Lawn Dethatching Services in St. Louis

Part of our complete lawn maintenance and landscaping services for residential and commercial clients in St. Louis includes lawn dethatching. Dethatching can help improve lawn health and growth by removing the excess build up of plant material between the soil surface and vegetation. As experienced landscaping and lawn care professionals, we at Mitchell Lawn and Landscaping can help you to determine if your lawn would benefit from dethatching and help you to decide the best time for dethatching your lawn.

If you would like to learn more about our lawn dethatching services or would like to find out if dethatching is the right choice for your lawn, please contact the landscaping and lawn care experts at our St Louis landscaping company.

What is Dethatching?

Thatch is a buildup of living and dead stems, leaves, and roots that occurs between the soil surface and the green vegetation of your lawn. This layer of organic material does not decompose overtime. A thin layer of thatch is healthy for your lawn as it will help to retain moisture and increase wear tolerance.

However, when the thatch layer builds up to ½ inch or more in thickness it will prevent air, light, and water from reaching the turf roots. Additionally, as thatch becomes thicker, roots may grow in the thatch layer rather than in the soil resulting in a weakened and poorly rooted turf. Finally, thatch can be a breeding ground for harmful insects and disease organisms, which can harm turf grass.

Dethatching is the process of removing the excess thatch buildup from your lawn. The dethatching process is best done by professionals. It involves using professional power rakes that will comb out and remove just the right amount of dead material. This thatch is then collected and hauled away. After dethatching, it is important to apply fertilizer and over seed in order to help the turf return to a healthy state.

When Does Your Lawn Need Dethatching Services?

Dethatching should be performed when the thatch layer becomes over half of an inch thick. Depending on the type of grass and soil conditions, you may need dethatching services annually or once every few years. You may notice that your lawn is in need of dethatching if:

  • Your grass has become very thin but you cannot see the bare ground between the plants
  • Your grass is green on top but brown underneath
  • You lawn looks dead or scalped after mowing

Because dethatching can be tough on a lawn, it is best performed when your lawn will have adequate time and conditions to recover. Dethatching is typically performed in the mid- to late spring or early fall depending on the type of grass. It typically should not be done during times of drought or extreme hot weather as this can cause excess stress on the lawn.

Learn More About our Dethatching Services

If you think that your lawn or turf will benefit from dethatching services or you are simply interested in learning more about our dethatching services, please contact our St. Louis landscaping company. As experts offering complete landscaping services to clients throughout the St. Louis area, we can work with you offering our complete lawn maintenance services in order to help keep your lawn looking its best.