After some time your lawn will develop thatch, a layer of useless or decaying grass leaves, stems, and plant roots which actually are found under the green vegetation of your garden. All thatch is not really necessarily a bad thing and in fact small amounts (less than 1/2 inch) are actually good for the yard. A good amount of thatch is going to help your grass resiliency, strengthen tolerance against traffic, and protect against extreme soil temperature switches. However, if the thatch layer begins to go beyond 1/2 inch, issues will come about like your grass actually expanding in the thatch layer which affects its strength and hardiness. Additionally, problems such as localized dry spots, mower scalping, disease and even bugs can become part of the situation.
Thatch build-up is more of an issue in stoloniferous and rhizome producing warm-season grasses like bermuda and zoysia. Cool-season grasses, which grow in bunches using tillers, produces significantly less amount of thatch.
Removing thatch can be accomplished by hand raking but more preferably by using a power raking gadget. Hand raking can be very difficult and is only workable for small areas of lawn. Power raking instruments (or verticutters) employ rigid wire tines or steel blades to lift thatch debris and small amounts of dirt to the lawn surface. Power rakes can be rented or you may speak with a lawn care service provider regarding hired services.
De-thatching is a strenuous process and should only be done if at least 30 days of good growing conditions are expected after the process. After removing thatch warm-season grasses in the early summer, apply a pre-emergence herbicide to prevent the growth of crabgrass. For cool-season and warm-season grasses, a proportionate grass fertilizer application (triple 15, triple 16, or triple 20) at a rate of 1.0 – 1.5 lbs nitrogen/1,000 square feet should be done.
Warm-Season Grasses:
Removing thatch during early and mid-summer is advisable but can also be worked on in the late spring provided that your lawn has been green for 2-3 weeks and night air temps are above 60 degrees F. Never de-thatch during the fall as warm-season grasses do not develop well plus a de-hatching procedure will lead to severe damage. De-thatch zoysia grass in the mid-summer for best results. After finishing the process, collect thatch and debris by raking or trimming it up.
Cool-Season Grasses:
Tall fescue, fine fescue, and perennial ryegrass yield thatch gradually and are also slow to recover from de-thatching but it should only be carried out in the early fall around middle of September; definitely not in the summer. Make sure to take note when the de-thatching was done to ensure that your grass has plenty of time to recover under ideal growing conditions. Re-seeding is an option if damage to your grass is significant.
Kentucky bluegrass is a little hardier and can deal with a de-thatching process during early spring; however, it would still be much better doing so in the early fall.
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