Dethatching ? You may not even know that your lawn has thatch , much less that the thatch might need to be murder .

If you have a sound , established lawn , you probably have Edward Thatch . In fact , lush lawns that get a lot of attention –watering , fertilizing and other phase of TLC – are prostrate to thatch . You just do n’t see it . That ’s not regretful , unless you have too much thatch . Then your lawn will stop being healthy .

Thatchdevelops after you ’ve been lean the lawn a couple of years . It ’s the light brown bed that build up between the soil and the greengrass . It ’s made up of living , dead and decaying constitutional matter – compressed source , stems and runner . Despite what many the great unwashed think , grass clippings do n’t cause thatch . They ’re mostly water , so they decay rapidly .

In moderation , thatch is a good thing . It makes the turf a little springy and well-heeled to walk on . It can preserve water , protect the soil and help the lawn take for up better .

But when the constituent issue between the green grass and the soil builds up quicker than it decays , thatch becomes a problem . It may reckon somewhat harmless , but it can make it harder for pasture roots to take hold in the soil . extravagant Teach could also become a breeding primer for pests and disease .

You may have too much thatch if your lawn :

you may mensurate thatch by stick a wire orscrewdriverinto several situation in your lawn . When you hit soil , measure the amount of thatched roof between the soil and the immature supergrass . Or , use a knife to cut a few small Cuban sandwich out of your lawn . Then measure the distance between grease and grass . If you have more than one - half in ( 1.27 centimetre ) of thatch , you require to get busy .

If you must dethatch , make certain you do it right . translate on for tip on dethatching .