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The feel of fresh green grass between your toes in the lawn is a beautiful experience. If you get a feeling of a spongy sod, then you should identify that there is a problem of thatch in your garden. You need to follow a series of steps to get rid of the excess thatch in your yard.

What is Lawn Thatch and How Does it Look Like?

Spongy lawns or thatch in the garden is due to the overgrown dead grass material. Some grass plants do not produce thatch, but there are some grass varieties with a thick stolen wrap up their leaves and stems to form thatch in your lawn. The thatch does not allow the grass to take the required water and nutrients needed for the average growth. Getting rid of the thatch keeps your yard healthy and green.

Dealing With The Thatch

Thatch in a lawn is mostly acidic and compacts the soil. Excessive nitrogen, incorrect mowing, disease, and bugs are the main reasons for thatch in the yard. There are a particular variety of grasses that do not produce thatch. Zoysia and Perennial Ryegrass are two of them.

Lawn Thatch Removal

Garden rakes are the best for the thatch removal. It is easy to remove a little thatch by using the garden rake. If the turf is very thick, you need to have a dethatching rake with larger and sharper tines. After the removal apply nitrogen fertilizer as needed. For larger areas, it is better that you hire a powered dethatcher.

How to Dethatch a Lawn?

There are some basic steps to follow while dethatching your lawn.

• Choose the correct time for dethatching. The turf should not be too wet.
• Remove all the debris, fallen leaves, and twigs in the garden.
• If the grass is more height than 3 inches, then you should mow it before the process.
• While using the power dethatchers, take precautionary measures.
• After completing the process, clean up the thatch and use it as compost for the other plants.

When to Dethatch Lawn?

In Dethatching, timing is most important. You will do more harm to the lawn if the timing is wrong. The very best time to dethatch is the early fall or at least four weeks before the fall season. Detaching at the right time gives plenty of time for the grass to establish itself before the winter season arrives. An early fall detaching will also help the lawn to get ready for the overseeding and gets the best preparation for the winter survival. The other advantage is that there will be no thatch growth in the winter season.

After Steps

When the dethatching process is done, the lawn is to be watered, and the new garden is to be fed with the required nutrients and manure. After the process, the grass might look ragged, but after some days, you will witness the new garden in your house. If the dethatching is done in the fall, then it is best to overseed the lawn and keep the yard ready for the upcoming frost and spring seasons. Also look for the weeds that grow and give a heavy competition for the grass in taking water and nutrients from the ground.

Conclusion

The dethatching process is very crucial for the lawn to be healthy and disease free. You need to complete the process at the right time and using the right tools. A local lawn professional knows when to dethatch your lawn and how to prevent it. Green Gold Landscaping Inc offers expert lawn care and landscape maintenance services in and around Westchester NY and Greenwich CT, Contact or Call us at 914-882-5459 for more details or to get a Free Estimate.