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How To Get Rid Of Thatch In Your Lawn

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Why Some People Want Clover In Their Lawn

How to remove thatch from your lawn | Dethatching

On a side note, it might surprise you to know that some people actually choose to add clover to their lawn. This is due to the fact that clover prevents weeds, fertilises your lawn by adding nitrogen, attracts bees, is soft to walk on, makes your lawn appear greener and shades the soil well. In fact, back in the 1950s and 60s, the optimum lawn mix was around 20% clover. For all these reasons, many people encourage the growth of clover in their lawn and even add in additional microclover to give more uniform clover coverage.

However, if you prefer the look of a smooth, velvety lawn without the distraction of clover flowers and wide leaves, youll need to thoroughly remove this prolific weed. Heres how to do it.

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Lawn Cultural Practices That Prevent Thatch

Lawn Mowing Never cut more than 1/3 of the blade of grass at one time. Mulching the grass clippings does not increase the tendency to build thatch. Change the mowing height to 2.5 inches in the spring and fall and increase the height to 3 inches or taller in the summer.

Lawn Fertilizing Fast release nitrogen lawn care applications will result in a decrease in thatch decomposition and an increase in thatch production rates. Always avoid high dosages of synthetic nitrogen sources like ammonium nitrate because they are salt based and kill beneficial microbes. Organic fertilizers stimulate beneficial microbial activity in the soil.

Lawn Irrigation Avoid light and frequent watering. Always irrigate the turf deeply and infrequently. This entices the roots of the grass to grow deep into the soil instead of the thatch layer. The lawn may look worse for a few weeks, but deep and infrequent watering will stimulate the roots to establish into the soil instead of the thatch.

Lawn Pesticide Pesticides negatively affect desirable microorganism and earthworm populations. Lawn care pesticides should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Thatch does not accumulate in a lawn from mulching grass clippings. Thatch accumulates from the lack of microorganism activity and buildup of organic matter due to the absence of a living soil.

When Is The Best Time To Dethatch A Lawn

When it comes to dethatching lawn, there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

The best time to dethatch will depend on several factors, including the type of lawn grass you have, the climate you live in, and your lawns growing conditions.

The best time to dethatch Couch lawns is in late spring or early summer, and dethatching Buffalo lawn, Kikuyu lawn, and Zoysia are best done in late spring or early summer.

If you have a lawn thatching, you may need to dethatch more than once a year. If you have a lawn with very little thatch, you may only need to dethatch once every few years.

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Why When And How To Dethatch Your Lawn

Not all lawns need dethatching, but when your lawn does need it, knowing how to dethatch your lawn is crucial to its future. Done properly, dethatching helps restore your lawn to health and keep it beautiful in years to come. By learning why, when and how to dethatch, you can keep your thick, lush grass on track. These lawn dethatching basics can help understand:

Know When To Remove Thatch

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The best time to dethatch your lawn is just before the grass begins a period of active growth, which is spring for warm-season grasses such as Bermuda, St. Augustine and zoysia. Cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass are best dethatched just before their period of most active growth, in very early spring or early autumn.

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Preventing A Thatch Problem

If you want to prevent a thatch layer problem from happening on your lawn, there are a few things you can do. Here are some of the main things you can do to prevent a thatch problem:

Mow your lawn regularly:Mowing your lawn regularly will help to prevent thatch from building up.

Use a sharp mower blade: Using a sharp mower blade will help to prevent damage to the grass, which can lead to thatch buildup.

Avoid over-fertilizing: Over-fertilizing can lead to excessive growth of the grass roots, which can lead to thatch buildup.

These are just a few of the things you can do to prevent a thatch problem from happening on your lawn. By following these tips, you can help to keep your lawn healthy and free of thatch.

What Is Lawn Thatch

You must know your enemy to win the battle, so what is lawn thatch? Spongy lawns are the result of excess buildup of old and dead grass material. Some types of grass dont produce thatch but others with thick stolens will trap their own leaves and stems.

Overly thick thatch not only makes the lawn spongy but can interfere with the plants ability to gather air, water, and fertilizer. The roots are forced to grow on top of the thatch and the sponginess increases. Getting rid of lawn thatch increases the health and texture of the grass.

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Dethatching Attachment Or Vertical Mower

If you have a versatile walk-behind or tractor mower, you can also purchase a dethatching attachment to get the job done. This is a cost-efficient solution if you plan to dethatch once a year and already have a mower that can do the job. Attachments range in teeth size and design elements for each maneuvering.

Vertical mowers are ideal for extreme thatch can tend to cut deep into the earth, reaching down to the roots when necessary. Only use vertical mowers during a high growing season when you know your turf is ready to heal quickly.

