Preventing Thatchy Lawn

One of the more common issues that you can find in most lawns across the country is a lawn that becomes thatched. This occurs when excessive (more than 1/2 inch) of thatch builds up around the base of your lawn's grass. Thatch is defined as a layer of living and dead organic matter situated between the green part of your grass and the soil in which the grass is growing. When it becomes thick, it creates a great place for pests and disease and interferes with the proper growth of grass roots.

While there are all kinds of ways that you can go about dealing with a thatched lawn or repairing the damage from a thatched lawn, the best way is to ensure that it never happens to begin with. Luckily, preventing thatchy lawns isn't all that difficult a prospect, and mostly means that you need to expand on things that you already do.

• Regular inspection. Perform regular inspections of your lawn where you look for even the slightest hint of thatched lawns. Often times by simply taking a little action at the first sign of any excessive thatch buildup you can easily prevent it from becoming a serious problem. In addition, this would also give you the chance to see if there are any other problems in the lawn that needs to be taken care of.
• Aerate the soil. By annually aerating the lawn you are able to help prevent at least one of the more common causes for thatched lawn. That cause is the excessive compacting of the soil that can periodically happen. Simply aerating the lawn will help prevent that, while also allowing you to more efficiently fertilize the lawn and its roots.
• Check your soil. Check to make sure that the pH balance on your soil isn't out of whack. If it is, you may want to take steps to rectify this situation. You can find out the best methods for fixing the pH balance in your area at your local county extension office.
• Proper watering techniques. One of the more common causes for thatch buildup in your lawn is by using improper watering techniques. Rectify this by watering regularly, but in a natural manner somewhat erratic manner. Since you will need to water deeply, the best way to deliver the water is either during the early morning or evening time periods, or by installing a drip watering system for your lawn.
• Proper mowing techniques. Every type of grass has its own optimum cutting height, make sure that you know what that height is and wait to do your cutting till then. For example, Bermuda grass should be cut when it reaches a height of 1/2 inch, while if you have bluegrass you should wait until it is 2 inches high.