Makeup Of Lawn Thatch
Lawn thatch consists of stems, stolons, rhizomes, and roots that have not broken down, or “decomposed,” yet. Thatch build up begins when turf produces organic debris faster than it can be broken down. If it becomes too thick, this layer blocks air, water, and nutrients from seeping down into the root system, where they are needed to sustain your grass plants properly. A thick layer of thatch also promotes diseases and insect infestations in your lawn.
The Grass Becomes Weak And Sparse
Ordinarily, water carries oxygen and nutrients into the soil where they are consumed by the roots of the grass.
When there is too much thatch, those nutrients cant penetrate the soil and so the grass is starved of what it needs to produce food and grow.
As a result, it becomes weak and sparse.
Sometimes, the grass will grow roots into the thatch layer so it can consume the water and any nutrients which are held there. This makes the problem even worse.
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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Getting Rid Of Lawn Thatch In Large Areas
For larger areas, it is a good idea to rent a powered dethatcher. You should do some research before you use a machine as incorrect use can injure the lawn. You can also rent a vertical mower, which operates much like a gas-powered lawn mower.
If thatch is excessively thick, the lawn will be damaged by dethatching. In such cases, you will need to top dress the area and reseed.
S To Repair A Thatch Problem In A Lawn
Managing thatch in a lawn is easy. Start by stimulating beneficial microbial activity by using proper watering practices, mowing practices, aeration and fertilization.
Power raking is a tool that can be used as a last resort to manage a major thatch problem, but power raking is not the cure of the thatch problem.
- Stop all fast release nitrogen or synthetic fertilizer applications.
- Stop all lawn herbicide or lawn fungicide applications.
- Power Rake, but only if it is before the lawn has greened up in the spring.
- Double Aeration to bring air into the soil.
- Sprinkler Audit to fix any improper lawn watering practices.
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How Do You Get Rid Of Lawn Thatch
If the layer of thatch in your lawn is thicker than 1.5 inches, you may dethatch your lawn to remove that layer from the top of the soil. If you have a thick layer then it can take longer for you to dethatch it. There are 3 ways you can dethatch your lawn:
- Manual Dethatching Manual dethatching is done by rakes with curved blades to grab and pull up the layer of the thatch from the soil. Dethatching the lawn with a rake is good for small lawns with light layers.
- Scarifying Scarifying your lawn is a process of dethatching your lawn with the help of a power rake for a dethatching machine that digs into the thatch at the soil level and pulls it up. It can remove a thick layer of the thatch from the lawn. Scarifying is also easy because the machine does most of the work.
- Verticutting Verticutting is a process of making vertical cuts in the thatch layer and pulling it up with the help of blades. Verticutting machines slice the thatch layer and make way for the nutrients and water to go into the soil. It doesnt remove the layer wholly from the lawn but it makes the nutrients go deep into the soil and make the lawn healthy. Its best for a thick layer of thatch as it will be difficult to remove the layer from the lawn. Heres a full guide to verticutting your lawn.
Preventing And Removing Thatch
It is important to remember that thatch build up is gradual, it doesnt happen overnight. It can be prevented with good lawn care practices, which include:
- Aerating the lawn: One of the most effective ways of preventing thatch is by aerating the lawn. Aerating helps encourage a healthy population of micro organisms, which are essential in decomposing the organic matter and preventing thatch accumulation. Hollow tine or core aeration is a great way to actually remove thatch. This type of aeration removes small plugs of turf/thatch from the lawn.
- Scarifying the lawn:Scarifying or raking physically removes thatch. A scarifier is fitted with a series of vertical blades or tines that penetrate into base of the lawn to remove thatch.
- Correct use of fertilisers: All lawns require nutrients to maintain good health. However it is important to employ a sensible fertiliser regime that avoids excessive applications of nitrogen.
- Avoid over-watering: During periods of dry weather, avoid over-watering the lawn. Generally speaking, lawns can tolerate a dry soil. It is only in extreme conditions that grass requires irrigating. If the conditions are very dry and hot, give the lawn a good soaking and let it dry out a little between soakings. Watering this way will encourage deeper rooted grasses. Avoid keeping the soil saturated. A constantly wet soil can have a detrimental effect on the microbe population, as they require air in order to reproduce and survive.
