Lawn Thatch

Thatch in lawns is dead vegetation that sits between the living lawn and the soil. Since it is decomposing it contains microorganisms.

A good layer of thatch is need to protect the roots from drying out and to provide nutrients for the growing grass. However, too much can have a smothering effect on the lawn and even damage its health.

When thatch is allowed to build up it blocks the free movement of water through to the roots. Then, like a sponge, thatch holds water, not allowing it through and starving the roots of moisture. So instead of growing down the roots will grow up into the thatch layer to get at the moisture. A shallow-rooted lawn is more susceptible to breaking off and pulling out at the slightest wear.

In addition, too much thatch will prevent fertilizers from getting to the roots. Organic types will dry up and be blown away or sucked away by a lawnmower. Chemical types concentrate in the thatch layer creating a toxic barrier and killing off organisms which could break down the thatch. Earthworms will also stay away from a chemical-laced thatch allowing disease from destroying the grass. In addition, chinch bugs burrow under the thatch and have a free hand at the grass roots without interference from the sunlight or predators which natural feed off them.

Thatch is commonly removed by raking or combing with a de-thatching machine. This is usually done in the spring. This vigorous treatment breaks off growing lawn along with raking out the dead vegetation but the lawn will come back in a month. until then it usually looks dead because the live grass has been raked out along with the dead vegetation.

In addition to de-thatching, aeration is good to get oxygen and nutrients to the roots. This pulls out plugs of grass leaving conical holes down to the roots.

Kill Some Lawn?

This blog title may sound weird but for people who want to get rid of a patch of grass to plant a garden or put in a fountain, or some other landscaping feature, killing the lawn is a good solution. In addition, many people are tired of coddling and feeding their lawn only to have to chop it twice as fast because the more you feed it the quicker it grows.

However, using a chemical killer not only kills the lawn but anything that grows or even moves. It can be harmful to children and deadly to pets. Not only that it kills the microorganisms in the soil and, if you were to plant a garden afterward, this would not bode well for the new plants.

You can “cook” the lawn by putting on a layer of plastic vapor seal. The grass can’t breathe and the plastic holds in the heat. It turns brown and dies. Then you can rototill the dead lawn and add compost, The dead turf also becomes nutrients.

Smothering the grass works very well and is easier to do. Put down 2-3 layers of cardboard or 20-25 sheets of overlapping newspaper. Wet the layers well and then cover with 6-8 inches of manure and bulk from the compost pile. The lawn will be smothered and die, the paper or cardboard will decompose and you have a great start to a rich soil base for a garden or shrubs. There’s no extra work because the dead lawn will be more compost.

There are many reasons to have a lawn but more homeowners are deciding that there are many other things they would rather do than cut lawn.

Spring Lawn Care

Of course everyone knows that lawn is made up of individual grass plants which spread out to form turf. But happens every winter when the lawn turns brown and “dies?”

Like any grass or perennial plant lawn does not really die. Just the tops does. The root goes dormant until the spring. However, there is still the matter of the dead grass. Because lying on top of the new grass trying to get it does pose a problem.

De-thatching and aerating help alleviate this problem by both ridding the lawn of the choking dead grass and getting oxygen to the roots of the turf. The de-thatching machine basically rakes the lawn and lets the sun shine in on newly-forming grass plant strengthening the root system, allowing fertilizer and water to get to the plant.

It is also important to put on a mulching blade on your lawn mower or, if you have a push mower, cut you lawn twice as many times for the first couple of months. This will chop the grass into finer pieces allowing the microorganisms to digest it mow quickly and turn it into nutrients for the grass. This is a great depiction of a self-sustaining lawn system because your lawn does not need extra fertilizer. In addition when the summer gets hot the clippings will protect the roots from the sun and keep in the moisture meaning that you won’t have to water as much.

In addition a healthy lawn resists the common pests like chinch bugs when suck the sap from grass stalks leaving huge areas of the lawn dead.