What is Thatch and How Does it Affect My Lawn?

Thatch is a naturrally occurring layer of interconnected dead and living stems, leaves, grass clippings, and surface roots found between growing grass and soil surface.

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• Thatch can choke out good grass and turn your lawn yellow.
• Too much thatch can decrease your lawn’s ability to be drought resistant, cause fungus and disease, and increases chances of pests and weeds.
• Lawns that are high in acid, never aerated, have too much mulch, and are not mowed frequently can also increase thatch problems.
• Build up of thatch can prevent light, oxygen, water, and fertilizer from reaching the roots of the healthy grass in your lawn.

What is DeThatching and How Can it Help My Lawn?

Image from Walker website

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DeThatching is the process of cleaning up thatch using an attachment on our mowers called a DeThatcher.

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Image from Walker website

It’s metal tines loosen the thatch and the mower cleans up after it, allowing the living grass to grow and turn green for a beautiful summer lawn.

DeThatching helps increase light, oxygen, water, and fertilizer to reach the roots and create a healthy lawn.

Image from Walker website

When is it Best to DeThatch?

It is best to DeThatch in the Spring while the weather is still relevantly cool and the soil is not too wet. You will see an instant improvement with the clean up and a nicer, greener lawn within 2 to 3 weeks with proper watering and care.

Other Things to Consider

If it has been awhile since your lawn has been DeThatched or the damage is more severe than normal, you may want to consider some of the following;

• Over seeing thin/sparse areas.
• Apply a thin layer of topsoil to your lawn.
• Fertilizing through out the summer.
• Aerating to allow your lawn to breathe, green up, and grow thicker.

To see DeThatching in action watch the video below!