I'm learning all about caring for my Lawn, thatch , seed . I must start over with my lawn . Thank you so much for your Help. You. Explain so Well . I'm a widow, I want to live out my life in my Home 🏠 . Amen
I bought a house with a neglected lawn this year and learned about dethatching and aerating. I underestimated the work and did both manually. 4 days later and 3 full trashcans, 3 pounds skinnier..I can honestly say I hate grass and respect landscapers a lot more than i used to
Great topic! Having 35+ years in turf care I feel under most conditions detatching/scarifying is the more important step. That being said in my business we aerate and dethatch at the same time spring and fall. A deeper Dethatching in the fall....The results are usually outstanding.....
This is the most honest video I've ever seen. "I don't know if one is better than the other, it depends on your ground, but doing one or the other with overseeding will be great." That's damn well good enough for me and doesn't imply there's a completely right and completely wrong way to do it. Thank you!
Being this guy’s neighbor would be a whole ass trip. Walking to get the paper this man is out here talking to the grass on Instagram live 😂😂 thanks for the info
If you are aerating your lawn be sure to water you lawn for 2-3 days prior to aerating to soften your soil so the aerator can do a better job. Also, run the aerator over your lawn north-south and then east-west at a minimum. The more holes you put in your soil the better. In case you have never used one, that aerator is a workout and will kick your ass, but your lawn will love it. Dethatching, also, is great for your lawn. You do not need to get every bit of thatch out of your lawn. About 1/4" or so is what you want to keep. More than that should be removed. A SunJoe dethatcher is a very good tool to get that done. You will want to cut your lawn down to 2" or less so the dethatcher can get to the thatch. Leave the thatch on the lawn when using the dethatcher and then go back with a mower with a bagger attachment to pick up the thatch or just use a rake to collect it.
Hey Ben! Great advice! In the past though I've tried using the manual aeration tool shown in the video and had very bad results. I'd always have 1-2 good pulls and then one or both sides would get clogged and it was hell getting them out with a screwdriver. Lawn was watered as the aeration tool instructions said. Did you ever have this problem and find a remedy? I'm guessing it might be something to do with my soil type as well.
@@wushufanatic i have not used a manual aerator (as shown in the video), but I would guess the solution to be the same whether you use the manual or power aerator. Imagine dried, hard dirt versus muddy, sloppy soil. Which would go through the core aerator easier? Now picture your soil in between those extremes. I would guess that you need to water your lawn well for each of the 2-3 days prior to aerating and allow that watering to soak into the soil. I think you might have a different experience next time. Good luck!
@@benharrison1069 Really appreciate your reply Ben. I watered quite well when I aerated and tried it two separate times. Just couldn't get it to take up more than 1-2 plugs before getting lodged in there. I could tell they were wet as well when I spent 10-15 minutes dislodging them. A serious pain the ass to dislodge which is why I ended up returning it. Never did figure out the exact lawn but the time wasted to aeration benefit ratio was too far off for me to spend any more time on it! I've been using liquid aeration ever since and who knows if its doing much if anything but at least I can finish the process without issue. Thanks again and happy aerating!
I've never done either of these actions and the lawn has suffered, worse every year. I am now going to do both as soon as the weather improves in Upstate New York. Thank you so much for this information and great explanation!
Here in WNY landscaping I can say this is the WORST year with how the grass has been super dead and now I know why a ton of the properties we do have that issue, I can now tell these owners if your worried about it you definitely need to dethatch
I mowed the lawn first, aerated, scarified then overseeded. Lawn looks way better now even though its summer here in UK. Fitting a sprinkler system is next on the todo list
Bought a new home. Dethatched, overseed and fertilized in spring. After that work I’m going to give it the summer to recover and plan on aeration, overseed and fertilize in the fall. Will repeat until the lawn gets where I want it. Warm season grass in central Florida.
