Reasons Why You Should Dethatch and Aerate your Lawn
A lawn requires regular maintenance which includes watering, fertilizing and mowing it. What many people ignore is it sometimes also needs dethatching and aerating.
In this article, we are going to share the reasons it is important to dethatch and aerate your lawn. Before we begin with the reasons for dethatching and aerating the lawn, let’s first understand what thatch is.
What is thatch?
Thatch is an organic layer between soil and grass blades that is a mixture of dead and living plant materials. It is good to have a thin thatch layer up to half inches but it becomes a problem as soon as it grows thicker than that.
What is lawn aeration?
Lawn aeration is the process of creating small holes in the soil and aiding the flow of water, air and nutrients to the grassroots.
There is a difference between lawn dethatching and aeration and there are different reasons for doing them.
Below are reasons for lawn dethatching and aeration
- The formation of a thick layer of thatch can lead to the growth of fungus in your lawn as the thatch keeps the lawn dark and wet which is an ideal environment for the fungus to grow.
- A thick layer of thatch prevents fertilizers from reaching the soil.
- Compacted soil prevents the free flow of air, water and nutrients to the grass root and hinders its growth. Compact soil can also prevent the growth of roots due to a lack of space in the soil. Lawn aeration helps in loosening the soil which allows the water, nutrients and air to reach the roots easily.
- Lawn aeration helps in the growth of a strong root system which keeps your lawn healthy.
How to know if your lawn needs dethatching or aerating?
To know if your lawn needs dethatching, simply dig a hole in your lawn and take a 3-4 inch slice of soil. Check the height of the thatch layer between the grass blades and the soil. If the height is more than half inches then your lawn needs dethatching.
To check if your lawn needs aeration you can simply check if the roots are not too long. You can also additionally dig a hole and cut a 6 inch section of your lawn. You will now need to measure the length of your grassroots. If they are less than 2 inches long then your lawn needs aeration.
In The End
There is more to lawn care maintenance than just watering, mowing and fertilizing them. You need to keep a check every year if your lawn needs dethatching or aeration.
You can look out for usual signs such as if the grass is weak, weeds are growing, the grass is not too green or fungus are growing in your lawn. These are all signs that your lawn needs dethatching.
Similarly, if your soil feels hard, the grass isn’t growing fast enough or the lawn is not draining properly while raining then these are signs that your lawn needs aeration.