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Why Too Much Thatch Is A Problem
When left untreated, too much thatch can be detrimental to the success of your lawn. Excessive thatch is not a problem you want to have, because
- It reduces the movement of air, sun, water and fertilizers
- It creates a perfect environment for increased insect and disease presence, as turf insects like chinch bugs live and feed in the thatch
- Thatch harbors disease causing organisms
- When thatch dries out it repels water, which in turn can cause Localized Dry Spot
- Excessive thatch makes turf very prone to mower scalping
- It decreases heat, drought, and cold tolerance
- It reduces the effectiveness of control products. Control products bind to the thatch and are not able to reach target areas.
How Do You Dethatch A Lawn
Thatch that has accumulated to an excessive level is best reduced by mechanical means. Dethatching 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. Some garden centers, home improvement stores and equipment rental outlets have dethatching machines available for rental. 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 and only dethatch a lawn when it is needed rather than on a routine basis.
In addition to dethatching, the lawn should be limed if needed , and aerated. Lime and aeration stimulate bacterial decomposition by improving air, water, and nutrient relationships.
Ongoing maintenance practices which discourage thatch build-up are frequent mowings to maintain the grass at a 2- to 3-inch height and keeping short clippings on the lawn, reducing nitrogen fertilization, and amending the soil with phosphorus, potassium, and lime according to a soil nutrient analysis.
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Is It Better To Dethatch Or Aerate
Dethatching and aeration, both are important for lawns as both do different things. Dethatching is important to remove the thatch layer from the top of the soil and get the nutrients into the soil. Aeration helps release the pressure from the compacted soil and makes it loose so the nutrients can easily go into the soil.
What Causes Lawn Thatch Accumulation
Lawn thatch is composed of a tightly intermingled layer of stems, leaves and grass roots, which accumulates between the vegetation and the soil. Too much thatch increases the turfs susceptibility to lawn diseases, reduces its tolerance to drought, cold, and heat stress and hinders the movement of air, water, fertilizers, and nutrients into the soil. In severe cases roots of the grass will not grow into the soil but only take root in the thatch layer making the turf susceptible to drought and heat stress.
Note: 99%+ of lawns DO NOT need to have the thatch removed via power raking or vertical raking. Please contact your local lawn care expert before scheduling a power rake.
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Are Commercial Grade Gas
As a rule of thumb these machines are a lot better than the common electric versions however they are very expensive, quite heavy, and hard to use. Even if you are up for the challenge most people wont ever use them on their lawn more than 1-2 times per year so buying them doesnt make sense for most people.
Because of this these machines are usually owned and operated by lawn and landscaping companies that will use them more often and can take on hired jobs for homeowners around their local service area.
You can usually find local equipment rental shops to rent these machines and use yourself but youll have to make sure you can safely transport the machines and use them efficiently.
Although they work better they still have additional limitations too. For instance most of these big machines still dont scrape or cut lower than about 1/2-3/4 below the lawn surface. If you have a particularly bad layer of thatch this might cut through it all the way but not for everybody. In my lawn alone Ive found localized patches of thatch measuring a full inch thick so the big gas powered machines still wont cut through it all without additional steps being taken.
For these reasons I find it advisable to take the gradual remediation approach and apply liquid products to the lawn that help in breaking down the thatch layer and returning it to the soil much like you would take a compost pile and turn it back into usable soil.
Do Grass Clippings Cause Thatch
Contrary to a popular lawn myth, leaving clippings on the lawn does not cause thatch, which is a layer of partially decomposed grass-plant parts between the soil and live grass. Grass clippings are mostly water, so as long as you mow regularly at the right height, they will break down and disappear rapidly.
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Lawn Care Practices That Cause Thatch Buildup In Lawns
- Fertilizing the lawn with fast release nitrogen. Salt based nitrogen like those found in synthetic fertilizer sources will kill microbes in the soil.
- Mowing the lawn infrequently where more than 1/3 of the blade of grass is removed.
- The use of lawn herbicides and lawn fungicides. Both of these have been proven to kill microbial activity in soils.
- Compacted soils that have not been aerated annually.
Lawn aeration is an excellent way to stimulate beneficial microbial activity in soils. Air is vital to soil health and aeration should be perfromed at lease once per season.
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.
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Scarify And Rake Your Lawn
Scarifying and raking physically removes thatch, dead foliage and moss from your lawn.
Scarifying is important as it removes thatch from around the base of the grass plants which allows are, water and nutrients back into the soil.
Raking controls the build-up of thatch by removing dead foliage and growth from the surface.
The best scarifiers often have changeable cartridges with vertical blades for dislodging thatch and spring tines for controlling thatch and moss from above the surface.
