The Best advice ever. I bought a Sunjoe last spring. Did my lawn, then hit it with milorganite and ironite last year. Did it again in April, and this year I’m the most hated dude in the subdivision because nobody has a lawn like mine. It looks like astroturf.
So I did it last fall, got an electric detatcher, and ended up with about 5-6 lawn bags full of dead grass. My lawn was always very thick and one of the best lawns on the block. This year you can tell the difference. Much more lush, green, thick, and it is very apparent water is going into roots and not running off. Best investment was getting one of these electric ones as my grandfather has a manual one and it is a royal pain in the ass to use.
I got really good results with the SunJoe by dethatching and then following up with a second pass with the scarifier. I agree that the scarifier doesn't pull up as much thatch but the scarifier helps with overseeding. I did this last fall and my wife asked "Why did you scalp the yard?!" This spring the yard came back twice as thick and I have had neighbors and walkers stop to complement me and asked what I did. The SunJoe is a great homeowner product, IMO.
The Best video about dethatching on TH-cam. I did however use the old style for 8 HOURS on the in laws yard one time. Now 15 years later being 55ish not doing that again. Renting a dethatcher thingy. Thanks for the best. 👍🍺
Why spend all that time dethatching your lawn, if you're going to reuse the dead grass to fill in the low spots? If you have low spots on your lawn, get some lawn soil and overseed it. The dead grass and other debris are supposed to be disposed of, not recycled. That's what dethatching is for! A person doesn't dethatch their lawn and put the dead grass right back on it afterwards.
@@hectorchavez3117because (don’t hold me to it) that grass grows across with creepers, other grass just grows straight up. So a machine like this might just cut up the strands of grass into little bits. Those bits aren’t all rooted to ground & they’ll die. Someone correct me please I use a manual metal rake & give up after 15min cuz it’s hell.
I did a heavy dethatch and then scarfied it hired a guy to aerate it and then I heavily seeded it and added a really nutrient rich top soil. I can not believe how well it worked. I water every 3days and its 33c in Canada currently. Not brown grass blade yet. really makes a difference to get the soil prepped
Never had to detatch my yard. Never had thatch in my yard. have detatched a client's yard, a couple dead spots we reseeded, just used a rake. Now less then 1 yr later, you'd have no idea last summer they were brown spots of dead grass. This is why I always mulch my grass, cut regularly, keeps thatch from building up and instead feeds your lawn for free.
Thatch is grass roots growing sideways instead of down do to bad watering (lightly often) or bad fertilizer that encourage top growth not dead grass. Dead grass will break down and provide nutrients to the lawn plus it will keep water in the lawn.
Bought an electric dethatcher a couple years ago, used it once and never again. It worked too well, spent hours bagging all of the dead grass and thatch up.
I used one last week and I love it. 3500 sqft. Raking the dead grass was the worst part, bagging went fine. I just tipped the can over and raked most of it in. I had already put the mower away. Used some as mulch around my day lilies. Going to scarify and over seed soon.
That's amazing, I never expected all of that to be under the grass. My grass is so thick and so lumpy in spots. I have zoysia gras, which is supposed to be drought-resistant etcetera however it takes a ton of water to get it nice and lush. Thinking about getting one of these for this coming spring.
Hi, I'm from Argentina is crazy all the machines you have and use for taking care of the grass, here most of them are not available in the market and only professionals gardners buy them and import them individually to work. Great content!
I have a dethatching bar with a single spring tine at each end, that swaps out the cutting blade in my standard push lawnmower. It works well and gets a good amount of thatch out of the lawn.
I have been using the same type for years, works great! I start at the side and work my way to center of lawn, then put on regular blade & grass catcher, set the mower low, suck up all the thatch. I also use de-thatcher blade in the fall. Instead of raking up the leaves I power rake them & leave them laying until I do the grass in Spring.
my latest problem in the backyard was recognizing, identifying & spraying for some nasty & invasive weeds. one was lesser celandine & the other is some kind of grassy weed that was hiding among the healthy grass & really took off while undetected. I haven't dethatched in a while, but next Sept & Oct when I start my Fall maintenance routine, I will absolutely be dethatching the backyard to clean out those dead weeds & also the newer ones that will want to come back again.
I got to use my Groundworks dethatcher on some trouble spots last night after the mow- these spots were too hard to get with the tow-behind, and I know I went over them like 5 times. The Groundworks took it right up! The Groundskeeper rake also is good if you want to spot clean any trouble spots, or stimulate dog spots.
I used to do this yearly on my lawn. I got compliments every year from my neighbors that my lawn looked the best on the block. I didn't think I was trying all that hard, just doing typical yard maintenance. I would also run an aerator over the lawn and then fertilize/water that week. The lawn would look a nice green and take far less water.
Not everyone has a tractor lawn mower with the appropriate expensive parts to attach to the back. If you don’t have the expensive tools, doing it by hand is inconceivable 😅
Manual thatcher not for the faint of heart but best arm and chest workout ever. Bonus is a gorgeous lawn. Did Manual thatching today, and it almost killed me, totally exhausting. But my lawn and arms look great 😮😅 already.
