How to De-Thatch a Lawn | This Old House
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook explains how to dethatch a lawn.
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Shopping List for How to De-Thatch a Lawn:
- Grass seed [amzn.to/2zWxKXm]
- Lawn fertilizer [amzn.to/2NXJXUd]
- Pre-emergent crabgrass control [amzn.to/2I2Gekv]
- Large plastic tarp [amzn.to/2ZLY1Cs], used to remove thatch
Tools for How to De-Thatch a Lawn:
- Thatch rake [amzn.to/2HQfGCC], used to remove thatch from lawn
- Gas-powered power rake [amzn.to/2MVZmVd], provides a quicker, easier way to remove thatch
- Leaf rake [amzn.to/2HOGRhh], used to work grass seed into the lawn
- Drop spreader [amzn.to/2NSy2Xw], used to apply fertilizer
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How to De-Thatch a Lawn | This Old House
/ thisoldhouse
I just spent 3 straight weekends dethatching my entire backyard with a thatch rake. I’m exhausted
I wish there was a video about 3-4 weeks later showing the results.
Yeah that'd be so nice to see -- but it probably all died because the homeowner got busy haha
All I can say is that I’ve used Roger’s methods in my yard and it looks great.
@@erikingmundson liar
I'm pumped about the grass after listening to him talk and I don't even have a lawn.
Oh yeah bub look at all that thatch, that’s some real good thatch right there bub
Our Lawn is sown in tall fescue and kept developing bare spots. We thought maybe it was poor topsoil, pet urine, grubs, PH, minerals, watering, etc. Even after hiring a company to advise us and maintain regular treatments we still got the brown dead spots. An elderly neighbor asked if we had aerated and dethatched, we had not but followed this advice on how to do it. Lo and behold it made a very big difference, after doing both these things our grass became much healthier looking in no time. It was as described in this video, literally suffocating. Thanks for this helpful video, follow it and your yard will start looking better also.
Makes him do it with a hand tool then was like oh yeah btw got a machine for this
I have hand thatched my entire yard with one of those rakes. Works really well it's just very tiring to run that rake for hours on end. I would highly recommend doing a small section each day making it a 2 or 3 Day project.
@@andrewpaintball246 yeah its a lot of work
I realize I am kind of off topic but does anyone know of a good place to watch new series online ?
@Spencer Kamdyn lately I have been using Flixzone. You can find it by googling =)
@Emerson Aaron Yea, been using FlixZone for months myself :D
My neighbor lent me his thatch rake. It was awesome! After raking my front yard for straight 2 days, my body is still sore right now.
Just buy an electric Greenworks dethatcher for just over $100. You’ll need a very good extension cord too. It has 3 settings depending how deep it needs to go. It will scrape up the old grass. It will leave it on top of the grass. You still need to mow with a bag or rake it up. My grass is 3 inches long so I bagged then had to rake up the rest that got caught in the grass. It was much easier than using a dethatcher rake. No brute force needed. It saves time and is so much easier.
DITTO !!!!
This comment I wanted to hear.
It's not the thatching...it's afterwards..lol
Thanks
@@MrWhoevr Cool! I'll check it out. How many times should we thatch? Once a year?
Isn’t the exercise worth it though. That’s part of why i love yard work.
Find someone who talks about you the way Roger talks about grass
Jason Becker
😂👍🏼
Yes please lol
I bet this guy loves lobstah, Tawm Brady and watching the Bawstun Celtics play.
LMAO 😂
Who doesn't?
I like how his answers are vague yet truthful..
5 huss powa
TheReal NateDogg dont forget to drink watta
28 Steel teet
🤣🤣🤣
😂😂😂😂
He said horse power,
I just dethatched half my front yard with the thatch rake....omg the most ultra suck job ever! Then bought a thatch blade for my push mower helped a lot but still not enough
the best option is a machine,either rent one or have someone come do it
Buy a Greek Works dethatcher for around $135 and pair it up with a good extension cord. You may have to make two passes but it’s faster and a lot easier then the torture rake. LOL
I wish he had to park his car at Harvard Yard to begin the video. Otherwise A+. Roger has me real fired up to dethatch my lawn, except Ace doesn’t open for another hour.