I was a golf course superintendent for 35 years! I agree with almost everything! A couple of reasons for aeration is not only compacted soil but clay soils too! One thing I would recommend is to pick up the plugs not only for the potential of weed seeds but if the plugs do not completely break down, you'll have small lumps of soil in the yard! One thing else would be a good idea to topdress the yard and fill in holes! I, 100% agree with dethatching! It's best way to overseed! Blessings to you and your family, Kevin Barron
Hey Kevin, my lawn consists of a blend of KBG, Fescue, and Rye. Question: My current lawn has a big time thatch problem which I plan on dealing with in early Fall. In most places, I cannot see or feel soil and it's spongy in some areas. I'm having a hard time deciding whether I need to aerate or dethatch to correct the problem. Will aerating do the trick? Or my Sunjoe with the scarifier? I'm always hesitant to aerate because of bringing weed seeds to the surface. Thanks for any advice in advance!
@@joemarchand8313 I had the same problem with my yard when we moved in 20 years ago. When the thatch is thick, it's a perfect breeding ground for insect and disease infestations. A little thatch is OK maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch. It depends on where you are living. If you have cool season grass. Yes, early to mid September, I would de-thatch the yard, rake it up (or sweep it if you have one) then overseed! The only time I would aeriate is if you have clay or heavily compacted soil! If you feel the need to aerify, do it after de-thatching and rake up the plugs.
I look after soccer fields. Approximately 8 acres. I dethatch before I cut the first time in spring. I also aerate about a week later in spring. I even aerate every 6 weeks during the playing season with consistent irrigation depending on weather.
Thanks for assuaging my guilt for not having my lawn punched this fall but instead running the SunJoe across it. The new crop of TTTF is sprouting up (albeit a bit pale from the Tenacity) nicely and my back is not sore from wrestling the aerator this fall. FWIW, your comment about the dethatching rake couldn't be more true. Three hours of that kind of lawncare is not in my list of options.
I have the Greenworks detacher, and just detached today. Tomorrow I’m getting core aerated, then overseeding with Scott’s Thickr Lawn. I had great results last year with that product. I will pry alternate yearly between detaching and core aerating after this.
I rented both units, I highly recommend both steps, it makes a huge difference. You may wish to find a stand-on aerator, it’ll take less time, and btw, fun to ride!
I just pay a local lawn care place to aerate. Same price as renting a unit. I’d buy one because it would eventually pay for itself but i don’t want to store it.
Just bought mine this week, tried it out last night. Awesome. 100 times easier than pushing a rental aerator and cheaper in the long run. ,,, th-cam.com/video/prX975KQjjc/w-d-xo.html
To the viewers this is only for established lawns. If you have compacted areas just stab the ground with pitchfork and overseed plus some lawn builder formula and you will get more out of mowing 2 times a week. Once your lawn is full you will have to Dethatch twice a year. Early spring than again in late spring to make sure all your grass is fluffed up and growing.
Why would you ever deny a living object food? Dethatching removes dead, organics that the grass needs to survive. Fake lawn products are just that, fake products that are manufactured in a lab. Would you feed your family lab grown meat?
Hey there Clint, tons of great information. At the end of of the day, they are YOUR opinions and I respect and appreciate them. Keep up the great work Kind Sir.
I think it’s a good idea to do both. Especially if you have a newer lawn or your early in the lawn care process, Dethatcher first, then aerate before you over seed
@@Nathan-ho7vr I agree with your theory, but the chunks would probably strain the dethatcher pretty bad. I have the same sun joe and its great but even grass will bog it down a bit.
Twenty two years as a golf course manager I’ve done both. They both serve their purpose. Spiking is another form that gets irrigation down to the grass roots. Thatch is never good for a lawn. Avoid creating it by using a grass catcher on your mower. Core aeration is far more beneficial. Nice video 👏👏👍🏻
I think the same way you do. I feel yard should be Dethatch every year. Im all about aeration but with short cut turf. The units you rent do more damage then good. I want a billy goat so bad and i will do spike aeration through out the year. Maybe i will have one in a couple of years. I will be Dethatching and vert cutting. Planning on seeding and then sand leveling .