Start out slowly. 10 minutes on the first day. Rest on the next day if necessary. Once the muscles are built and toned, it is easy. Watch your form. Keep your back straight. Use a short, back and forth motion with the rake, adjusting the angle with the ground as needed. I use a larger angle on the first pass. Less aggressive. Work with a dry lawn. Talk with someone who is experienced with a thatching rake if possible. Only do as much as you are comfortable with each day. Great exercise. Compost the thatch unless you have removed a lot of creeping grass. (Which I assume you are trying to eliminate.) DO NOT de-thatch a predominantly creeping grass lawn unless you are planning to start a new lawn.
I would have added to not do this too early in the spring, or when it’s wet. I did both and tore up my lawn a little. However about 6 weeks later it’s recovered and looking great
This is a good explanation on dethatching/verticutting/scarifying - though as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong), can't be done on buffalo type grasses which rely heavily on surface runners, as it causes more damage than fixing. I have such a type grass; and frequently do aeration, but haven't scarified, or dethatched (I did one small section and it is slowly coming back after 2+ years). Battery tools also can't handle it either as they're quick to cut out. Any further recommendations on this; if it should/should not be done? Buffalo is far more popular in Australia than the US due to drought tolerance, so can appreciate if it isn't often used.
An excellent video and you had the same results I did. I own that same hand dethatching tool. It's best as a follow up, after you've dethatched the previous year. It's very hard to use if you have creeping grass, since they grow along the ground. I also own the Sun Joe dethatcher. 18 months ago it was $80 but has been replaced with an upgrade that costs $180. Hopefully the little model will return soon. It has a catch bag but it's too tiny for practical use. It's best to use on moderately dry grass and mow before dethatching. Use the mower again to collect the thatch. As I recall, the first time I dethatched, I pulled up 4 times the grass that mowing normally collects.
Nice video, I've dethatched my lawn every Spring for the last 35 years and find it to be the most beneficial thing I do to my lawn, bar none. As this video states, it removes a huge barrier of waste and opens up / wakes up your grass in the spring. I've also used all of the gadgets and machines mentioned in this video, and personally found the gas powered power rake to be the best. It's aggressive but you can easily adjust it to the level you want. It does wonders. And after you finish the look of your lawn is not very good, it's totally beat up. But a good feeding of pre-emergent and slow release fertilizer and you lawn recovers in 2-3 weeks. Highly recommend it...
Hi! When do you know when to start dethatching in spring? And do you put down pre-emergent before or directely after dethatching? Thank you in advance!
@@AnonymousGameWarden I look for a period of consecutive dry days beginning in the last week of February. It's better if the ground is dry. Some years it was in late March before I was able to do it. And I apply pre-emergent / fertilizer immediately following the dethatching / cleanup. Don't worry if the lawn looks rough, it will after dethatching. It will recover nicely in the following weeks. good luck...
Awesome video. Well layed out, easy to follow and to the point explanation. And everything you talk about comes with its own demonstration. Fantastic job! Well deserved sub.
I was actually just looking at that..I need a cordless. The cord is driving me insane. Hey bro I checked out your channel, great stuff!! Let me know if you want to Collab on something in the future. Id be down for sure!!
Man, I just moved to Fort Worth, TX and my yard is fully shaded and sloped…and is mostly dirt right now. I’ve been researching solutions and came across this video. Unreal. You clearly know your $h!t. I’m most impressed with your communication and ability to express your ideas. I know very little about this stuff, but everything you said makes sense. Love it. Thanks, brotha. Appreciate the knowledge.
Great explanation on the differences and the processes to perform the job. Your channel has a wealth of knowledge for the DIY enthusiast. Keep up the great work 💪🏼
I like your adding of the office clips to the back of your sunjoe. I HATE the bag but I could never figure out a good way to keep the flap open without have rocks nail me in the shins. I'll give the clips a try.
What ever you want to call it, the explanations were right on. I use to use the hand thatch rake on my 1800 sq ft lawn twice a season for years and always dreaded it. The results were worth it though. Got the Greenworks 4 years ago and it was a game changer. The scarifier and verticutter attachments for the Allett are too expensive now a days and might just invest in a SunJoe which has both attachments
The manual dethatcher is a good workout at least 😂 Allet and Swardman are crazy with their pricing. I'll never own any of their equipment because of the price tag alone. I'm sure they're fine tools, but the mower price plus cartridges are insane. Not for me.
Electric works amazing! Been using one for several years (dethatcher). But still back breaking work to manual rake 10-12,000 sq feet like I have. Mow with bagger the only way to go afterwards!
i would gladly take all yard material that anyone wants to get rid of. sticks twigs, leaves, grass clippings, thatch, rocks. All of it, I have a big field that you can drive in, dump and drive away. I dont want kitchen trash, but i will take anything plant based.... in exchange, i will give you the same weight in compost.
