Thatching Lawn – In the Spring

Over time, our lawns have buildup from a number of different things.  Layers of different types of plant life, dead and alive, all mixed together.  The thatch is located between the soil and the grass itself; think of it as the padding under your carpet but above the subflooring.  Thatching Lawn In The Spring can help give your yard a facelift to be healthy and green again. 

Most of us who tend to our own lawns, forget about thatching.  Probably because it’s not easily seen.  Thatching is a buildup done over time of different plant life that has settled between the soil and the grass.  Thatch can be good as it can act as a mulch and helps to cushion the grass from foot traffic and to conserve moisture that the grass can use if watering not done appropriately. 

If you can’t see the soil in your yard below at the base of the grass, then you probably have a thatch problem and needs to be addressed.  The thatch can stop air flow through the grass to the soil which in turn can harm the soil therefore harming your lawn.    Earthworms are great in helping aeriate your lawn but if the thatch is too thick they are unable to keep up. 

Some other ways to determine if you need to be Thatching Lawn is if the lawn is spongy or leaves your imprint when stepped on or grass dries easily in hot weather even with ample watering.  Another great indication of thatch is to take a sample of all the layers from the grass to the soil – at least 3 inches to get a good reading.  This will visibly show you all the layers and how thick the thatch is. 

When to to thatch your lawn varies where you live and what type of grass you have.  Usually Thatching Lawn should be done every 3 – 5 years.  Before beginning to remove the thatch, or de-Thatch, if the ground is very dry, water the lawn the day before to soften the thatch. 

To de-Thatch, use a rake (a metal rake is best) and simple begin to rake your yard doing your best to remove the thatch but not your grass.  You will have to use some muscle in Thatching Lawn process but it will be worth it in the end.  If you are unable to manually, de-Thatch, you can rent a de-Thatcher at your local home improvement store.  Also, some mowers have a de-Thatch blade available; you may want to check yours before renting a de-Thatcher.

The basic concept on de-Thatching is you want to get the debris that is caught between the soil and your grass.  If you begin to see dirt, you may want to adjust the machine or the pressure you are applying.  Thatching Lawn In he Spring is a good time for the process as this will keep your grass from dying in the heat.