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.*
Several-Honey-8810
oof.
Hope you have an easy way to get rid of all of that.
Expensive_Waltz_9969
Prayers for your lower back tomorrow morning
mvdillman
I did that last season. Never again haha
FoghornLeghorn2024
You know I really do feel better now.
cocoteddylee
People be doing this then going to Lowe’s to buy mulch. This is your mulch
Pretend-Internet-625
surprised your fingers aren’t bloody.
ugonlearn
Me too my brother, me too. Sunburned and sore as hell and planning on hitting the front yard a bit tomorrow morning.
BigJakeMcCandles
[ Removed by Reddit ]
90dayheyhey
Power dethatchers are surprisingly cheap. Bought a used one on facebook marketplace for $70 a couple of years ago and now my entire family as well as neighbors borrow it. It’s money well spent
VisualTackle2534
How many hours did it take?
Whatwhyreally
You psycho
12345-password
That’s a lot of work for likely no benefit.
XTC_90
My back hurts just looking at that
JLobodinsky
JFC
Celestial_Wolfking
I will take the pain killers for you. That’s the least i can do.
IntheOlympicMTs
That’s about double what I had and I hated that. It always amazes me how much comes out when it’s done.
ProcedureNo6946
What a work out you had!
histo320
I hope you wore gloves.
vtown212
They r like $120 at Menards
InternationalArt6222
Hey! Me too! Just got my rake 2 days ago
osc43s
Not sure what the situation is where you are, but I went on my local classifieds last year and found an electric de-thatcher for rent for about $30/day. 100% worth it.
23 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.*
oof.
Hope you have an easy way to get rid of all of that.
Prayers for your lower back tomorrow morning
I did that last season. Never again haha
You know I really do feel better now.
People be doing this then going to Lowe’s to buy mulch. This is your mulch
surprised your fingers aren’t bloody.
Me too my brother, me too. Sunburned and sore as hell and planning on hitting the front yard a bit tomorrow morning.
[ Removed by Reddit ]
Power dethatchers are surprisingly cheap. Bought a used one on facebook marketplace for $70 a couple of years ago and now my entire family as well as neighbors borrow it. It’s money well spent
How many hours did it take?
You psycho
That’s a lot of work for likely no benefit.
My back hurts just looking at that
JFC
I will take the pain killers for you. That’s the least i can do.
That’s about double what I had and I hated that. It always amazes me how much comes out when it’s done.
What a work out you had!
I hope you wore gloves.
They r like $120 at Menards
Hey! Me too! Just got my rake 2 days ago
Not sure what the situation is where you are, but I went on my local classifieds last year and found an electric de-thatcher for rent for about $30/day. 100% worth it.
https://preview.redd.it/uwb298qwuwve1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1dea4be095bba9b3f74e0e773d18b82890b9854c