Thank you for the very informative video. I've always mulch-mowed my lawn with the understanding that the cut grass decomposed and put nutrients back in the soil. This process seems to take all of that back out, which defeats the purpose. Would it be better to bag cut the lawn and possibly avoid the need for this? Also, have you ever tried liquid dethatcher chemicals? I read something about using Sugar to speed up the microbes decomposing thatch. Ever heard of that? Thank you and keep up this great channel
I had 2 grass piles. I treated 1 with liquid dethacher and left the other in the sun. After about 5 days, the treated grass was gone while the untreated was still mostly there. So it comes down to $. It easier to spray than dethach and clean up.
The best thing I did for my lawn was purchase the electric Sun-Joe thatcher that comes with the scarifier. I could not believe how much deadness I brought up on the highest setting. I now do it late winter or early spring and my lawn is the best it looked. Great video LAWN.
👍 Just bought a used BillyGoat power rake, same one you showed. It is definitely aggressive, but so much faster than my corded sunjoe on 11,000 sq ft. Finally snow free here in Fairbanks, AK.
I use thatch for mulch on my raised bed gardens. They do an excellent job and at the start of early spring the next year, you can dig it into the beds to add organic material.
It’s definitely a necessity for some lawns and I like the liquid dethatch as well as a solid maintenance product. Manual dethatching is essential in some cases, especially for those who never bag like myself. I have 13k square feet of lawn, so it’s not super easy to work on manually any way I go about it.
How do you know when to start dethatching in spring? You throw down seed as soon as your done dethatching? And then put down Fertilizer immediately after the seed? Just trying to understand your process! Thanks!
Incredible, I'll definitely give dethatching a go! I did notice mowing more often filled in lawn gaps but never tried detaching, I'm sure it'll really even things out further.
I just picked up a greenworks dethatcher and can’t wait to use it. I have underground sprinklers, I assume there isn’t a risk of puncturing lines, even at the highest setting?
I used a greenworks electric dethather years ago. Sure it worked ....but I have a bigggg yard. I ended up buying a lawnmower dethathing blade. Works great and was simple to install on your existing mower. Plus the blade was only $20ish.
Haha, best outro! Just wanted to comment to say thanks for the clear explanation. I went with a corded one like you showed with the interchangeable dethatcher/scarifier, about to give it its first go.
Love the video. Quick question, you mention scarifying isn't as good at removing thatch as dethatching, can you do one after the other? I purchased an electric one with both attachments so doing both wouldn't be an issue.
I bought the sunjoe, and used it just on my front yard. With clean up, which was a lot, took about 3 hours, and 1 tank of gas in the handheld blower. Going to do the backyard soon, but we have a nest of bunnies that I don't want to scare. They're cute and my wife loves them, but they need to get off my lawn!
I have a empire Zoysia front yard and princess Bermuda back yard. I always scalp and then burn in early spring… I don’t have an issue with thatch and understand that not everyone has the option of burning…. By late spring early summer, …lawn domination!
I have an old mower that I put a thatching blade on. Works awesome! Afterwards I run around with my nice bag mower and suck old grass off of lawn. Works easy, and great results. I believe the blade with an extra set of springs are $20-30.00 Cheap!
I guess it depends if you want to clean everything up in one shot or split it into two "cleanups". Either way the grass clippings and thatch/dead grass will be coming up after you dethatch.
I have the tow behind one, I found another by the side of the road someone was tossing out, took the tins off it and installed them where there was not one, so now my pull behind has double the tins it had originally, I also have the sun Joe scarifier I got from a yard sale, I enjoy the pull behind one, I put on my head phones, light a cigar and pop open a beer and rake up and down and sideways,on an angle, Clean it up and like u said, it looks torn up, but with a little rain and sun, it comes back to life quickly, great video, thanks
Yeah there's something about dethatching that is so peaceful. Don't know what it is. It's nice to have a good buzz by the time you actually have to clean up the mess though 😂 Thanks for watching!
3:28 -- I have one of these... different brand, but identical head and little crescent tines. If you've never used one, it's basically like detangling a little girl's hair, except that hair is the lawn. The thatch doesn't come up easily, you have to tug it out with effort. And because the grass is resisting, it'll jerk the handle in your hand, and even very, very small jobs require you to wear gloves. Dethatching my small lawn with one of these did three things: 1 - I couldn't believe how much I got up. It just kept coming up. 2 - It made me despise my side-discharge mower. 3 - It made my lawn super healthy and hardy that season, whereas it seemed very, very sluggish for a few years before.
If you got the sunjoe could you scarify (to get like acorns and buried sticks), dethatch (to get the dead grass), and then aerate to open things up (before overseeding/fertilizing?
It helps to know WHY thatch builds up in lawns as well. One of the leading reasons is over fertilizing. If you're careful about how much you fertilize you typically won't have to worry about thatch buildup at all.
I have good luck just running the mower over it after to clean up the thatch pulled up. I filled a 90 gallon yard waste bin that way. Also you did not mention that you should cut the grass low before dethatching the yard.