I live in Delaware and dethatched my approximately .6 acre yard last weekend. I ordered an aerator that will be delivered hopefully in a few days. Once I receive it I am going to aerate and then overseed my yard. Anyway, the reason I am posting this is to let people know that dethatching and then collecting the thatch is HARD WORK!!! I did this over the weekend but most of the work was on a Sunday and it was 87 degrees. I was raking up the thatch and luckily my neighbor saw me and came over and offered me her sweeper. That thing was a lifesaver. Moral of the story is if you have a decent sized yard a sweeper will really come in handy. There is no way I could have finished the job that day without it. In the end I had over 15 trash bags filled with thatch.
The thatch build-up on our 1-year-old sodded lawn is preventing water and nutrients from getting down into the soil. Our lawn care company pulled some plugs and we've got minimal to no root growth. Next week, I'll dethatch myself and my lawn care company will then aerate and overseed. It will look ugly for a few weeks, but it doesn't look very good now, so there's that.
I’ve lived in this home for over 10 years. I started to use Scott’s fertilizers in the spring of 2020 as recommended by Scott’s app. I’ve seen improvements but nothing was as impactful as dethatching and overseeding. I got a sunjoe and seeds from superseed store. I dethatched in mid Sept and as expected my grass went from green to yellow but the bounce back about 3-4 weeks later was incredible. The grass is fluffy and a deeper green. I highly recommend this. I ended up bagging 2 Home Depot yard trim bags (I own a townhouse) with nothing but dead stuff. Very impressive considering I don’t have big yards
When your grass goes from green to yellow, you have shocked it too much and killed it. Dethatching is not what made your grass come back, it was feeding it with chemicals. Next time you think about feeding the lawn, simply go to the hardware store or your local farmer and get some top soil and cow manure. That is the absolute best food product you can ever put on your lawn, and you never need to worry about your personal health, nor the health of everything that is down stream of your house.
Both, but aeration is more important of the two. Regularly aerated soil will greatly reduce the need to dethatch. The comment about the use of Scotts Fertilizer....these are homeowner grade fertilizers with little to no Phosphorous. Why is this important? Because P is very immobile and easily gets tied up in the soil. So with compacted soil, and the use of low/non-P fertilizer...well, the roots can no longer find any P and the lawn suffers. So aerate, do a soil test, use agricultural grade fertilizers, and it'll be a home run.
I'm learning that lawn care is way too much work, for most of the places that I've lived, the lawns had more weeds than grass, but I would just mow it, and that was that. I recently moved into a house that has a Bermudagrass lawn in a gated community, so it has to look good. We hired a local guy to treat the lawn, but he hasn't been back since the first day, three months ago, now I'm making myself crazy trying to educate myself about what my lawn needs when I really just want to plant flowers and watch the hummingbirds and butterflies enjoy them.
3 things to a nice Bermuda lawn: 1. Mow mow mow. The more you mow the thicker it will grow. 2. Water it if you are able. 3. Feed it occasionally with nitrogen.
I desperately need a good dethatching after our horrible fungal summer. Just gotta find a free weekend to do it. Skipping on the aerating this year too.
I did power raking yesterday (12pm-9pm). I did aeration and over-seed today (12pm-6pm). This is on a 30,000 sq ft lawn… :/ I am sure tired. Btw, I called many companies for power rake estimates, and they all gave me a bunch of excuses like they couldn’t do it… I had to take manners in my own hand. Thanks for the tips!
You're wasting your time....all of that detaching and aerification put into a homeowners lawn being mowed at 2inches is completely unnecessary. You're doing work that only high performance turf requires (golf course greens, tees and fairways). Growing grass is simple and should be kept that way. Control your fertilization program, irrigation, height of cut, unwanted weeds and/or leaf litter and you should have a quality stand of turf that'll look just as good as the idiots putting 10 hrs of dethatching and aierification practices in place. I'm telling ya....unless you are growing grass at under a half inch with daily mechanical and cultural abuse happening then all this extra work You're doing isn't necessary.
