A dethatcher is a garden tool that helps you to remove thatch from your lawn. You need a good dethatching tool to help remove thatch from your yard. Dethatching will leave an accumulation of debris on the lawn and will need to be removed. A thick layer of thatch may prevent the penetration of nutrients and water into the soil, thereby inhibiting the roots from growing deep. Having the best dethatcher will help you take care of your lawn with ease and less hassle.
The dethatcher uses rotary blades that remove the existing thatch from the grass. The user will be needed to roll the machine over the lawn. Depending with the thickness of the thatch, the user might be forced to move the dethatcher more than once over the lawn.
Having tried and tested several lawn dethatchers, we found the Greenworks 14-Inch 10 Amp Corded Dethatcher 27022 to be the best dethatcher.
Greenworks 14-Inch 10 Amp Corded Dethatcher 27022
Reasons for choosing the Greenworks Corded Dethatcher as the best dethatcher:
The lawn dethatcher has a powerful 10 Amp motor with an efficient padded grip plus an adjustable handle for increased user comfort. The foldable handles help with storage.
The machine has tines that are made from stainless steel, helping them to stay sharp for long making them reliable over a long period of time. Comes with a full set of replacement tines to a total of 18 tines.
The 14 inches dethatching path helps get the work done faster.
The three-position tine depth adjustment gives a greater control by removing matted layers promoting continued lawn health.
A wire gauge size of at least 14 is recommended to be used with an extension cord of 50 feet or less in length. An undersized cord that will result in a drop in line voltage, resulting in overheating and loss power. In case you are wondering if the dethatcher is environmental friendly, well the dethatcher does not release any carbon emission making them eco-friendly.
Types of dethatchers
Dethatchers could be either electric, gas powered or manual.
The most common type of dethatchers are
- Motorized dethatchers
- Pulled behind a garden tractor
Some considerations to make when dethatching
Even after deciding to dethatch, do not dethatch when your lawn is wet- this might cause damage to your equipment.
You can use the collected thatch for your composite pile. After completing the dethatching process, collect the thatch that has been loosened ans use it to make manure.
Pass over the thatch layer twice on your lawn. By doing this, you’ll be assured of removing the thatch completely.
After finishing up with dethatching, water the lawn and add fertilizers. Research has shown that this is the best time to water and add fertilizer to your lawn.
Thatching can be caused by the following
These are some of the reasons and factors that could cause thatching to your lawn.
Heavy clay soil
Overwatering frequently
Overfertilizing with too much nitrogen
Always mowing too high
When to dethatch
You can tell if your lawn needs dethatching by doing some tests. Measure the thatch layer by getting a lawn sample. If the thickness of the layer is more than ¾ of an inch, you need to dethatch. Alternatively, you can feel the lawn. A thick thatch layer will be spongy with a springy feel.
It’s important to note the following- Grass clippings do not cause thatch. They are good for your lawn and should be left on the ground to provide nutrients to the soil and the grass.
Why should you dethatch?
The two main reasons for dethatching are to make the grass healthier and aerate the soil to let in water, nutrients and air to the grass roots.
Why should you be considering to remove thatch?
You might be wondering why you need to remove the thick layer of thatch from your lawn. Here are some of the reasons;
- Your lawn health will be affected in the following ways-
- They will form uneven lawn which would be a problem when you wan to scalp or mow.
- The roots will lack the needed nutrients as they cannot penetrate
- Sunlight will be blocked from reaching the grass blades
- Water and fertilizer application will not reach the roots of the grass
- Thatch might cause the grass to hold moisture against grass blades
From our previous article on the best plug aerator for your lawn, we saw that thatching and soil compaction are the main reasons why you need to aerate your lawn. Performing both dethatching and aeration will reduce the accumulation of thatch on your lawn.
It is evidently clear that taking care of your lawn will have several benefits. Frequent aeration and dethatching will leave your lawn grass healthier, stronger and eliminate pests that could destroy the grass. We would like to hear about your thoughts regarding the best dethatcher in the comments section below.
