Dethatching

Most people have heard of thatch in your lawn but do you really know what it is?  Basically it is a bunch of dead grass in your yard.  Some thatch is actually a good thing.  When it gets out of control and builds up a super thick layer is when you will start to see issues.  There are several ways you can get an unhealthy layer of thatch.  The most common is allowing the grass to get too tall in between the times you cut it.  Most lawns have a mulching mower used to help break down the grass into smaller sections.  This issues start when there is more grass to break down than time will allow.  It’s pretty easy to tell if you have a thatch issue in your lawn.  Is it hard to see the dirt below the grass?  When you walk across the yard does it feel very soft or like a cushion?  If you pull a rake through the yard do a lot of dead grass come to the surface?  These are all simple signs that you may have an issue to address.  When the layer is allowed to get too thick you will start to notice the lawn getting thin.  This thick layer prevents water from getting to the soil where the roots are.  It also makes it hard to fertilizers and other nutrients to get to the ground.  The solution can sometimes be as basic as aerating the lawn.  This can help break down small amounts of thatch.  Other times you need a more aggressive approach like using a power rake or de thatcher.  The de thatcher has several metal “fingers” that run through the grass and pull all of that thatch to the surface.  It usually surprises people when they see the amount of dead grass that gets removed.  We must warn you, don’t try this unless you have a way to haul off an excessive amount of trash and debris.  As you can see in the video there is a lot of old grass that will need to be raked up and thrown away.  If you try to take this on by yourself there are a few places to rent them like Tubbs Hardware in Bossier or Home Depot on Bert Kouns.  Bailey Bark and Material is a good place to consider dumping the trash when the job is done.  Hope this helps!