Dethatching is a recent trend in lawn care that’s become more common thanks to youtube creators and other non-academic sources. As such, there’s a widespread misunderstanding/misinformation about the topic. This automatic comment has been created in the hopes of correcting some of those falsehoods.
Thatch is the layer of stems and roots, both living and dead, that makes up the top layer of soil. Grass clippings are not thatch and do not contribute to thatch. The thickness of thatch can only be assessed by digging into the soil.
Some thatch is good. While some academic sources say that under 1 inch of thatch is beneficial, most settle for half an inch. Thatch is beneficial for many reasons (weed prevention, traffic tolerance, insulation against high temps and moisture loss, etc) and should not be removed. Over half an inch of thatch may not warrant removal, but the underlying causes should be addressed. An inch or more of thatch SHOULD be addressed. Dethatching as a regular maintenance task, and not to address an actual thatch problem, is NOT beneficial… Again, some thatch is good.
Thatch problems are not typical. Excessive thatch is a symptom of other issues, such as: over-fertilization, overwatering, regular use of fungicides, excessive use of certain insecticides, high/low pH, and the presence of certain grasses (particularly weedy grasses).
Dethatching with a flexible tine dethatcher (like a sunjoe) causes considerable short-term and long-term injury to lawns, and is known to encourage the spread of some grassy weeds like bentgrass, poa annua, poa trivialis, bermuda, nimblewill etc. In some RARE cases, that level of destruction may be warranted… But it must be done with great care and attention.
A far less damaging alternative to dealing with excessive thatch is core aeration. Core aeration doesn’t remove a significant amount of thatch, and therefore doesn’t remove a significant amount of healthy grass. BUT it can greatly speed up the natural decomposition of thatch.
Verticutters and scarifiers are also less damaging than flexible tine dethatchers.
For the purposes of overseeding, some less destructive alternatives would be slit seeding, scarifying, manual raking, or a tool like a Garden Weasel. Be sure to check out the seeding guide [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/s/pUsKCxyvwQ)
Additionally, be sure to check the list of causes above to be sure you aren’t guilty of those.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/lawncare) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Echoman007
You’re ready for aeration, overseeding with the highest quality, highest percentage seed mix your okay to spend the money on.
Cover with hay, thoroughly soak and keep wet. Cannot let it go dry.
Can weed and feed in six weeks or just wait until Fall fertilizer application then Spring Preemergent.
Next summer, weed and feed.
This
Takes
Time but is worth it
Echoman007
Quick grass is awesome
Sorry if I missed it. What part of the country are you in? I’m post-op and a little dopey.
Some Quick Grass seeds have extra fast growing seeds in the mix. I don’t want those. I want to blend with what I have.
Where I’m going with this is, find out either the type of grass you have or the ideal grass for your region. Buy the Quick Grass with the highest percentage of that grass. IMO, you don’t want that other grass.
Echoman007
I’d hire out for plug aeration.
You might be able to rent one but they are BEASTS.
Need to mark sprinkler heads too.
mynameisnotshamus
It’s early spring. It’ll look fine if you do nothing.
Mr007McDiddles
Holy hell. Please read the cool season starter guide and the seeding guide on the side bar.
Birdsandflan1492
Worst thing I did was dethach my lawn. Went from best lawn to thin and dead. Thankfully just laid down weed n feed, and have truck loads of topsoil coming to be laid out. The top soil will fix the lawn. Should have never dethatched mine.
Echoman007
Oh man, hire that stuff out.
They’re BEASTS
Echoman007
Yes, semantics.
Echoman007
Yes
I meant to sway you towards hiring it out.
The aeration machines are heavy, hard to control…
Best to watch from a distance in a lawn chair with a cold one.
Birdsandflan1492
All you need is to lay down seed and toil soil, then water a ton.
11 Comments
Dethatching is a recent trend in lawn care that’s become more common thanks to youtube creators and other non-academic sources. As such, there’s a widespread misunderstanding/misinformation about the topic. This automatic comment has been created in the hopes of correcting some of those falsehoods.
Thatch is the layer of stems and roots, both living and dead, that makes up the top layer of soil. Grass clippings are not thatch and do not contribute to thatch. The thickness of thatch can only be assessed by digging into the soil.
Some thatch is good. While some academic sources say that under 1 inch of thatch is beneficial, most settle for half an inch. Thatch is beneficial for many reasons (weed prevention, traffic tolerance, insulation against high temps and moisture loss, etc) and should not be removed. Over half an inch of thatch may not warrant removal, but the underlying causes should be addressed. An inch or more of thatch SHOULD be addressed. Dethatching as a regular maintenance task, and not to address an actual thatch problem, is NOT beneficial… Again, some thatch is good.
Thatch problems are not typical. Excessive thatch is a symptom of other issues, such as: over-fertilization, overwatering, regular use of fungicides, excessive use of certain insecticides, high/low pH, and the presence of certain grasses (particularly weedy grasses).
Dethatching with a flexible tine dethatcher (like a sunjoe) causes considerable short-term and long-term injury to lawns, and is known to encourage the spread of some grassy weeds like bentgrass, poa annua, poa trivialis, bermuda, nimblewill etc. In some RARE cases, that level of destruction may be warranted… But it must be done with great care and attention.
A far less damaging alternative to dealing with excessive thatch is core aeration. Core aeration doesn’t remove a significant amount of thatch, and therefore doesn’t remove a significant amount of healthy grass. BUT it can greatly speed up the natural decomposition of thatch.
Verticutters and scarifiers are also less damaging than flexible tine dethatchers.
For the purposes of overseeding, some less destructive alternatives would be slit seeding, scarifying, manual raking, or a tool like a Garden Weasel. Be sure to check out the seeding guide [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/s/pUsKCxyvwQ)
Additionally, be sure to check the list of causes above to be sure you aren’t guilty of those.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/lawncare) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You’re ready for aeration, overseeding with the highest quality, highest percentage seed mix your okay to spend the money on.
Cover with hay, thoroughly soak and keep wet. Cannot let it go dry.
Can weed and feed in six weeks or just wait until Fall fertilizer application then Spring Preemergent.
Next summer, weed and feed.
This
Takes
Time but is worth it
Quick grass is awesome
Sorry if I missed it. What part of the country are you in? I’m post-op and a little dopey.
Some Quick Grass seeds have extra fast growing seeds in the mix. I don’t want those. I want to blend with what I have.
Where I’m going with this is, find out either the type of grass you have or the ideal grass for your region. Buy the Quick Grass with the highest percentage of that grass. IMO, you don’t want that other grass.
I’d hire out for plug aeration.
You might be able to rent one but they are BEASTS.
Need to mark sprinkler heads too.
It’s early spring. It’ll look fine if you do nothing.
Holy hell. Please read the cool season starter guide and the seeding guide on the side bar.
Worst thing I did was dethach my lawn. Went from best lawn to thin and dead. Thankfully just laid down weed n feed, and have truck loads of topsoil coming to be laid out. The top soil will fix the lawn. Should have never dethatched mine.
Oh man, hire that stuff out.
They’re BEASTS
Yes, semantics.
Yes
I meant to sway you towards hiring it out.
The aeration machines are heavy, hard to control…
Best to watch from a distance in a lawn chair with a cold one.
All you need is to lay down seed and toil soil, then water a ton.