Lawn Dethatching in Attleboro Ma

This is the second in the series of lawn care tips and techniques. So what about thatch.

What is thatch and where does it come from?
Thatch is a naturally occurring layer that includes the ligneous parts of the grass including - crowns, stolons and rhizomes. The thatch layer of a healthy lawn is less than 1/2 in thick, but it is there. A healthy thatch layer helps the lawn in many ways:
-It shades the roots.
It provides shade to the turf crowns and also also the root systems. If a lawn has no thatch layer the summer sun will scorch the turf crowns and dry them out, as well as possibly burn the roots.
-Aids in moisture retention. 
A healthy layer of thatch keeps the moisture from evaporating so quickly, and retains the moisture between waterings.
-Reduces soil erosion.
Without thatch heavy rains can wash away the soil around the turf roots and expose them. The thatch helps to disperse heave flow.

-Promotes microbial activity.
Many microbes and bacteria reside in the thatch layer and help to break down nutrients for the grass and are part of ecosystem of a healthy turf.

How it is conventionally dealt with.
Thatch is usually thought of as a problem and something that needs to be removed. As I have laid out above it is actually necessary to a healthy lawn. In most cases if there is unhealthy build up, people resort to power raking or vertical mower. The problem with these options is they are more destructive to lawn than beneficial. They rip out the thatch but also the roots of your lawn. In these areas weeds can take over even before the seed comes up (if you do overseed). It will rip out 100% of the thatch and you will not have the benefits listed above. 

How to treat the problem, not the symptom.
 The problem with the thatch layer in most cases is that the thatch layer is not breaking down fast enough. The organisms that break down the excess thatch are very temperamental. They need the right amount of water, air and food in the form of organic matter. Lawn clippings that are mulched are an excellent form of food (refer to this post for more information). So the power raking causes more damage to the lawn and is only treating the symptom of the problem which is microbial.

What does this company do? 
Here at T. J. Landscaping we prefer to dethatch lightly one to two times a year. We use a rake a in front of our mowers which do take up a minimal amount of thatch and also help to pick up large leaves pieces that the mower would not normally pick up. It also helps to keep the grass from matting. In most cases aeration and top dressing correctly will help to maintain a healthy lawn.

Timothy Kaiser
Service Manager

Lawn Mowing Attleboro, MA

This is the beginning of a lawn care series that will walk you through how to maintain a beautiful lawn, it will also give you an inside look at how this Attleboro landscaper maintains and creates beautiful lawns. In this article we will discuss mowing techniques and tips to have a beautiful lawn.

~ Weekly Cutting
The first tip is to only cut 1/3 of the height off the lawn at a time. If you cut more that 1/3 the grass can react in adverse ways such as turning brown or thinning out which makes it more susceptible to diseases. In most cases you can say ahead of the growth of your lawn by cutting once a week. This depends on irrigation schedules and lawn health. Here a T.J. Landscaping Inc. we encourage a weekly mowing schedule so that we are not have to remove more that 1/3 the height.

~Grass Height
Mowing height is another thing to consider. Most of the norther varieties of grasses are to be cut between 2 and 3 inches. If the the grass is cut too short it will be prone to weeds and dries out, if it is allowed to grow too tall it will thin out and fall over. This landscaping company cuts most lawns at 3 inches and just before winter we cut between 2 and 2.5 to prevent winter disease.

~Mowing Patterns
When you mow the lawn, mow in different directions and patterns this helps the lawnmower from forming ruts in the lawn. It also helps the grass grow upright, if grass is constantly mown in one direction it will start to grow in that direction. Also it is more ascetically pleasing, it gives you that basket weave or checkerboard pattern on your lawn. At our company we mow a different pattern ever week.

~Mulching vs. Bagging
The northeast is the only area of the country that bags or collects the grass clippings. In most cases people do not like the clumping or the look of grass sitting on the lawn. Which I agree is very ugly and will kill the lawn by blocking sunlight and moisture. Collecting the clippings does make the lawn look nice but it can have side affects. On the other hand there is the myth that mulching the lawn adds to the thatch layer in reality it feeds the organisms that break down the excess thatch (we will discuss this later in the lawn care series). Some of the mowers on the market now are equipped with special blades and closed off mowing decks that allow the grass to be chopped up very fine. This enable those clippings to fall down through the grass and compost nutrients back into the soil. This debate seems to be raging between the two sides of whether to bag or mulch the lawn clippings. Our company is set up for both scenarios, we also recommend that every lawn is mulched about once a moth.

~Sharpen the Blades
Make sure the mowing blades are sharp. This allows for a clean and even cut. When the blades are dull they rip the grass which slows the healing process which in turn makes the lawn less disease tolerant. For a home owner blades should be sharpened at least once a year. When sharpening blades if you do it your self it is important to balance the blade so that it spins evenly, putting less strain on the blade shaft or spindle. This company sharpens blades every 30 cuts on average.

I hope that this post has been helpful to you, and that you put these tips into practice to keep your lawn beautiful and healthy.

Timothy Kaiser,
Service Manager