Where Does Thatch Come From

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Thatch develops in your lawn when organic debris is produced faster than it can be broken down. This happens for a number of reasons. Some common causes are:

  • Too high density of the turf, caused by the use of modern, super-efficient grass varieties
  • Low biological activity due to nutrient-poor soil with low humus levels in the growth layer of the grass
  • A too low pH-level, often caused by using fertilizer with high acidity
  • Too large amounts of grass larger than what the microlife can handle often caused by overfertilisation
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    How Do I Know When To Dethatch

    So how do you know when to dethatch?

    • Inspect and feel your lawn. If your lawn feels spongy or bouncy underfoot or if its springy it often has a thick thatch layer.
    • Have a look down into your lawn. Is the soil visible between the leaves of the grass? Can you push your finger through a visible thatch layer? If you cant push your finger through, it needs dethatching.
    • Grab a ruler and measure the thatch. Use a small spade to remove a wedge-shaped layer of your lawn and soil about 7.5 centimetres thick, or just use your fingers to dig up a small section of turf. Look for a thatch layer directly on top of the soil. Measure the thickness. If youve got thatch thicker than 12 millimetres, its time to dethatch.

    Dethatching should only be performed on warm-season grasses, such as Buffalo, Kikuyu, Couch and Zoysia. Cool-season varieties do not respond well to dethatching, and they may cause permanent damage to your lawn.

    The best time to dethatch is in late spring, or early summer when the conditions allow for rapid recovery. Avoid dethatching through the warmest part of summer, in order to give your lawn the best chances of bouncing back to good health.

    Also, avoid dethatching a new lawn before it has endured its first summer, as it needs to develop a strong root system to survive the heat.

    How To Prevent Lawn Thatch

    In order to prevent a thatch problem, avoid garden practices that may lead to an organic matter build up, such as watering too frequently, using the incorrect fertilizer such as ones too high in nitrogen, and failing to rake organic matter such as dead leaves away, says Gardens Editor Rachel Crow. Encouraging some garden creatures such as worms can also help prevent excessive thatch as they help in the decomposition of thatch. Lay off the pesticides as and when possible to give your lawn a better chance of survival.

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    Why Should I Dethatch My Lawn

    A layer of thatch more than a couple of centimetres thick will create an unhealthy barrier in your lawn. Think of it like a layer of glad wrap on top of the soil blocking air, water and nutrients from reaching the roots.

    A thick layer of thatch can also harbor disease-causing insects and fungi, prolong high humidity that promotes disease, and withhold fertilisers and herbicides. And as thatch builds, grass roots knit into the thatch layer instead of the soil, where they easily succumb to environmental stresses such as prolonged periods of hot, dry weather.

    Removing thatch and dead material from your lawn will help to remove this layer so that air and nutrients are able to reach your soil base and can more effectively feed your lawn, allow proper drainage and help it thrive during summer.

    Reasons To Consider Keeping Mushrooms In Your Yard

    Lawn Dethatching

    Typically, mushrooms are a sign of a healthy yard. While not all mushrooms are poisonous, some mushrooms do good for the overall growth of your lawn. Here are two reasons why some gardeners keep mushrooms around:

    • Mushrooms are a sign of healthy soil.
    • Mushrooms provide additional nutrients to your soil.

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    How Do You Get Rid Of Thatch Naturally

    Heres how to get rid of thatch.

  • Dethatch. On a dry day, use a thatch rake or a stiff-tined rake to comb through the grass in a back-and-forth motion applying enough pressure to reach the bottom layer of thatch and slightly penetrate the soil.
  • Collect the Thatch.
  • We Know How to Get Rid of Thatch.
  • When To Remove Thatch

    Dethatching can be tough on a lawn so only do it when the turf is healthy and weather conditions wont unduly stress it. In our area, the best time to remove thatch from a cool-season turfgrass lawn is late summer or early fall.

    This is also a good time for lawn fertilization and overseeding, so take the opportunity to give your lawn a makeover that will give it the best chance of being lush and green next spring.

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    When To Aerate Your Lawn

    You want to aerate the lawn when your grass is in its peak growing period so it can recover quicklythink early spring or fall for cool-season grasses, and late spring through early summer for warm-season grasses. If you have high-traffic areas or heavy clay soil, you will want to aerate every year. If you have sandy soil or your lawn is growing well, aerating the lawn can happen every 2-3 years.

    Testing Methods To Check For Army Worms

    How To Get Rid Of Lawn Thatch For Good Simplified

    There are several ways to determine whether you have army worms on your lawn.

    One method is to pour a mixture of water with detergent over a small area of the lawn. You should then monitor the area for 10-15 minutes for the appearance of caterpillars on the surface of the lawn.

    Alternatively, you can go hunting for army worms at night. Armed with a good lawn, you should survey the lawn at ground level for signs of active caterpillars. Begin the search at the damaged area of turf, and spread outwards from there.