@@lntrlp4936 I would disagree! This summer caused a lot of damages. My lawn also had a lot debris build up over the years. The build up made it so difficult for the water to contact the soil… so yeah… enough said… I can go on if I wanted…
@@BobbyHerrright so much thatch blocks nutrients from getting into the soil. I heard the liquid dethatcher eats away the thatch. You have to read the reviews
I Live in WA with cold weather grasses. Creeping bent grass is a major problem and dethatching is the only way to control it. Chemicals like Tenacity are illegal in my state, so dethatching and over-seeding after is the only method to stay on top of bent grass.
Cut pretty short, de-thatch, aerate, overseed, Humic DG, starter fert or triple 19, water-water and more water.Spend your time the next 2 weeks sharping your blades. Your going to need it.
Depends on what you have for grass and the weather. If you have healthy but thin turf and it's not 90 degrees out you can go pretty short, 1 1/2 to 2 ". It will come back fine, you get better soil contact and your going to be watering it anyway.
@@dwkwb8 I overseeded the last weekend of Aug this year with tall fescue/kentucky in 90 degree heat. Bad timing on my part but, the established grass grew back fine as soon as I put water on it and helped the new seed germinate. I just kept it damp for a week and it did great. I never used humic dg before but i won't be without it now. Pricey but what it does for the soil is worth it.
I remember that time I core aerated my 5000 Sq ft lawn manually... It's the closest to death I've ever been 😆 Getting kicked in the nuts hurts less....
Everyone should get their ass kicked by a walk behind core aerator! I did it ONCE. Lesson in humility and character building LOL! Holy hell words can't describe that beat down.
@@teemplaya If someone else is doing it, no fear. But if you rented a walk behind core aerator and doing it yourself then yeah, take plenty of ibuprofen before and after LOL.
I love your channel. I’ve learned so much. Can you talk about the different types of grass. Do you recommend different types in the shaded areas & the sunny areas.
I was thinking of getting the Sunjoe, but unfortunately dethatching 12,000sq. Ft of lawn at the pace you were walking and with only about a 12” width of cut, it would take forever and a day to complete the job so I can over-seed the lawn. Good advice. Thanks.
I usually go way faster than what I went in this video. I was just doing it for visual purposes. It would take a bit of time but I would have no hesitation using it on 12k if you are ok with doing work and taking a little time
@@TripleAstyle1 just got quoted $800-1200 for that by professionals. Personally I think it’s a scam, I had my friend run calcs at his commercial landscaping business. Either way, get some beer and thatch away for a day! That’s what I’d do at least 😁
I wanted to dethatch then air8 and over seed I have that rpr from barenbrug I want the best result possible and thank you for another great video my friend!!!
Definitely a “charged” topic…I personally stick with liquid aeration year round (unless there are runoff and compaction issues) and dethatch as needed. I do agree that dethatching before overseeding will rough up the soil nicely
@@naturegirl7777 Googling it: Most experts agree that these products are not effective. The experts state that liquid lawn aerator products have not been proven to successfully break down dense soil to alleviate compaction.
I've looked closely at my lawn. Most of what looks bad is the dead grass as a part of grass lifecycle. I don't see much actual thatch like i did last year. It needs raking, which is a huge pain in the ass. The dethatcher does this process in 10% of the time. I bought an Earthwise dethatcher last year and removed 19+ bags of material. Had never done before on the lawn, though I only have been at here for 3 years now. It looked great after dethatching and overseeding, and I am way ahead of where I was last year. I am waiting for this last heat wave to pass prior to lowering HOC so i can dethatch. Maybe next year I will lower the HOC a little to do raking in early June, that is when I noticed the first grass blades turning brown and dying off. I have mulched the entire year until last week.
Thank you for sharing, very informative especially for a dolt such as myself. Sun Joe, it looks like your video is a couple years old now… I looked at the reviews on Amazon and they were all over the place. Reading reviews, I normally stick between the twos and fours… the negative feedback spoke of short battery life, gears locking up and the unit overheating, not meant for larger lawns. Could it be the quality has gone down? If so… can you recommend any other brands? Thanks!
