Knowing how to dethatch a lawn can give you healthier grass all year round. But it helps to understand what causes thatch and why it’s a problem before you learn how to remove it. Thatch is a layer of ...

Q: Is it too cold to dethatch my Bermuda grass lawn? Do I have to wait until next year? What about overseeding? Is it also too late? If I need to wait, then when? A: It is not too late to dethatch in ...

When's the last time you checked under the "hood" of your lawn? Thatch, the layer of organic debris under the lawn's surface, is a normal component of a healthy lawn, but if it gets too thick, it can ...

Aerate lawn with a thatch layer thicker than 1 inch to let water and nutrients pass through. Lawns compacted from heavy foot traffic benefit from aeration every couple of years. Poorly draining lawns ...

Remove debris and excess plant matter with these intuitive tools. Editor's Note Jan. 22, 2026: Although many homeowners are ...

Question: We live in the south and have a zoysia grass lawn. It feels spongy when we walk on it. We have been told that thatch is growing. It costs a lot to dethatch a lawn. Is it very harmful to the ...

Meet McGrath in Fredericksburg Oct. 15 and 16! Mike will appear at the Fredericksburg Home Show, at the Fredericksburg Expo Center, on Saturday, Oct. 15 and Sunday, Oct. 16. He’ll give talks at 11 a.m ...

Question: We live in the south and have a zoysia grass lawn. It feels spongy when we walk on it. We have been told that thatch is growing. It costs a lot to dethatch a lawn. Is it very harmful to the ...

Dr. James Beard’s Turfgrass Encyclopedia defines thatch “as an intermingled organic layer of dead and living shoots, stems, and roots of grasses that develops between the turf canopy of green ...

Plus, expert advice on how to address both issues. Pests cause visible damage like chewed grass and soil disruption, while diseases show up as discolored or fuzzy patches from fungi. Diagnosing the ...