Professional Dethatching Service in Mountain Home Idaho

What is Thatch?

 

At the root level of your grass, there is a layer made from organic debris known as thatch. It can consist of dead and living plant material that forms where stems meet roots and soil. Some organic material can break down easily.  Things like small grass clippings or mulched leaves don’t take long to decompose. There are other materials that take longer to decompose and these materials really start to build up. 

 

A thin thatch layer of ½ inch thick can actually be beneficial to your lawn's health. It helps conserve moisture in the soil and protects against temperature fluctuations. This normal thatch layer does not prevent water and nutrients from reaching the grass soil. However, as the layer grows bigger it can prevent these vital nutrients from reaching your lawn. 

 

Thatch layers of 1 inch or more become barriers instead of benefits. Thick thatch layers block water and fertilizer from getting to where they should be. Trapped in thatch, gross roots become vulnerable to heat, drought and stress. Accumulated water can suffocate the grass roots from lack of air. Thick thatch also is the perfect environment for lawn disease and insect pests to thrive. 

 

Certain grasses are more prone to thatch buildup than others. Quick spreading grasses like Kentucky Bluegrass and Bermuda Grass will need regular detatching. Clump forming grasses like tall fescue or perennial ryegrass rarely have thatch problems. 

 

When Should You Dethatch Your Lawn?

You can easily check your lawn’s thatch layer to find out if it needs dethatching or not. Take a shovel and dig up a small wedge of your grass and soil. You’ll be able to see your thatch layer. If it is 1-2 inches or more, your lawn is probably already experiencing some of the signs of deterioration such as poor grass color or thin growth. 

 

Dethatching should be done during the peak growth time for your grass type. Active grass growth will help speed up your lawn’s recovery. Cool-season grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass should be detatched in late summer or early fall. Warm-season grasses such as Bermuda Grass or Zoysia grass should be detached in the early summer. 

 

Professional Services

Save yourself the time and effort in lawn maintenance and let us handle the hard work. Matt’s Lawn Maintenance is quickly becoming Mountain Home Idaho’s most trusted Lawn Care company because our customers love our quality of service and fair pricing. If you would like a free quote, give us a call! We would be more than happy to come out to your property to see what services we could help you with. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​