Fixing Thatch Build-up

2
NOVEMBER, 2018
DIY
Maintenance

Like everything in life, it’s important to keep the thatch levels in your balanced.

Lawn Thatch is the build-up of grass blades, stolons and rhizomes. It’s the natural process of breaking down this organic matter and can has great benefits for your lawn. The main advantage is that the thatch layer protects the soil from the sun and provides nutrients to your grass.

thatch benefits
However, if the thatch layer builds up too much, it becomes a problem. Too much thatch can block air and nutrients from reaching the soil. It can also block drainage which leads to an increased risk of lawn diseases. And, it can block enough sunlight reaching your grass blades.

To know if your lawn has too much thatch, keep an eye out for yellow patches after mowing and for a spongey feeling when you walk on your lawn.

Thatch issues are typically caused by uneven watering, not enough mowing or general neglect.

To fix this problem, you should dethatch in peak growth season from October to early December.

You can:

Mow low. By mowing low a couple of times, the thatch level will slowly decrease. However, if it isn’t growing season, this could scalp your lawn, leading to bigger problems.

Use a specialised dethatching machine. Perfect for larger lawns or particularly thick thatch build-up, this will get the job done quicker.

Try a dethatching rake. This is the least invasive option but isn’t as effective if your build-up is extreme.

dethatcher

After dethatching, your lawn will be quite weak. Rake any loose debris away and fertilise (if you haven’t already) to help it recover.

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