For sure bro! I mainly just do it in the spring, but the sun joe is my favorite tool to use in the lawn! Clean up just sucks sometimes. Dusty as hell 😂
@Screws n' Dado Grooves thatch forms when the lawn does not break down the material fast enough. Poor drainage, fertilizer that doesn't break down. I mow at least 3 times a week and my lawn must not be able to keep up with the clippings. They are basically shavings. I've been using soil microbes to help. Maybe this year i could get away with doing it once💪🏾👊🏾
For large sites and limited or exhausted fuel budgets, would it be applicable to fit a pull-behind dethatcher to the rear of a fat-tyre bicycle or tricycle? I have a severe layer of thatch which comes up readily on a digging fork (which just tells you how long I've let it go, and which is an obstacle (but may be a disguised blessing, as a compost fodder) to me converting my erstwhile lawn to crops to improve my food security). My site is small, so I'm likely not to use a drag-behind dethatcher, but I was curious.
Another commenter said that St. Augustine grass should never be dethatched. This makes sense because it sends out runners on top of the ground with shallow roots which would be easily damaged by the process. I live in Mississippi and have this kind of grass, but I also have a heavy layer of thatch, especially after the drought last summer and much of the grass died. It actually looks terrible with many dead, brown spots. I would like to hear from our intrepid video maker if he has any suggestions.
As an experiment , I mulched a carpet of maple leaves laying on our lawn in the fall. Left a wet mushy layer of it on the lawn. This spring, our lawn was thick green and weeds were minimal. Who knew?
New home build, recently moved in. The front yard was sodded, the back hydrosprayed. Grass is growing in, but there is still a ton of hay etc from the initial application. Would dethatching be recommended in my case? Maybe in the spring?
Used a manual dethatcher once and a man drove past my house, stopped then reversed. He asked what kind of rake I was using bc he noticed a big difference from what I had done already and the part yet to do. It was a small yard but boy my side muscles were ever sore for about a week after. Gave the dethatcher to my neighbour when I moved. He was quite happy with it.
I always wondered what that rake was for in my grandpa's garage. He never made me use it. He was a good man.
I like how the dog follows you around when mowing.
The Best advice ever. I bought a Sunjoe last spring. Did my lawn, then hit it with milorganite and ironite last year. Did it again in April, and this year I’m the most hated dude in the subdivision because nobody has a lawn like mine. It looks like astroturf.
Stumbled on this video. Don’t have a lawn but wow your videos are a lesson in clarity and being concise!
Love you videos. You speak like youre talking to someone who that has no idea what youre talking about. PERFECT!
So I did it last fall, got an electric detatcher, and ended up with about 5-6 lawn bags full of dead grass. My lawn was always very thick and one of the best lawns on the block. This year you can tell the difference. Much more lush, green, thick, and it is very apparent water is going into roots and not running off. Best investment was getting one of these electric ones as my grandfather has a manual one and it is a royal pain in the ass to use.
I got really good results with the SunJoe by dethatching and then following up with a second pass with the scarifier. I agree that the scarifier doesn't pull up as much thatch but the scarifier helps with overseeding. I did this last fall and my wife asked "Why did you scalp the yard?!" This spring the yard came back twice as thick and I have had neighbors and walkers stop to complement me and asked what I did. The SunJoe is a great homeowner product, IMO.
I love it . Bought it in the spring .
The Best video about dethatching on TH-cam. I did however use the old style for 8 HOURS on the in laws yard one time. Now 15 years later being 55ish not doing that again. Renting a dethatcher thingy. Thanks for the best. 👍🍺
Thatch is nutrient dense. I compost mine in the fall, and then use the compost to fill in low spots in the spring!
Why spend all that time dethatching your lawn, if you're going to reuse the dead grass to fill in the low spots? If you have low spots on your lawn, get some lawn soil and overseed it. The dead grass and other debris are supposed to be disposed of, not recycled. That's what dethatching is for! A person doesn't dethatch their lawn and put the dead grass right back on it afterwards.
@@slimdude2011Don’t go showing your lack of knowledge of the composting process all at once now, dear…
Wow, that is perfection! There’s no better example of natural healthy circular ecology than that! 💚
@@Mrs.LadeyBug If I were to use compost on my lawn, I wouldn't use dead grass.
Pretty clever, I'll make a note.
It depends on the type of grass! You don’t want to ever dethatch St. Austine grass, which is commonly used in Southern Lawns!
Same with Bermuda.
I have both of these 2 growing in the same lawn
I have Bermuda and st. Augustine. I was planning on dethatching this weekend.
You're saying I shouldn't?...why not?
WHY NOT ?
@@hectorchavez3117because (don’t hold me to it) that grass grows across with creepers, other grass just grows straight up. So a machine like this might just cut up the strands of grass into little bits. Those bits aren’t all rooted to ground & they’ll die.
Someone correct me please
I use a manual metal rake & give up after 15min cuz it’s hell.
I did a heavy dethatch and then scarfied it hired a guy to aerate it and then I heavily seeded it and added a really nutrient rich top soil. I can not believe how well it worked. I water every 3days and its 33c in Canada currently. Not brown grass blade yet. really makes a difference to get the soil prepped
which part of Canada?
Thanks a lot to the cameraman and the presenter for good quality presentation and explanation. 🙂
Never had to detatch my yard. Never had thatch in my yard. have detatched a client's yard, a couple dead spots we reseeded, just used a rake. Now less then 1 yr later, you'd have no idea last summer they were brown spots of dead grass.
