What Does a Lawn Dethatcher Do?
Lawn dethatchers or verticutters are often used to remove thick thatch layers built up between the soil and grass. Thatch is the natural accumulation of living and dead matter. Some lawns such as zoysia and Bermuda grass produce more thatch than other types of such as tall fescue. Knowing how lawn dethatchers remove thatch will help you understand how to properly dethatch your lawn. Does this Spark an idea?
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What Do Lawn Dethatchers Do
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Lawn dethatchers look very much like large lawn mowers; however, they have vertical rows of blades that slice through turf and rip up thatch through the grass. As the blades move across the lawn, they pull up the excessive thatch. The amount of thatch that is removed depends on how low the blades are set and how far apart. Typically, blades are set 2 inches apart for warm-season grass or 3 inches apart for cool-season grass, according to Sunset Magazine online. The blades are generally set 1/2 inch into the ground. Removing too much thatch can result in harming the lawn's root systems.
When to Dethatch
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Gardeners should check their thatch accumulation at the beginning of the growing season. To check the thatch layer, cut out a 2-inch wedge of turf. Measure the amount of brown spongy material -- the thatch -- that sits between the soil and grass. A thatch amount of over 1/2 inch deep requires dethatching. If the layer is over 1 1/2 inches, you will need to renovate the lawn. Lawn renovation requires you to remove all thatch and grass to produce bare soil for grass seed germination.
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How to Dethatch
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Gardeners often rent power dethatchers to use once a season or every two years depending on how fast their turf produces thatch. Mow the lawn down to half of its regular height before using a dethatcher. Choose a dry day for removing the thatch. Trying to remove thatch on wet turf will result in harming the grass. Push the power dethatcher back and forth across the lawn. Rake up the debris left on the lawn area.
After Care
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Reseed bare areas caused by removing the thatch. It is important to immediately reseed, because weeds will take advantage of bare spots. Cover the grass seeds with 1/8 of an inch of compost. Water the lawn after dethatching and reseeding. Dethatching puts a lot of stress on grass and seeds need soil moisture in order to germinate. If you thatch layer was over half the height of the grass, you will have to dethatch again. Wait a few weeks for the grass to recover.
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References
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