This actually works miracles. It’s a real pain manually but gets easier as you maintain.
this type of thatching got me in lumberjack shape when I was a kid! If your out'a shape forget it hehe
Nothing like a 5 husspowah engine to get that lawn looking good as new
Let's get pictures of the lawn 2 weeks later. Please and Thank you
Agreed. They never show the finished product, it's really frustrating as the rest of the advice is always so good!
the
1:17 lol. Oh yeah, that's getting way down in there! 😂
Ohh yeah... Destroyin the turf! Lol🤣
this dude along with bob villa are legends.
What he fails to mention that you could see them doing in the background is, the Power Rake (de-thatching machine they use) only chops up the thatch and opens up the ground some, but it doesn't pick it up! So if you think your back won't have to do any work, guess again. If you don't pick up all that chopped up thatch, it will just re-clog the lawn again and all the seed and fertilizer laid down will be a waste. You must remove all of it with a garden rake, mow over it if you have one that collects the clippings, some other machine, or just use the thatch rake in the first place and remove as you lift the thatch, but of course, that is work involved, but by all means, don't leave the thatch there if you use the Power Rake.
just mow it and bag it
That's why you should use a backpack blower that is strong as a hurricane to blow everything in a pile and you should use a list of other tools, in fact just hire a landscaping company to come do the job for you, it's not worth your time and back if you don't have the list of tools
Did you not notice them pulling the tarp loaded with all the thatch they had raked up?
Blow it into your neighbors yard.. problem solved
That lawn is all thatch.
It's a good time to seed this area here you destroyed with that thatch rake
I just ripped the crap out of a bunch of dead grass and weed by hand, like down to dirt in some areas with some kind of metal rake thing. My arms are just dead ;__;
Why does that hand powa tool look like its ripping the grass away from the soil?
1:05 Homeowner looks at the cameraman like "what the hell is he saying?? Is Roger drunk? I can't understand him"
Homeowner: "Hey Roger, what's the best thatching tool?"
Roger: "Well, hahaha, de ha bah dah in taba abow may tenna way inna sama"
Omg lolololol
Miss Roger. So excited and help create beauty luscious lawns.
those are some serious dad jeans.
LMAOOOOO
😂
😆🤣😂
How passionate is this guy about grass??
Roger is very smart when explaning things!
Nice simple Video I was looking for.
When I saw U 1st doing the thatching manualy.....I said...Oohhh noo.....but w/that "thatcher machine" it would be lot easier.
I understand I should do it in Oct. Thanks
It’s easier to buy a Green Works dethatcher for around $135, pair it up with a good quality extension cord and push it around like a lawn mower letting it do all the work. You’ll also need a leaf blower (or rake) for the thatch. By the way I don’t work for them or sell them.
Cord gauge is more important than quality.
Very informative. So much better than these new youtubers. Thanks for the info guys.
“ hey I’m thatching up in here!”
My grandparents had a tool like that in the garage. I never could figure out what it's intended use was.
I bought a house that had one of those in the garage. I learned what it was tonight. I thought it was for a garden or flowerbed.
Rookies
I was feeling bad for that guy. thank goodness Roger came in with the machine. :P
What dethatcher can I use on my wife's lawn? Its really messy
I spread seed all over and it's not making it look any betta
Something tells me this is not about grass...
Dear F L ,
Try a pair of scissors, a little bit of shaving cream, and a straight razor..........HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
“Thatch layah” “Hus powah” “Ferterlizah” “Baer Arwea”
So which pre emergent was selected to not harm the grass seed??
Love your videos. Any chance of showing the results?
lmao, that's the thing. They never do, because it's fake as hell
De-thatching is fake as hell..? What? Lol
They use a thatching machine, but can't be bothered with a spreader for the grass seed.
You should flip the flail blades around on the power rake. It looks like they're rounding on the corners. It doesn't take long and you'll get double the life on your blades. That's what I did on my Bluebird power rake.
28 STAB WOUNDS
Holy Boston accent Batman 😮
what common mistakes i see the most is that everyone mishandles the products. see 3:19 in this video. you should always use gloves. never touch the granular product without ppe. rubber gloves not leather or canvas. these absorbs the products.
Thats all the skin cancer Roger got lately
if you catch it early enough all you need is a metal rake..not the plastic kind for leaves..no need to use that thatching rake..that rake is hard as heck on good grass.
Broke my back.
This may sound like a dumb question, but are you supposed to pick up all of that and dispose of it? I would presume so, but I really do not know. My lawn needs help, though.
yes, you want the thatch out of ya lawn
@@AntLive29 Thought so. Thanks! :)
Yea, they put it all the thatch on a tarp and got rid of it, somehow. Watch the whole video.