This is why I always mulch my grass, cut regularly, keeps thatch from building up and instead feeds your lawn for free.
I never dethatch too. Core aerate and/or just put down gypsum. I always mulch unless we have rain for several days.
Thatch is grass roots growing sideways instead of down do to bad watering (lightly often) or bad fertilizer that encourage top growth not dead grass. Dead grass will break down and provide nutrients to the lawn plus it will keep water in the lawn.
Bought an electric dethatcher a couple years ago, used it once and never again. It worked too well, spent hours bagging all of the dead grass and thatch up.
Really? Bagging mower will pick it up
How big is your lawn?
I used one last week and I love it. 3500 sqft. Raking the dead grass was the worst part, bagging went fine. I just tipped the can over and raked most of it in. I had already put the mower away. Used some as mulch around my day lilies. Going to scarify and over seed soon.
Yep when I hit my lawn the first time I generated so much thatch that I had to ease up the settings a lot. Now its spring again and I'm ready.
I have a big lawn too so I use my riding mower with a bagger to pick up the thatch
This was definitely one of the most helpful videos I've seen on how to dethatch my lawn. I now feel like I can do this and really help my yard.
Man i love how simple u keep it while providing great info…
Am definitely realizing i should have done this, this year. Thanks for the info!
That's amazing, I never expected all of that to be under the grass. My grass is so thick and so lumpy in spots. I have zoysia gras, which is supposed to be drought-resistant etcetera however it takes a ton of water to get it nice and lush. Thinking about getting one of these for this coming spring.
Hi, I'm from Argentina is crazy all the machines you have and use for taking care of the grass, here most of them are not available in the market and only professionals gardners buy them and import them individually to work. Great content!
The Groundskeeper II rake is an excellent tool for this process as well, very light, easy to use and does a fantastic job.
Does it work well for removing dead moss?
@@NordicDan yes, it works well. Handy tool to add, works great for mulching too
it's a beast
I have a dethatching bar with a single spring tine at each end, that swaps out the cutting blade in my standard push lawnmower. It works well and gets a good amount of thatch out of the lawn.
I have been using the same type for years, works great! I start at the side and work my way to center of lawn, then put on regular blade & grass catcher, set the mower low, suck up all the thatch. I also use de-thatcher blade in the fall. Instead of raking up the leaves I power rake them & leave them laying until I do the grass in Spring.
my latest problem in the backyard was recognizing, identifying & spraying for some nasty & invasive weeds. one was lesser celandine & the other is some kind of grassy weed that was hiding among the healthy grass & really took off while undetected. I haven't dethatched in a while, but next Sept & Oct when I start my Fall maintenance routine, I will absolutely be dethatching the backyard to clean out those dead weeds & also the newer ones that will want to come back again.
I got to use my Groundworks dethatcher on some trouble spots last night after the mow- these spots were too hard to get with the tow-behind, and I know I went over them like 5 times. The Groundworks took it right up!
The Groundskeeper rake also is good if you want to spot clean any trouble spots, or stimulate dog spots.
I've watched a million of these lawn videos, but this one is particularly well done. Kudos!
I dethatched with a modified blade on my lawnmower, works great.
Love your videos
these are the best videos on lawn care on youtube, cant believe how long it me to get here
I've seen tons of lawn care videos. This one is very well done and informative. Thanks!
I used to do this yearly on my lawn. I got compliments every year from my neighbors that my lawn looked the best on the block. I didn't think I was trying all that hard, just doing typical yard maintenance. I would also run an aerator over the lawn and then fertilize/water that week. The lawn would look a nice green and take far less water.
Not everyone has a tractor lawn mower with the appropriate expensive parts to attach to the back. If you don’t have the expensive tools, doing it by hand is inconceivable 😅
Manual thatcher not for the faint of heart but best arm and chest workout ever. Bonus is a gorgeous lawn. Did Manual thatching today, and it almost killed me, totally exhausting. But my lawn and arms look great 😮😅 already.
Make sure you grab a protein shake after that workout 😂
@@RevealedFilms Thanks. I went to bed and took two extra strength Tylenol.
Start out slowly. 10 minutes on the first day. Rest on the next day if necessary. Once the muscles are built and toned, it is easy. Watch your form. Keep your back straight. Use a short, back and forth motion with the rake, adjusting the angle with the ground as needed. I use a larger angle on the first pass. Less aggressive. Work with a dry lawn. Talk with someone who is experienced with a thatching rake if possible. Only do as much as you are comfortable with each day. Great exercise. Compost the thatch unless you have removed a lot of creeping grass. (Which I assume you are trying to eliminate.) DO NOT de-thatch a predominantly creeping grass lawn unless you are planning to start a new lawn.
I gave up after I pulled a muscle in my back 😩😅
I would have added to not do this too early in the spring, or when it’s wet. I did both and tore up my lawn a little. However about 6 weeks later it’s recovered and looking great
How do you know when is too early, and when to start dethatching in spring?
