Power Raking/De-Thatching

“Thatch” is the accumulation of dead and decomposing grass plants. Thatch is similar to many aspects of turf production – you can get too much of a good thing.

Thatch is good for your lawn but too much of it can actually be bad blocking air, water and nutrients from reaching the soil.

Small amounts of thatch, in the range of 1/4 to 1/2 inch, can improve wear tolerance and surface resiliency, and reduce water loss and soil temperature fluctuations.

Thicker layers, particularly beyond an inch, often cause serious problems. Excessive thatch reduces the effectiveness of fertilizers, watering and pest controls and provides a good habitat for disease and insects.

Schedule

Power raking should only be done in mid spring (by late May) since damage is done to the lawn and there needs to be recovery time before there are extreme summer weather conditions.