Did you see how much thatch they hauled away? I did my yard yesterday only about an area 10 by 15 feet and had half a wheel barrow full. yuck. But seems like it would be good garden mulch.
I love This Old House but the problem with most of these LAWN fix videos is we don't see the END RESULT! What Southern Lawns, with St. Augustine?
Thanks for sharing this great info. It is useful to the average homeowner
I love how you show the hand veraion befofe you show the machine
You don't need a special rake unless you have over an inch of thatch. A normal metal leaf rake combined with muscle power can get most dethatching jobs done. For people with larger lawns, rent the machine or call a contractor.
Omg that rake. You can get a de-thatcher mounted to a zero turn...then the thatch gets sucked up into collection system. Done in 15 minutes lol
Haven't got a clue what you are talking about.
Sounds like a 'guy' thing. (meaning: can't communicate well).
@@g.e.boroush5176 This commenter is suggesting that connecting a dethatcher to a zero turn (or ride on) mower makes the dethatching process itself, and collecting the thatch afterwards far easier and faster than either manually dethatching, or manually raking the thatch. I don't think it was unclear at all.
Thanks for the tip. Can i use this thatching rake into creeping grass like bermuda?
What’s kind of grass seed? Bermuda or San Augustine
That rake is no joke. It's a tough job.
brother
I want to see the result
If Kennedy talked about thatch..probably sound like that
Souvenir heureux ❤
What pre emergent is that that you can still seed after you put it down?
Waiting for three days to water. I thought you had to water everyday, twice a day to keep the seeds moist.
He said wait 3 days to see if it rains. If it doesn't rain by then, then start watering it yourself.
@@tylerdurden69420 Water it the day the seed is put down. Also a good idea to have a bird feeder set up on other side of house to distract local birds, depressing as hell to watch flocks of sparrows and finches gobble up the grass seed.
Read those herbicide labels carefully...
What's the pre=emergent crabgrass preventer used that doesn't affect the grass seedlings?
how often do you have to thatch the grass.. my grass is about 1 year old sod.
Female Here !!!!
If I can do it, YOU can do it.
Rent a "Power Rack" at any Home Depot" to thin, to thatch, to clear out, to remove, to lower your grass nap, etc etc.
There will be a lot of hand racking afterwards. De-thatching is great for your Lawn and I find it easier to mow afterwards.
P.S. I try and De-thatche
every 2 years. I Aerate
every Spring. It helps
the water go down
into the soil easier.
Don't forget to mow your Lawn as short as you can before using the "Power Rack".
pamela creel RAKE
I can feel the feminism in this post
Can I tie that hand rake to the back of my riding mower ?
I totally thought of doing the same thing, and adding a little bit of weight to it so it won’t bounce around going over the uneven portions. Haha
Did you ever do it?
I was out in my back yard between midnight and 3:30 AM LAST NIGHT (May 30th 2018) using one of these because parts of my back yard have "vine type" grasses and weeds growing in it.
I was out there...........COMPLETELY NAKED...........for 3 1/2 hours straight with nothing but a dethatching rake and an empty 55 gallon trash can.
By the time I was done I had ripped out 3 1/2 cans worth of stuff that was sitting on the surface because my lawn has been mowed only once since last year. Some areas of the lawn are so thick still that I'm going to have to mow at the "top height" setting one day and the "next lower height setting" the day after that.
Yeah yeah I watch this old house too and I know that for the healthiest lawn you want to cut your grass as high as possible because the longer the above ground blades are the longer the below ground roots are.
Anyway, I needed to dethatch my yard so I did it in the middle of the night.
1) Since overnight air temperature is cooler that mid day air temperature I wasn't sweating as much as I would be during the day.
2) Since the sun was on the opposite side of the earth when I was out there I didn't have to worry about getting a sunburn.
3) I was COMPLETELY NAKED in my own back yard for 3 1/2 hours straight (in a neighborhood where my back yard can be seen from 5 other houses that are less than 100 yards away) and NOBODY ON EARTH knew it but MMMEEEEEEEEEEE............................(8^) (8^) (8^)
Was there any Mosquito's hanging around?
Oh they saw you and that’s why they don’t look you in the eye anymore
were you tripping or something? why tf would you do that
nudist1033 meth sometimes works for the good.
You sound a “little” too into the naked part :-). Seriously, good tip to do at night but I’m using a machine. Not sure my neighbors would appreciate the racket the machine would make. In fact, I’m SURE they would not.
