Thatch
Lets talk about thatch today…
Thatch is not understood well for most homeowners. Some lawns have serious thatch problems while others do not. Thatch is a layer of living and dead organic matter that occurs between the leaf surface of the lawn and the soil. Excessive thatch creates a favorable environment for pests and disease, an unfavorable growing environment for grass roots, and can interfere with some lawn care practices.
The primary component of thatch is turfgrass stems and roots. It accumulates as these plant parts buildup faster than they breakdown (pretty simple so far). Thatch problems are due to a combination of biological, cultural, and environmental factors. Cultural practices can have a big impact on thatch. For example, heavy nitrogen fertilizer applications or overwatering frequently contribute to thatch, because they cause the lawn to grow excessively fast. Avoid overfertilizing and over-watering. Short clippings dropped on the lawn after mowing are not the cause of thatch buildup. Clippings are very high in water content and breakdown rapidly when returned to lawns after mowing, assuming lawns are mowed on a regular basis (not removing more than one-third of the leaf blade).
In New England, environmental factors typically are another reason for thatch. Conditions favoring thatch include heavy, wet soils; alkaline, or high pH soils; and soil compaction. All of these are pretty common in New England.
As thatch levels accumulate , lawn problems may begin, and the thatch needs to be controlled. Thatch may be torn out with a dethatcher or vertical mower, but will most likely return unless the cause is corrected. Mechanical dethatching is also very destructive to the lawn because roots are in thatch instead of soil, so plants tear out easily. Overseeding is usually required afterwards. For this reason, it’s best to tear out thatch in late August for optimum reseeding timing.
See my post on Aerating to see what you can do to help the situation.
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Thanks very much! Hope business is good for 2011!