Great info, first time with lawn since childhood. 13 bags of thatch laterals aeration and fertilizer city boys lawn is kicking ass. thx
This is a good explanation on dethatching/verticutting/scarifying - though as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong), can't be done on buffalo type grasses which rely heavily on surface runners, as it causes more damage than fixing. I have such a type grass; and frequently do aeration, but haven't scarified, or dethatched (I did one small section and it is slowly coming back after 2+ years). Battery tools also can't handle it either as they're quick to cut out. Any further recommendations on this; if it should/should not be done?
Buffalo is far more popular in Australia than the US due to drought tolerance, so can appreciate if it isn't often used.
That last line alone earns a subscribe! Thanks for the info.
An excellent video and you had the same results I did. I own that same hand dethatching tool. It's best as a follow up, after you've dethatched the previous year. It's very hard to use if you have creeping grass, since they grow along the ground. I also own the Sun Joe dethatcher. 18 months ago it was $80 but has been replaced with an upgrade that costs $180. Hopefully the little model will return soon. It has a catch bag but it's too tiny for practical use. It's best to use on moderately dry grass and mow before dethatching. Use the mower again to collect the thatch. As I recall, the first time I dethatched, I pulled up 4 times the grass that mowing normally collects.
Used the rake for like 10 minutes and i was like " hell nah". Went straight to the garage to get the electric dethatcher
Why would you use a rake if you already had an electric dethatcher???
@@SouloOnTheBeat because I was lazy to hook it up. Was only working on a very small area.
Nice video, I've dethatched my lawn every Spring for the last 35 years and find it to be the most beneficial thing I do to my lawn, bar none. As this video states, it removes a huge barrier of waste and opens up / wakes up your grass in the spring. I've also used all of the gadgets and machines mentioned in this video, and personally found the gas powered power rake to be the best. It's aggressive but you can easily adjust it to the level you want. It does wonders. And after you finish the look of your lawn is not very good, it's totally beat up. But a good feeding of pre-emergent and slow release fertilizer and you lawn recovers in 2-3 weeks. Highly recommend it...
Hi! When do you know when to start dethatching in spring? And do you put down pre-emergent before or directely after dethatching? Thank you in advance!
@@AnonymousGameWarden I look for a period of consecutive dry days beginning in the last week of February. It's better if the ground is dry. Some years it was in late March before I was able to do it. And I apply pre-emergent / fertilizer immediately following the dethatching / cleanup. Don't worry if the lawn looks rough, it will after dethatching. It will recover nicely in the following weeks. good luck...
Awesome video. Well layed out, easy to follow and to the point explanation. And everything you talk about comes with its own demonstration. Fantastic job! Well deserved sub.
i have the ryobi cordless dethatcher and love it! works really well for me
I was actually just looking at that..I need a cordless. The cord is driving me insane. Hey bro I checked out your channel, great stuff!! Let me know if you want to Collab on something in the future. Id be down for sure!!
Man, I just moved to Fort Worth, TX and my yard is fully shaded and sloped…and is mostly dirt right now. I’ve been researching solutions and came across this video. Unreal. You clearly know your $h!t. I’m most impressed with your communication and ability to express your ideas. I know very little about this stuff, but everything you said makes sense. Love it. Thanks, brotha. Appreciate the knowledge.
your grass has work to do, so dont cut it as short as some of the lawns you see. get the right grass seed and watering its all downhill from there ;)
Don't cut your lawn short. People get wrapped up on looks (short) when longterm it's crap.
Long grass is healthy and resilient
I been lost with the myriad options of these dethatchers now I know better. Thanka for this video ❤
Great explanation on the differences and the processes to perform the job. Your channel has a wealth of knowledge for the DIY enthusiast. Keep up the great work 💪🏼
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I like your adding of the office clips to the back of your sunjoe. I HATE the bag but I could never figure out a good way to keep the flap open without have rocks nail me in the shins. I'll give the clips a try.
Helpful, I actually watched this video and successfully worked on my lawn, and it came out good.
What ever you want to call it, the explanations were right on. I use to use the hand thatch rake on my 1800 sq ft lawn twice a season for years and always dreaded it. The results were worth it though. Got the Greenworks 4 years ago and it was a game changer. The scarifier and verticutter attachments for the Allett are too expensive now a days and might just invest in a SunJoe which has both attachments
The manual dethatcher is a good workout at least 😂 Allet and Swardman are crazy with their pricing. I'll never own any of their equipment because of the price tag alone. I'm sure they're fine tools, but the mower price plus cartridges are insane. Not for me.
I got a mantis dethatcher but you need to pull it back to make it work. What a mess and clean up. Great info. Thx.
Finally an amazing video to explain the debate!!! Jesse you the man bro 👊🏾😂😂😂 and I love your dog he just wants to help his best friend 😩😊👊🏾🔥🙏🏾🤙🏾
Thanks for always watching bro! Best dog I've ever had. He just always wants to be apart of the action 😂
Excellent video covering all the options to improve the lawn. Thanks!!
Do you water every other day after scarifying, dethatching and fertilizing? Thanks!
Electric works amazing! Been using one for several years (dethatcher). But still back breaking work to manual rake 10-12,000 sq feet like I have. Mow with bagger the only way to go afterwards!
Excellent video.
Clarified a lot of the confusion other videos cause.
