Dethatching, what is it good for?

To dethatch, or not to dethatch, that is the question...

Dethatching comes in many names in the lawn care industry: Dethatching, thatching, power raking.  They all mean the same thing when referring to your lawn.  Though, technically, thatching does refer to actually putting thatch down and not removing it.  For the sake of argument, we are talking about removing the thatch layer from your landscape.

What is dethatching?

Dethatching a lawn is where a machine, called a Power Rake, goes over your grass and uses a flail like blades to pull up all of the old thatch and moss. Then the landscaper rakes the thatch up and hauls it away.  This machine is similar in size to your typical lawn mower.  It has a covered drum that hides many flails that aid in removing the thatch.

Alternatively, there is a thatch rake.  It's s specialty rake that is designed to rake out thatch by hand. 

Must you dethatch?

In short, no, you do not always need to dethatch.  In our region of Vancouver, WA, we get a lot of moss in the lawns.  Dethatching can help remove this.  Keep in mind that thatch is typically a symptom to another problem.  It could be you have a compacted soil, so the water isn't able to drain off of the surface, thereby giving ground to a moss buildup.  In which case you will want to aerate the lawn.  Alternatively, you may have a pH imbalance.   You can aid the pH by applying lime.

If you do decide you need to dethatch your lawn, I wouldn't recommend going over the lawn more that two times.  The tines of the power rake can tear into the ground, not only ripping out moss and thatch, but also pulling out healthy grasses.  It puts a lot of stress on the lawn, so going over it again and again will leave you will a barren strip that was once green.

You have dethatched, now what?

If you are going for gold, you still have a lot of work ahead of you after dethatching.  You will want to make sure your watering schedule is on point, you have quality grass seed, and the proper fertilizer.  After dethatching you may consider core aerating your lawn as well.  Do you need to top-dress the lawn with soil?  Because dethaching is usually fixing a symptom, you want to continue the work to ensure a healthy and beautiful lawn.