No. You're not an idiot. If we have a brutal summer and I need a lot of renovation, I do core aeration. But a fairly mild summer like this one, my yard looks amazing, thick and green. No bare spots, no weeds. I always bag and I will definitly do dethatching in mid to late September, I may or may not overseed, depending on how it looks a week or two after dethatching. Nice work! You ever take a nap on your lawn? ;-)
aeration depends on factors like kids and pets and how much you are on your lawn compacting it. I aerate yearly and dethatch every few years. I do not get enough thatch build up to require it to be done yearly.
Totally agree. Got the SunJoe too and it did an awesome job. I had purchased a battery-operated Handyman dethatcher thinking that it would be ok. but it really was terrible and overheated in less than 3 minutes of continuous use. I'd like to know how the SunJoe cordless performs. I have a much worse-looking lawn that didn't have consistent coverage, I did a dethatch, scarifu and overseeded - hoping to get something more beautiful next year. \
My lawn is old, the dirt was hard and we had moss, moles, and ants. I tried fertilizer, weed killer, over seeding, and grub killer, and nothing gave me any lasting results until we aerated it. Now it really needs to be dethatched but I don't know how I want to do it. My garage is already half full of stuff, a power washer, snow blower, lawn mower, wheelbarrow, rakes, shovels, gas cans, hoses and power cords, saws, hedge trimmers, an edger and a weed whacker, wtf am I gonna do with a dethatcher? I'm sure that's what keeping my lawn from good to great but I hate buying something else that's going to sit in my garage for most of the year.
Thank you so much for this video!! My lawn is HORRIBLE!! I’ve been trying to dehatch my lawn “by hand” and I just can’t finish it. I will be buying one payday. (Also a new subscriber and I’ll be cruising your other videos 💕
I've rented the big gas operated aerators and detchathers, now maybe I was too aggressive with them, I don't mind hard work, but I done a lot of damage to my good grass when over seeding. I agree, the Sun Joe may be plastic, but it does a good job for a home owner. I used the detchatcer, run it over each direction. I take the bag off. Next I will scarifiy, then plant my tall fescue. I ordered my tall fescue from United Seed today. It's that time of year!
If I am not aerating this fall, is this the correct order with respect to overseeding? 1) mow lawn 2) dethatch lawn 3) apply seed 4) apply starter fert 5) apply Jonathan Greene Magical Lastly, is spring the best time to do my annual soil test? (I figured this would reveal what products I’ll need for the season) Thanks for your input 😊
Yup those steps look solid. Spring is a good time for soil test. Or you could really do it anytime but want to wait at least 6 weeks after previous fertilizer application
Hey, Great video! But I have a question, does your manual Core aerator gets clogged alot? I am constantly clogging up every like 4 steps, any tips or suggestions?
Great information on this one. I need to do this on a section of my lawn that is cold season turf. I'm not going to lie. The majority of my lawn is bermuda grass. I wish it was as green as the cold season turf that I planted.
The Sun Joe dethatcher is clutch. Just fyi, don’t loan it out, etc., I think it pretty much tells you that it’s great to use, but minimally. Definitely not made for anything approaching commercial. Be prepared to rake; it has a bagger, but you’d spend more time emptying that damned thing.
I'm learning all about caring for my Lawn, thatch , seed . I must start over with my lawn . Thank you so much for your Help. You. Explain so Well . I'm a widow, I want to live out my life in my Home 🏠 . Amen
I bought a house with a neglected lawn this year and learned about dethatching and aerating. I underestimated the work and did both manually. 4 days later and 3 full trashcans, 3 pounds skinnier..I can honestly say I hate grass and respect landscapers a lot more than i used to
Great topic! Having 35+ years in turf care I feel under most conditions detatching/scarifying is the more important step. That being said in my business we aerate and dethatch at the same time spring and fall. A deeper Dethatching in the fall....The results are usually outstanding.....
