Pull the rake through the grass—you should feel and see thatch coming loose. Push the rake through the grass to clear thatch off the tines. Repeat until the thatch layer is cleared from your lawn. After dethatching, use a leaf rake to gather loose thatch and discard it.
Table of Contents. True Temper Adjustable Thatching Rake with 54 in. Buy Now. We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. I bought a landscaper rake at Princess Auto about 5 years ago. Hummed and hawed for 2 years previous. Depending on how big your yard is go to Home Depot and rent a power rake. You can get a thatching rake for like You either do it right, or you don't do it. A bow rake won't do nearly as good a job as a thatching rake.
The right tool definitely makes a difference. I would also adjust it to make it less aggressive. Mow your lawn to half its normal height before you begin dethatching.
Using a dethatching rake is similar to using a regular rake. The tines dig into the thatch and pull it upward helping to loosen and remove thatch. While you rake , you should feel and see the thatch separating from the soil. Dethatching causes a lot of damage to your grass and should be done at a time when the grass is growing so it can fix the damage before the next dormant period.
Warm-season grass can be dethatched in late spring or early summer after it starts to grow. It is best not to do it in the middle or late of summer. Dethatching is less aggressive and removes small amounts of thatch from a lawn that is mostly healthy. Power raking is more aggressive and usually reserved for lawns with a large amount of thatch.
For southern grasses, dethatch in late spring. In early spring, and for small areas, use a thatching rake , which is a sharp-tined rake that rips the thatch out of the lawn. Leaf rakes or hard rakes can be used but may not work as well. In early spring removing thatch by raking is best to prevent damaging new growth. How do you stop thatch buildup? To prevent thatch buildup, use a high quality, slow release nitrogen fertilizer, such as a GreenView Fairway Formula Fertilizer, and mow to keep the grass about 3 inches tall.
Should you cut your grass before dethatching? Am asking, as from my limited research knowledge on grass types used in California, I discovered:. Dethatching at any other time of year greatly increases the chance of causing real damage to a warm season lawn.
On the other hand, if you have a cool season lawn grass type , without a shadow of a doubt the best time of year to treat, perform maintenance, on your lawn is late Summer, early Autumn Fall. Additionally, as you paint a picture of a bad thatch problem, I would also be very tempted to get hold of a mechanically powered Aerator and aerate your lawn after dethatching. Doing so will open up the soil, get some much needed air in there.
A standard garden rake doesn't remove thatch well at all. Either of the following tools would do the job much better:. You can see them here and here. I use this thatching blade attached to my push-mower once every year. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.
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