Don't Let Thatch Suffocate Your Lawn
Does your Ottawa lawn have a thatch problem? Like many plants, your grass has a belowground root system that relies on nutrients, oxygen and water to thrive and prosper. Above the root growth sits a layer of thatch. Comprised of leaves, stems and roots (some living, some dead), thatch is a natural part of the turf growing process. Unfortunately, too much thatch can cause serious problems for your Ottawa lawn care and irrigation treatments.
How Thatch Can Harm Your Lawn
A thick layer of thatch can harm your lawn in a number of ways. It will diminish the health of your turf by:
- Making it impossible for water, fertilizer and disease controls to penetrate the soil.
- Blocking sunlight from reaching lower grass blades.
- Holding moisture from your Ottawa lawn irrigation against grass blades, which can cause disease to fester.
- Encouraging shallow-root growth.
- Creating an uneven lawn.
How to Tell if Your Lawn Needs Dethatching
Here are a few quick tests to help you decide whether or not your lawn is in need of a dethatching treatment:
- Feel it: Spongy, bouncy lawns often have a thick layer of thatch padding the surface of the turf. Also, if your lawn is overly moist from your Ottawa lawn irrigation, it could be because water is being held in the thatch.
- Look at it: Examine your lawn closely – is the soil visible between turf crowns? If it is, the cause is likely thatch. Can you push your finger through the visible thatch layer? If the ground cover is impenetrable, your thatch should be thinned.
How Our Ottawa Irrigation Company Will Dethatch Your Lawn
Nutri-Lawn's Ottawa irrigation company can dethatch your lawn in one of two ways. If you have a very thick layer of thatch (3 inches or more), our technicians will recommend a full dethatching treatment. It's worth noting that dethatching can be a very vigorous process. If your lawn only has a light thatch covering, it's probably in your best interest to book a core aeration and power raking service combo. Power raking will remove debris from your property while the aeration will help improve airflow and nutrient penetration.
How to Prepare For a Dethatching Treatment
Before our Nutri-Lawn Ottawa irrigation company can dethatch your property, you must first mow your lawn. After mowing, take the time to mark any obstacles, such as sprinkler heads from your Ottawa inground irrigation system. It's also important that you mark any shallow irrigation pipes.
Our Ottawa lawn care company will then use a vertical mower or power rake to make multiple passes on your property. If the thatch is thick, our Ottawa inground irrigation system technicians may recommend a second treatment.
Once the dethatching is done, there will be quite a bit of debris left on your lawn. This will need to be bagged and removed from your premise to avoid the spread of disease. It's also recommended that you book a fertilization treatment in order to restore some nutrients to your property.
When's the Best Time to Dethatch?
The best time to dethatch your lawn is right before your turf's most vigorous growth cycle. This cycle happens twice in Ottawa – once in the spring and again in the fall.
Don't let thatch put a stranglehold on your Ottawa lawn. Contact Nutri-Lawn's Ottawa lawn irrigation department for more information on dethatching treatments.