Anyone know if detaching will hurt new/healthy grass that is mixed in wit dead grass in my lawn?? please help
the biggest reason this is occurring is the homeowner is mowing the grass way too short..
if you have any homeowner grade machine, it needs to be on its highest setting until the final mow of the year..and on that mow only one or two settings below the highest
What does a low mow have to do with it?
@@topgunns1000 you're opening and exposing the area.. good thick turf alleviates the issue
Thatch is not old dead grass build up. It is a part of the grass - kind of like the husk you see on tropical trees. Definitely remove it.
Seems like double work. You can fertilize, seed, light till (thatch) the yard and leave the extra to decompose back into the soil in two steps. Water. Grass will be thick.
Guy Raking: Did he just say in two weeks after using this rake?? .... Oh.. he's bringing in a machine.. *phew*
Should this ONLY be done in the fall (in the northeast) or can it be done in Spring/Summer? I inherited a lawn that was so poorly maintained. Grubs, crabgrass, a layer of thatch about 3 inches deep.
no just spread the thatch. Just make sure you air rate your lawn every so often. No need to do what they are doing. Sorry if i misspelled that word
You dont do it in the fall
@@scottstewart8737 thank you, guess I have my first Spring project.
Do u need seed food in u use fertilizer?
Dad has a rake like that. Now I know what it's for. Personally I think that machine would do a better job. 🤔
and get the Grounds Keeper II rake ... the king of all rakes
This hurts my back just watching the video.
What time of year did they do this? Looks like spring??
I thought it was Fall, just late summer, early Fall. But what do I know? Mine lawn needs thatched. Period. Wish he would have said what time of year it was.
This video officially talked me right out of even trying to have a nice lawn. Way to much time, energy and $$$. I'm fine with weeds.
But your neighbors are not fine with that.
You don't want to take pride in your environment?
It really is a losing battle where I live. It doesn't help that the municipality doesn't have any weed control on it's own lands, even less on property owners. It's hard to control weeds in my yard when I'm literally surrounded by weeds everywhere of all types ranging from softwood maple trees to dandelions and a few nasty surprises thrown in.
Two words
*ROUND UP*
Does anyone know the Ratio's of Blue grass to Fescue to Rye grass?
in iraq...we just pour cement everywhere. .no need to mow
good idea. nowhere for rads to bury IEDs.
Rick Rabies
You line in a desert....nothing grows....literally live in a sandbox
Then in summer it dries out because there's nothing to hold any moisture. Too damn much work for what it's worth.
Can I do this in the hot summer? Or it has to be early of spring or late fall?
April or May
Does a bow rake work as well . . . to do this thatching?
In the lawn, un-the neeth hee-uh
Y’all from Boston.
WHAT WAS THE PREEMERGENT
Will tool work on Augustine grass too?
If it's sharp, and you can avoid pulling out the live roots
I like his accent 😂
Wow!
How much detecher machine!?
Find a "rental center" and ask them if they have one. Unless you live on an island where cutting the grass is possible only once or twice a year you'll only need a de-thatching mower 1 day a year at worst. 1 day every 2 years may be enough.
These things really tear out your grass too so of course you have to reseed
Love your accent Bostonian?
What was the result?
A dethatched lawn.
So much Bahstan
Five huspowa engine
and after the two weeks ?
Literally that whole lawn is thatch.
Won't that rake also pull up the good green parts of the lawn?
No. Its a rake to rake up piles. The tension resistance is weak and gives. Hints its called a rake. But don't take my word for it try. Send me the video to i need a good laugh
I think it does pull up grass, that’s why they’re having to reseed.
I thought organic material decomposing was good for the soil?
The layer of thatch gets so dense that air can't get in to feed the bacteria that fuels decomposition. Dethatching breaks it all up, and Aeration creates holes in the ground that allow air to enter and feed the bacteria. This fuels decomposition and feeds the root system with vital nutrients from the now-broken down plant material.
Here's another example. Landfills used to pile up and never seemed to break down. Then someone had the bright idea to install pipes that lead into the heart of the landfill, providing a source of air for the bacteria that is needed to breakdown the trash in landfills.
It is good for the soil. Once it's on top, it breaks down. So many half truths in these videos, it's funny and sad. NEVER handle preemergents with bare hands. What a moron, no PPE!
JonathanIsrael708 guess u don't watch the video