What is lawn dethatching?

Lawn dethatching is a technique that is used to clear away the matted layer of dead plant material that forms between the soil and your grass. Along with lawn rollers, a good spot of lawn dethatching can really enhance the quality of your lawn.

If you get a great build up of thatch then you need lawn dethatching to reduce the risk to lawn because if thatch is left untreated you can end up with a disease infested mat of material between your grass and soil that will definately need lawn dethatching.

When is it time for lawn dethatching?

Many people wonder when it is the right time to start lawn dethatching. Well there are a few tell tale signs that you can look out for that should let you know that it is time to start your lawn dethatching.

If areas of your lawn start to discolour and become a pale yellow colour instead of the lush green lawn that you are after, then this is one of the first signs that you may need to start lawn dethatching.

When you start to notice that your lawn is thinning out and you can’t see bare ground below the thinning grass, but instead you see the matted type of fibrous material underneath the grass, then it is also time to start your lawn dethatching.

Also, if you find that your lawn is also looking very green with lush green grass but you can’t see the soil beneath the grass but instead see the same matted fibrous material underneath the grass, then it is time for some lawn dethatching before any serious damage is caused to that area of your lawn.

Prevent Lawn dethatching – 2 easy tips to beware of

A couple of things that you should bare in mind to prevent yourself having to carry out lawn dethatching is to not over water or over fertilize your lawn as this can cause a build up of thatch in certain areas of your lawn.

You can help the prevention of a build up of thatch in your lawn and reduce the need of lawn dethatching by using products which contain natural enzymes and micro nutrients which can be added to the soil. By adding these types of products to your soil, you will aid the natural breakdown of thatch materials and reduce the need for lawn dethatching.

These two simple techniques will greatly reduce the build up of thatch in your lawn and reduce the need for lawn dethatching.

The best time for Lawn dethatching

The best time of year for lawn dethatching is around spring time. If you start lawn dethatching in the winter and autum months then you may find that there is a build up of debris underneath the hatch and if you try to carry out the lawn dethatching in the summer months then you may find that the heat from the sun can cause the lawn to not recieve the right amount of water nutrients to penetrate and aid the soil and may reduce the success you have with your lawn dethatching.

The best techniques of lawn dethatching

Lawn dethatching can easily be carried out by using a small lawn dethatching rake or hand held leaf rake. Use the lawn dethatching rake to carefully clear away the thatch from under the lawn being careful not to remove the grass roots from the ground. Make sure that once you have completed your lawn dethatching, you must remove all traces of the lawn thatch that you have removed and dispose of it correctly. Use a lawn mower roller to embed the grass once the lawn dethatching is complete.

If you have a large area that you need to dethatch then you can use a power lawn dethatcher. Use this carefully as they can be quite powerful and you will need to make sure that you don’t disturb the lawns roots.