    Another sign of possible caterpillar infestation is the presence of adult moths at night. Adult army worm moths will lay their eggs at night, so a large population of moths seen flying around your garden at night may be an indication of an army worm invasion.

    If you are unsure whether you have found army worms on your lawn, you may find it useful to gather some caterpillars in a container and take them to your local garden centre for positive identification. Your garden centre expert will also be able to advise on the best insecticide for your lawn.

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    Dealing With Thatch Buildup In Lawns

    Thatch is one of those turfgrass issues where a little is good for the lawn, but too much causes problems.

    A thin layer of thatch actually helps reduce wear and tear and can increase the life of your lawn. But when thatch is allowed to build up to more than ½-inch thick, it provides a safe haven for lawn diseases and insect pests, plus its more difficult to keep watered. The result is a stressed lawn thats prone to fungal problems, such as pythium and dollar spot, that are made worse by the hot, humid weather we often get in summer.

    When To Dethatch The Lawn

    Generally, lawns prone to thatch buildup should be dethatched once a year.

    Dethatching is typically done when the lawn is growing and able to repair and recover, and when weather conditions are conducive to survival , Mann says. In most growing regions of the U.S., this means the spring or fall, when warm temperatures and ample precipitation promote rapid and hearty grass growth.

    Try to avoid times of year when we would expect weed seed germination since the process of dethatching brings seeds to the surface, adds Mann. This means early spring or the end of September for central latitudes. The season varies for coastal areas and far northern or southern regions.

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    Keep Up With Your Mowing Schedule

    Knowing how to mow a lawn properly is a skill that most grass-owning-gardeners need to know. One of the most important things to remember is to not cut it too short, or when its frosted or wet, all of which can damage the turf. But mowing it in the right conditions, to the right height, will encourage strong, healthy grass. This will be better-equipped to out-grow weeds. If your lawn is already speckled with the likes of creeping thistle or common ragwort, then regular mowing is also a good way to get rid of them.

    Be sure to add a clippings bag or box to your red lawnmower before you start mowing. That way, youll be less likely to spread the weed seeds around and cause even more weed growth. Removing all the seeds and cutting back the plant again and again will weaken them and prevent them from setting new seeds. With some patience and regular maintenance with your handy lawnmower, youll soon have a beautiful healthy lawn free from weeds!

    Applying Compost Tea Regularly

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    Compost tea is rarely talked about in the lawn care . Yet its also seen by some as an absolutely essential part of an organic lawn care programme. Compost tea is exactly how it sounds. Its compost brewed in water over several hours to create a liquid solution that has extracted all the nutrients and power from the compost material.

    Regular applications of compost tea can do wonders for the soil and can also help to break down the thatch layer underneath the lawn.

    Its super easy to get started with compost tea. All you need is a bucket, a jute sack to hold the compost and some water to put the jute sack in. See this article for more help The Best Compost Tea Recipe by Eartheasy

    When to add compost tea to remove thatch

    Like normal compost, tea can be applied at any time of year. Its recommended to apply it every 6 weeks all through the year and youll definitely need more than 1 or 2 applications before you start seeing results.

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    How To Remove Clover

    The most effective method of preventing clover from dominating your lawn is to maintain a dense and healthy lawn. Thick lawns are more easily able to crowd out weeds such as clover and prevent them from taking hold. .

    There are also a few strategies you can try to get rid of existing clover in your lawn without using herbicides.

    Feed you lawn well

    Clover will flourish in lawns which have low nitrogen and fertility levels. Unfertilised grass gives clover an advantage as it can produce its own fertiliser, whereas grass cant. If there is sufficient nitrogen in your soil to keep your lawn healthy, the clover will struggle to survive. Clover will be much less of a problem if you fertilise your lawn with a good organic fertiliser during spring to ensure optimum nitrogen levels. To see Horsham Turfs range of lawn fertilisers, click here.

    If youre not sure about your soils nitrogen levels, you can conduct a pH soil test to determine if nitrogen is lacking, or take a soil sample to your local lawn care provider to find out the same thing.

    Mow high

    It can be tempting to set your mower blades lower than normal to scalp the clover, but this will only stress your grass instead. Low-growing clover with its shallow roots has no problem being mowed short, although your grass wont love it. Mow high and leave your lawn over 3 inches tall, to give your grass the advantage. The longer grass will shade the weed and prevent it from growing.

    Remove it by hand

    Aerate Your Lawn Regularly

    Aeration is a great alternative to dethatching if it has yet to grow out of control. While the process is similar, aerators remove cores or slices of soil, roots, thatch, and grass leaves all at once. Breaking up your soil once a year allows air, moisture, and nutrients to reach the base of your roots.

    Aerating your lawn is also ideal before you plan to fertilize or overseed your lawn. An annual aeration can protect you from having the dethatch in the first place.

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