Great video and Well spoken. I own a Sun Joe Dethatcher and I needed a thorough explanation.
i would gladly take all yard material that anyone wants to get rid of. sticks twigs, leaves, grass clippings, thatch, rocks. All of it, I have a big field that you can drive in, dump and drive away. I dont want kitchen trash, but i will take anything plant based.... in exchange, i will give you the same weight in compost.
You always motivate me to be better at taking care of my lawn. Thanks for great lawncare content. Sweet dog.
Thank you for the very informative video. I've always mulch-mowed my lawn with the understanding that the cut grass decomposed and put nutrients back in the soil. This process seems to take all of that back out, which defeats the purpose. Would it be better to bag cut the lawn and possibly avoid the need for this? Also, have you ever tried liquid dethatcher chemicals? I read something about using Sugar to speed up the microbes decomposing thatch. Ever heard of that? Thank you and keep up this great channel
I had 2 grass piles. I treated 1 with liquid dethacher and left the other in the sun. After about 5 days, the treated grass was gone while the untreated was still mostly there. So it comes down to $. It easier to spray than dethach and clean up.
The best thing I did for my lawn was purchase the electric Sun-Joe thatcher that comes with the scarifier. I could not believe how much deadness I brought up on the highest setting. I now do it late winter or early spring and my lawn is the best it looked. Great video LAWN.
Thanks for the super-useful video! The combination of background information and advice is perfect.
I applaud you for taking the time to get an accurate number of yards that get dethatched. The Elite 6.2%
👍 Just bought a used BillyGoat power rake, same one you showed. It is definitely aggressive, but so much faster than my corded sunjoe on 11,000 sq ft. Finally snow free here in Fairbanks, AK.
Great video, and the breakdown of dethatching equipment. What is missing is types of grass which shouldn't be dethatched...
Are there types of grass that shouldn’t be dethatched? Around here our grass is all pretty much generic.
Buffalo, St Augustine...
I use thatch for mulch on my raised bed gardens. They do an excellent job and at the start of early spring the next year, you can dig it into the beds to add organic material.
It’s definitely a necessity for some lawns and I like the liquid dethatch as well as a solid maintenance product. Manual dethatching is essential in some cases, especially for those who never bag like myself. I have 13k square feet of lawn, so it’s not super easy to work on manually any way I go about it.
Thanks from New Zealand. One the best video i hv seen so far..
I took your advice and purchased an electric corded model and I was very surprised on how well it worked!!
Do you dethatch every spring? Also do you spread fertalizer right after dethatching every year?
I live in NYC and have a zoysia grass/fescue mix. I heard you can’t thatch zoysia, is that true?
Spot on I thacth every season and my lawn has been green and thick. Thacth,overseed,milorganite,water.
How do you know when to start dethatching in spring? You throw down seed as soon as your done dethatching? And then put down Fertilizer immediately after the seed? Just trying to understand your process! Thanks!
What about a dethatching blade for your lawnmower? I've been using one for many years, and it seems to work. I get bags of thatch out!
Incredible, I'll definitely give dethatching a go! I did notice mowing more often filled in lawn gaps but never tried detaching, I'm sure it'll really even things out further.
I just picked up a greenworks dethatcher and can’t wait to use it. I have underground sprinklers,
I assume there isn’t a risk of puncturing lines, even at the highest setting?
I love that your dog just follows you about.
When I use the Sun Joe dethatcher my brother moves the cord as I dethatch. Make it a lot easier.
Very well presented and packed with useful information. Well done.
I used a greenworks electric dethather years ago. Sure it worked ....but I have a bigggg yard. I ended up buying a lawnmower dethathing blade. Works great and was simple to install on your existing mower. Plus the blade was only $20ish.
Haha, best outro! Just wanted to comment to say thanks for the clear explanation. I went with a corded one like you showed with the interchangeable dethatcher/scarifier, about to give it its first go.
Guess it would still be dethatching time in MN, 😂 thanks for the video, I always enjoy a “satisfying” dethatch session! 👍🏻👊🏻
Always behind everyone else 🙃 I need to start making videos three weeks ahead of time for what I'd be doing in my own lawn 😂
Love the video. Quick question, you mention scarifying isn't as good at removing thatch as dethatching, can you do one after the other? I purchased an electric one with both attachments so doing both wouldn't be an issue.
I didn't realise how much I needed this video in my life. Thank you 👍
I bought the sunjoe, and used it just on my front yard. With clean up, which was a lot, took about 3 hours, and 1 tank of gas in the handheld blower. Going to do the backyard soon, but we have a nest of bunnies that I don't want to scare. They're cute and my wife loves them, but they need to get off my lawn!
The sunjoe is one of my favorite tools. But you're right. It is a big task. Go around the bunny nest, they'll be gone in a couple of weeks!
That is beautiful! Wow! I want to try this now.
I have a empire Zoysia front yard and princess Bermuda back yard. I always scalp and then burn in early spring… I don’t have an issue with thatch and understand that not everyone has the option of burning…. By late spring early summer, …lawn domination!