Its important that you choose the right time to scarify and this guide shows you how to scarify a lawn, step-by-step.
Removing Thatch In Lawns
A good old-fashioned rake is one of the best ways to reduce the thatch in the grass. A little thatch is not harmful but anything over one inch is damaging to the sod. Really thick thatch requires a dethatching rake, which is larger and has sharp tines. These cut and grab the thatch to pull it out of the layer of sod. Rake the lawn thoroughly after dethatching.
In about one week, apply one pound of nitrogen fertilizer per 1,000 square feet of lawn and water in completely. Rake the lawn annually at the end of the season for cool season grasses but in spring for warm season grasses.
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How To Manage Thatch Buildup In A Lawn
Start by stimulating beneficial microbial activity by implementing proper lawn watering practices, lawn mowing practices, core aeration and lawn fertilization.
Power raking is a tool that can be used as a last resort to manage a major thatch problem, but power raking is not the cure of the thatch problem. Power raking or vertical cutting is only recommended in the most severe cases of thatch and only when performed prior to the lawn coming out of dormancy.
Power Rake, but only if it is before the lawn has greened-up in the spring. This lawn care service is rarely necessary
Double Aeration to bring air into the soil.
Sprinkler Audit to fix any improper lawn watering practices. Make sure to follow the principles of the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique.
Stop all fast release nitrogen, synthetic fertilizer, herbicide or fungicide applications.
Apply Synergy with Corn Gluten Meal and Humate Soil Conditioner to stimulate beneficial microbial activity.
Following the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique is the best way to reduce thatch buildup.
How To Remove Thatch And Prevent Its Build
If you have lots of thatch in your lawn then chances are, it has caused other problems like moss and weed infestations. As such you may need to fully renovate your lawn.
Lawn renovation is well beyond the scope of this article so go here and read my Lawn Maintenance Guide.
However, the following lawn care practices when done as part of an annual lawn care regime will keep microbial activity high, control the build-up of thatch and keep it to a healthy amount
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What Is Lawn Thatch
Lawn thatch is composed of a tightly intermingled layer of stems, leaves and grass roots, which accumulates between the vegetation and the soil. Too much thatch increases the turfs susceptibility to lawn diseases, reduces its tolerance to drought, cold, and heat stress and hinders the movement of air, water, fertilizers, and nutrients into the soil. In severe cases roots of the grass will not grow into the soil but only take root in the thatch layer making the turf susceptible to drought and heat stress.
What Causes Lawn Thatch
The accumulation of lawn thatch is a natural process. However, it is usually kept in balance as beneficial microbes in the soil break down the thatch from underneath, returning the nutrients to the ground.
Usually, assuming your soil is healthy and there are enough of these microbes present, the breaking down process will occur at roughly the same speed that the thatch accumulates, and thatch build up shouldnt occur.
This means, in a healthy lawn that is mowed correctly, an optimum thickness of thatch should be maintained without you having to do much, or anything at all.
However, if things get a bit out of balance, then thatch can build up.
So, what causes lawn thatch to build up?
The two main things that cause lawn thatch to build up are an inadequate amount of beneficial microbes in the soil, and improper mowing habits.
Healthy soil will have a rich diversity of microorganisms present which feed on the thatch from underneath, breaking it down and returning nutrients to the soil where it can be reached by grass roots. Inadequate soil health is actually one of the main causes of lawn thatch build up.
The other thing that can cause thatch to build up is improper mowing practices. If you wait until your grass is too long to mow it, and then remove more than a third of its length AND leave the clippings on the lawn in thick clumps, then thatch is more likely to become an issue.
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When To Dethatch Your Lawn
A thatch layer of 1/2 inch can work hand in hand with these soil requirements. Such a thatch layer functions as if it were a mulch. It moderates the temperature of the soil and helps it retain moisture. As microbes in the soil break it down, nutrients are released into the soil.
But sometimes the organic matter that makes up that thatch layer accumulates faster than it can break down. It becomes too thick , leading to the following problems:
- It forms a barrier that deprives the root system of air, water, and nutrients.
- It promotes insect infestations.
- Lawn diseases are more likely to take hold.
- Patches of lawn with thick layers of thatch become spongy. When mowing your lawn, the mower wheels sink down in these areas, resulting in a lower cut. This keeps you from mowing your lawn at the ideal height.
You do not even necessarily have to measure the thatch layer to determine that it is problematic. Simply try to poke your finger through to the soil: If it is too hard to do so, then you probably have a thatch problem.
