Dethatch lawn and Dethatching Rakes
65What does it mean to dethatch a lawn?
De thatching a lawn means the removal of excessive unwanted material in your lawn that can choke out air, water, and other essential nutrients for the grass. The dead material that is pulled out can be many different things, dead grass built up, moss, or pine needles. lawn can help remove dead yard waste that is tarped under the surface. Thatching is a great way to give your lawn a powerful face lift for a lot less than the cost of replacing your lawn. After dethatching is a great time to over seed or fertilize.
What do I use to dethatch my lawn?
Most people use a power rake or a thatching machine. These blades spin vertically to rake thatch out of your grass. You can also use a dethatching rake (a metal bladed rake) although this is very time consuming. If your thatching is a thin layer of lawn moss, you can use iron to kill the moss and it will decompose over time. If you have more than a 1/3 inch of moss we recommend using a power thatcher or hiring it out.
How often do I need to de thatch my yard?
It really depends on the lawn. If you live in a place that has a lot of lawn moss it could be every year but normally every two to three years. Try using moss out on the off years as a cheaper alternative to control limited amounts of moss.
The best time to de thatch a lawn is usually in the spring or early fall. You will have time to redeed before it gets too cold or too hot.
I have aerated and de thatched over 5,000 lawns and I enjoy it immensely. Please send me an email or post a comment and I will be happy to answer your questions
Oh I almost forgot this page has more information on de thatching and some great deals I found on rakes
We also have a free blog all about lawn aerators.
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Yes, July is generally of to thatch but it depends on where you live. You may want to wait till September to reseed because some lawns get hard-pan and don't green up until then
Hi, what temperature range is okay to dethatch? Is 2-4 degrees Celsius too cold?
thanks
Melody.
I would say you are better off waiting until it warms up in the spring. You could thatch now but it won;t be that fun and you will have to wait to over seed anyway.
This site about www.dethatchingrakes.com has a lot of useful info about it though.
It is now the middle of March in Ontario and we are having a warmer then usual month. It could get any type of weather now but I was considering renting a power dethatcher. I was told I should wait a few weeks to do that as it is to damp now and could tear up the grass I do have. Is this true?
Thanks
Jan 2 years ago
My lawn has never been de-thatched and just won't green up this year. I do have a razor rake and my BF told me that it's ok if I do it now - in July. What do you think? Can I do it now or should I just wait til the fall? Thanks.