots, such as Kentucky bluegrass produces rhizomes and creeping bentgrass produces stolons , tend to produce thatch readily. If your lawn has a bouncy feel to it when you walk on it, thatch is probably building up.
To determine the thickness, remove a small square of your lawn to a depth of about 3" and measure the brown layer between the grass blades and the soil surface. Note the spongy layer of material above the mineral soil. When thatch has accumulated to an excessive thickness, it is best reduced by mechanical means. Dethatcher machines known as vertical mowers, verticutters, dethatchers or power rakes have vertically spinning blades which pull some of the material to the surface as they slice the thatch layer.
Most equipment rental outlets have dethatching machines available for renting. Mechanical dethatching should be done in either late summer or fall when cool weather prevails. DO NOT attempt to remove the entire thatch layer in one treatment; DO NOT dethatch when soil is wet; only dethatch your lawn when it is needed rather than on a routine basis. Dethatch warm-season grasses, such as Bermudagrass or Zoysia grass , after spring green-up, as they enter early summer's peak growth.
Never dethatch when your lawn is dormant or stressed; you can damage it beyond recovery. Lawn aeration and dethatching are two different processes, but they can work together to help your lawn.
Aeration removes cores of soil, including their thatch layer, and creates paths for water and nutrient to penetrate thatch and compacted soil. This helps prepare thatch for removal and speeds the breakdown of existing thatch. Dethatching helps slice through thatch into soil and remove the barrier of thick, accumulated organic matter. How to Dethatch Your Lawn If your thatch is over 2 inches thick, you may want to consider hiring a professional for the job.
If DIY is more your style , you can dethatch your lawn in three ways: Manual dethatching rakes are heavy, short-tined rakes with curved blades designed to dig into your lawn and pull up thatch as you rake. Dethatching rakes are good for light thatch and general thatch maintenance on small lawn areas.
Power rakes are mower-like devices with rotating, rake-like tines that dig into thatch at the soil level and pull it up. Power rakes work well for lawns with thinner thatch layers and grass that can withstand intense raking. Vertical mowers , also called verticutters, have vertical blades that slice down through the thatch layer and into soil, pulling thatch—and often grass roots—to the surface as they go. Verticutters are best for thick thatch layers on lawns in need of renovation.
Blades adjust to control how much thatch you remove at once. What to Do After Dethatching With dethatching done, it's an ideal time to overseed your lawn and get it back on track for thick, lush, green beauty. By choosing premium grass seed such as water-conserving Pennington Smart Seed , you improve your lawn's sustainability as you overcome thatch. For a quick, easy fix to thin grass, turn to Pennington Lawn Booster; this all-in-one product combines Smart Seed, professional-grade fertilizer and soil enhancers, all in a single, easy-to-use package.
To prevent future thatch problems, test your lawn soil every 3—4 years and follow soil test recommendations to keep soil pH and nutrients at optimal levels for thick, healthy grass growth. Your lawn may need lime to restore soil pH balance, which also promotes beneficial activity of thatch-reducing microorganisms.
Aerate heavy or compacted lawns annually and amend with gypsum to help loosen soil and encourage root growth. Fertilize your lawn, according to soil test recommendations, with the best lawn fertilizers to ensure it gets nitrogen it needs without over-fertilizing, and follow best practices for mowing and wise watering.
By learning why, when and how to dethatch your lawn properly and taking steps to prevent thatch, you can keep your lawn on track for healthy, thick, lush growth.
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