We get a lot of requests for dethatching here at ProLawns and we WON’T do it. Here’s why:
Should I dethatch with a dethatching machine?
(From Cornell University Extension Education Center)
NO! It rips up the turf root system which looks like you are doing a great job but in reality you are stressing the turf and bringing weed seeds like crabgrass and annual bluegrass to the surface, especially in the spring. When you dethatch in spring you are ripping up the root system just before the grass goes into its most stressful season.
If you must use the machine [to de-thatch], and we wish you would not, the fall is a better time. Try core aeration and changing the pH instead of a dethatching machine.
What is the best way to combat thatch?
Core aerate the turf because this brings soil microbes into contact with the thatch layer and pokes holes in the thatch for more efficient air and moisture exchange which also helps microbes to do their work of breaking down thatch.
