The problem with too much thatch

Thatch in lawns is often misunderstood; both its cause and control. Some lawns have serious thatch problems while others do not. Thatch is a layer of living and dead organic matter that occurs between the green matter of your turf grass and the soil surface.

Excessive thatch (over 1/2") creates an environment favorable for pests and disease and an unfavorable growing environment for grass roots plus can interfere with some lawn care practices.

Thatch is a build-up of dead roots, lawn debris and dead turfgrass crowns. This thick thatch layer is especially noticeable in Bermuda and Zoysia lawns. It accumulates as these plant-parts buildup faster than they would naturally breakdown.

Aeration helps breakdown this thatch layer naturally. As you're probably aware, a healthy soil is full of microbes. When a lawn is aerated, small plugs of soil (including the microbes) is pulled out and deposited on the surface. The microbes almost immediately start to eat and digest that dead organic layer of thatch and reduces it's mass, converting it to additional nutrients that can be used by your lawn.

Too much thatch in the lawn can be disastrous for the health of the lawn and may require an expensive de-thatching process. It is better to keep thatch under-control with regular core aeration treatments.

Call Us

If you have questions about whether your lawn has too much thatch, please give us a call and we'll be happy to give you a free analysis. We recommend annual aeration treatments to maintain a healthy turf grass and reduce thatch buildup.