Yard Essentials
Landscape Maintenance Inc.
Power Raking or DeThatching
Spring is a great time to dethatch your lawn. Thatch is organic material that accumulates on the surface of the soil in turf grass. Thatch primarily consists of organic matter that has been discarded by the grass plants in their growth process. It does not usually consist of grass clippings from cutting your lawn.
These clippings, which usually contain a high percentage of water, break down in the soil much more rapidly than thatch. Thatch, because of its slower decomposition rate, can eventually build up in a lawn, especially if the lawn is regularly watered and fertilized. This build up creates an unfavorable environment for grass roots and a favorable environment for pests and disease. To test if your lawn has an unhealthy thatch depth, remove a plug of your lawn (cut a small 1" square out of your lawn making sure to remove a deep enough sample to include the root zone). If the layer of thatch - a light-brownish straw-like section - is thicker than 1/2", your lawn should be dethatched at the next appropriate time (spring). If the thatch layer is less than 1/2", dethatching is not recommended
Most city lawns that are fertilized 1-4 times per growing season and watered regularly will need to be dethatched each spring. In order to dethatch your lawn, it will need a vigorous raking. This process is most successfully and efficiently completed with a gas powered machine called a 'power rake' or 'dethatcher'. Another option is a dethatching or raking attachment, available for many lawn mowers. Another way to dethatch your lawn, a method for those who are looking for a more hands on, physical approach, is vigorously raking it by hand.
Please check out our Rates and Services page to see what we can do for your lawn.