Since we are talking about lawn renovation this month, we thought we’d talk about a common problem that many homeowners deal with – lawn thatch. Below are four things that you can do to help avoid this problem and have a beautiful lawn.
Mowing Prevents Lawn Thatch
You shouldn’t ever cut off over 1/3 of your grass’s blades at once. Mulching your grass won’t increase the likelihood that your lawn will thatch. Change the mowing height of your lawnmower to 2.5” during the fall and spring and increase your mowing height to 3” or higher during the summer.
Fertilizing Your Lawn Will Decrease Thatch
Care applications of quick-release nitrogen will help with decreasing the decomposition of thatch and increase thatch production. You should always avoid large dosages of synthetic sources of nitrogen such as ammonium nitrate. They’re salt-based, so they kill the beneficial microbes. Using organic fertilizer will stimulate the activity of beneficial microbes in your soil.
Irrigation will Help with Lawn Thatch
You shouldn’t water your lawn frequently and lightly. You should always irrigate your lawn infrequently and deeply. This will entice your lawn’s roots to grow deeper into your soil rather than a thatch layer. Your lawn might look a bit worse for a short time. But infrequent and deep watering is going to stimulate its roots to establish in the soil rather than the thatch.
Avoid Using Pesticides to Avoid Thatch
Pesticides will negatively affect earthworm populations and desirable microorganisms. So, you should avoid using pesticides unless you have no other options.
These are four ways that you can avoid lawn thatch. Are you worried about doing it yourself? We offer a variety of lawn renovation and lawn care services. Contact us to find out more and we’ll be happy to give you a no-obligation quote.
