Detach Lawn Thatch

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Carol A. Crotta

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A little bit of thatch (like here) is a good thing. To determine if your lawn has a thatch problem, get down on your knees and inspect the turf carefully. If you can see soil between the blades as you spread them with your fingers, you have normal thatch and no treatment is necessary.

If you’ve got an older lawn, chances are you’ve also got some thatch buildup. The fact is that older lawns – particularly those that received quick-greening fertilizers that spur top growth without providing much root support – are likely to have a thatch issue.

What is thatch? It’s the dead, dry remains of turfgrass roots, stolons and rhizomes that don’t decompose as quickly or easily as they should. Spotting thatch is easy: Take a walk across your lawn. Does it feel springy? If so, you have some thatch. Does it feel very springy, and do your feet sink deeply into the lawn? Then you’ve got a lot of thatch. Now get down on your hands and knees and inspect the lawn closely. You should be able to see soil between the blades. If you find fibrous yellow straw-like material, then yes, you’ve got thatch.

Now, some thatch is normal because it helps prevent water runoff, insulates the soil from too much heat, and even denies pests access to roots and stems. If you do see thatch in your lawn, grab a metal ruler or tape measure and stick it into the turf until it hits soil, then note the depth of the thatch layer. Generally, a thatch thickness of less than ¼ an inch is acceptable. If it’s between ¼-½ of an inch, you’re on your way to a thatch problem. If it’s more than half an inch thick, the problem has already arrived and requires immediate treatment.

Too much thatch is an indicator of a general breakdown in the normal decomposition process essential to growing healthy turfgrass. In rich soil with normal biologic processes, thatch is broken down fairly quickly by microorganisms and, most importantly, earthworms – which munch it up and reduce it to precious humus.

Ironically, many of the commercial fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides that get added to our lawns drive up the soil’s acidity and send earthworms and other microbes packing. Without them and their help, thatch doesn’t break down. This dynamic can be reversed by aerating your lawn, “sweetening” the soil to a 6.5-7.0 pH range and topcoating it with rich organic matter like peat moss. Of course you can only use this remedy after you’ve dethatched your lawn.

Facts

Combined with dethatching and aeration, topcoating is the single best thing you can do to improve the condition of your soil and restore a lagging lawn back to good health. A layer of topcoating – if repeated annually – will gradually build up a kind of super soil layer to support and feed your lawn.

Tips

If you decide to use a lawn care service, make sure that dethatching and aerating is included at least once every two years.

Faqs

Q: Why is thatch bad?
A: First, thatch is very absorbent, so it holds moisture in rather than allowing it to penetrate down to the soil. (A badly thatched lawn will actually shed water as runoff before the soil becomes damp.) Second, it’s a fertile breeding ground for insects and diseases that attack your grass. Finally, it forces the grass blades to grow up before they branch, so valuable surface area needed for photosynthesis is reduced each time you mow the lawn, robbing it of vigor.

Tools

Regular “spiking” is a good short-term method for improving your soil’s condition. True spiking takes a tool that punctures thin, long holes into the ground to improve drainage and increase oxygenation of the roots. Spiking tools are readily available at most home-improvement centers and are worth the investment.

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Articles

Core Aeration: A Key to Lawn Success
Give your lawn room to breathe! Learn the importance of proper lawn aeration and enjoy a healthy, green yard.
Don’t Forget Your Topcoat
Topcoating your lawn isn’t just the finishing touch after aeration – it’s a vital step to your ensure your grass gets vital nutrients to help it grow. Done annually, you can build a super soil bed to keep your lawn in top form for years to come.
Restoring Your Lawn
Once you’ve identified your lawn issues, you can finally bring it back to its original beauty. The process starts by working your way up from the roots: checking for thatch, aerating and fertilizing.

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