Good video, I have the Sunjoe but have never used the scarifier but maybe I will for the mossy areas. Its def a huge time commitment
I have an old mower that I put a thatching blade on. Works awesome! Afterwards I run around with my nice bag mower and suck old grass off of lawn. Works easy, and great results. I believe the blade with an extra set of springs are $20-30.00 Cheap!
Is it necessary to dethatch every year? I usually do it every 3 years or so, and I have great results with that.
When do you start and when do you stop the Fall Nitrogen Blitz in Minnesota?
It’s recommended to use a mulching blade on mower but then dethatch later. Should we just bag clippings and save a step?
I guess it depends if you want to clean everything up in one shot or split it into two "cleanups". Either way the grass clippings and thatch/dead grass will be coming up after you dethatch.
I have the tow behind one, I found another by the side of the road someone was tossing out, took the tins off it and installed them where there was not one, so now my pull behind has double the tins it had originally, I also have the sun Joe scarifier I got from a yard sale, I enjoy the pull behind one, I put on my head phones, light a cigar and pop open a beer and rake up and down and sideways,on an angle, Clean it up and like u said, it looks torn up, but with a little rain and sun, it comes back to life quickly, great video, thanks
Yeah there's something about dethatching that is so peaceful. Don't know what it is. It's nice to have a good buzz by the time you actually have to clean up the mess though 😂 Thanks for watching!
@@LAWNLIFE 😂 keep up the good videos!
3:28 -- I have one of these... different brand, but identical head and little crescent tines. If you've never used one, it's basically like detangling a little girl's hair, except that hair is the lawn. The thatch doesn't come up easily, you have to tug it out with effort. And because the grass is resisting, it'll jerk the handle in your hand, and even very, very small jobs require you to wear gloves.
Dethatching my small lawn with one of these did three things:
1 - I couldn't believe how much I got up. It just kept coming up.
2 - It made me despise my side-discharge mower.
3 - It made my lawn super healthy and hardy that season, whereas it seemed very, very sluggish for a few years before.
If you got the sunjoe could you scarify (to get like acorns and buried sticks), dethatch (to get the dead grass), and then aerate to open things up (before overseeding/fertilizing?
It helps to know WHY thatch builds up in lawns as well. One of the leading reasons is over fertilizing. If you're careful about how much you fertilize you typically won't have to worry about thatch buildup at all.
What about the dethatching lawnmower blades that have the tines on each end of the blade? Those seem pretty effective.
I have good luck just running the mower over it after to clean up the thatch pulled up. I filled a 90 gallon yard waste bin that way. Also you did not mention that you should cut the grass low before dethatching the yard.
You're right, I did forget to mention that. Totally slipped my mind.
I love dethatching as much as cutting! I do it religiously in spring and fall. The sunjoe is 🤴 👊🏽
For sure bro! I mainly just do it in the spring, but the sun joe is my favorite tool to use in the lawn! Clean up just sucks sometimes. Dusty as hell 😂
@LAWN LIFE one of these days we should chit chat about grass and the TH-cam game👊🏽
Twice a year seems like overkill and I would guess it’s an indication of mulching when you’re taking too much height off of each mow?
@Screws n' Dado Grooves thatch forms when the lawn does not break down the material fast enough. Poor drainage, fertilizer that doesn't break down. I mow at least 3 times a week and my lawn must not be able to keep up with the clippings. They are basically shavings. I've been using soil microbes to help. Maybe this year i could get away with doing it once💪🏾👊🏾
Can you also do dethaching if your grass has multiple holes due to grub worms we had 3 years ago?
For large sites and limited or exhausted fuel budgets, would it be applicable to fit a pull-behind dethatcher to the rear of a fat-tyre bicycle or tricycle?
I have a severe layer of thatch which comes up readily on a digging fork (which just tells you how long I've let it go, and which is an obstacle (but may be a disguised blessing, as a compost fodder) to me converting my erstwhile lawn to crops to improve my food security). My site is small, so I'm likely not to use a drag-behind dethatcher, but I was curious.
Another commenter said that St. Augustine grass should never be dethatched. This makes sense because it sends out runners on top of the ground with shallow roots which would be easily damaged by the process. I live in Mississippi and have this kind of grass, but I also have a heavy layer of thatch, especially after the drought last summer and much of the grass died. It actually looks terrible with many dead, brown spots. I would like to hear from our intrepid video maker if he has any suggestions.
As an experiment , I mulched a carpet of maple leaves laying on our lawn in the fall. Left a wet mushy layer of it on the lawn. This spring, our lawn was thick green and weeds were minimal. Who knew?
New home build, recently moved in. The front yard was sodded, the back hydrosprayed. Grass is growing in, but there is still a ton of hay etc from the initial application. Would dethatching be recommended in my case? Maybe in the spring?
Used a manual dethatcher once and a man drove past my house, stopped then reversed. He asked what kind of rake I was using bc he noticed a big difference from what I had done already and the part yet to do. It was a small yard but boy my side muscles were ever sore for about a week after. Gave the dethatcher to my neighbour when I moved. He was quite happy with it.
Great video. Is there anyway to address sprinkler heads to not damage them? Just seeing what you think. Thanks,
can you do a video on must have tools and equipment when trying to repair the lawn