The Best Lawn Dethatchers You Can Buy
Your neighbor's grass will be greenish-brown with envy.
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Warm weather brings out the green thumbs, and while nurturing a houseplant jungle and starting a garden are worthy endeavors, a lush lawn is what dreams are made of. One problem: lawn care isn't easy and is riddled with jargon and tools like the dethatcher, which happens to be one of the most effective grass management tools in the game. Here's what you need to know about lawn dethatchers, along with the best examples the market has to offer.
Is Thatch Actually Bad?
Thatch is a spongy layer of dead organic matter and living roots that builds up below the actively growing layer of grass and your topsoil. While a small thatch layer under an inch is healthy for your lawn, too large of a layer of thatch will act like a sponge, preventing water and nutrients from getting to the deepest roots in your lawn. As the University of Massachusetts Lawn Extension Program explains, a thick thatch layer will inhibit grass growth and acts better as a growing medium for fungus, moss and disease.
How to Check Your Thatch Layer
Take a core sample of your lawn with a trowel or your coolest hori hori knife and inspect the layer below where the green blades of grass start. Thatch isn’t the layer of dead grass that lives amongst your lawn, it’s the spongy material that hides below it. If your core sample doesn’t have a spongy layer, it’s a sign your lawn has a healthy mix of microorganisms and earthworms that are actively breaking down the dead organic material. If you do see a large spongy layer, well, then this guide is for you.
How do You Dethatch a Lawn?
To properly remove the layer of spongy thatch material living below your grass, you need what’s called a scarifier. Most electric detractors sold will come with two attachments: one that’s full of blades around two inches long and one that’s full of metallic brushes. While metallic brushes will remove dead grass and debris from the top of your lawn, the deep-cutting scarifier blades are needed to remove the thatch that lives below. Before dethatching, check your grass height. If it's more than a couple of inches tall, consider a quick and shallow mow before dethatching. If you need expert help, This Old House's legendary gardener Roger Cook can teach you the DIY approach to dethatching in under five minutes.