My lawn guy said we couldn’t dethatch in the spring if we had already put the preemergent down. Do you agree with that statement?
Finally a lawn care channel where the guy actually has an immaculate lawn. Thanks!
This is the most honest video I've ever seen. "I don't know if one is better than the other, it depends on your ground, but doing one or the other with overseeding will be great." That's damn well good enough for me and doesn't imply there's a completely right and completely wrong way to do it. Thank you!
Being in the Lawncare industry for 30 plus years we would dethatch in the spring and aerate in the fall. Both are highly beneficial.
Does that apply for all grass types ?
Why not the other way around? Seems like you would want to aerate before the growing season not after. Then remove the dead stuff in the fall.
What do you do in the summer if you just got the house??
@@leospaceman2976 depends on what the problem is.
I got 17 years experience I agree 💯
I dethatch and areate every fall. Hasnt failed to give me great results. Great video as always!
Being this guy’s neighbor would be a whole ass trip. Walking to get the paper this man is out here talking to the grass on Instagram live 😂😂 thanks for the info
If you are aerating your lawn be sure to water you lawn for 2-3 days prior to aerating to soften your soil so the aerator can do a better job. Also, run the aerator over your lawn north-south and then east-west at a minimum. The more holes you put in your soil the better. In case you have never used one, that aerator is a workout and will kick your ass, but your lawn will love it.
Dethatching, also, is great for your lawn. You do not need to get every bit of thatch out of your lawn. About 1/4" or so is what you want to keep. More than that should be removed. A SunJoe dethatcher is a very good tool to get that done. You will want to cut your lawn down to 2" or less so the dethatcher can get to the thatch. Leave the thatch on the lawn when using the dethatcher and then go back with a mower with a bagger attachment to pick up the thatch or just use a rake to collect it.
Hey Ben! Great advice! In the past though I've tried using the manual aeration tool shown in the video and had very bad results. I'd always have 1-2 good pulls and then one or both sides would get clogged and it was hell getting them out with a screwdriver. Lawn was watered as the aeration tool instructions said. Did you ever have this problem and find a remedy? I'm guessing it might be something to do with my soil type as well.
@@wushufanatic i have not used a manual aerator (as shown in the video), but I would guess the solution to be the same whether you use the manual or power aerator. Imagine dried, hard dirt versus muddy, sloppy soil. Which would go through the core aerator easier? Now picture your soil in between those extremes. I would guess that you need to water your lawn well for each of the 2-3 days prior to aerating and allow that watering to soak into the soil. I think you might have a different experience next time. Good luck!
@@benharrison1069 Really appreciate your reply Ben. I watered quite well when I aerated and tried it two separate times. Just couldn't get it to take up more than 1-2 plugs before getting lodged in there. I could tell they were wet as well when I spent 10-15 minutes dislodging them. A serious pain the ass to dislodge which is why I ended up returning it. Never did figure out the exact lawn but the time wasted to aeration benefit ratio was too far off for me to spend any more time on it! I've been using liquid aeration ever since and who knows if its doing much if anything but at least I can finish the process without issue. Thanks again and happy aerating!
Thanks for this. Very insightful. What do you mean by 1/4”? How do you measure it’s height? Like where to start and stop
I've never done either of these actions and the lawn has suffered, worse every year. I am now going to do both as soon as the weather improves in Upstate New York. Thank you so much for this information and great explanation!
Likewise. I live in Monroe, NY. Regards.
Kg told my story...except I'm not from ny
Here in WNY landscaping I can say this is the WORST year with how the grass has been super dead and now I know why a ton of the properties we do have that issue, I can now tell these owners if your worried about it you definitely need to dethatch
Any update?
I mowed the lawn first, aerated, scarified then overseeded. Lawn looks way better now even though its summer here in UK. Fitting a sprinkler system is next on the todo list
Sunjoe dethatcher is the best. The groundskeeper rake is an awesome dethatch rake.
Bought a new home. Dethatched, overseed and fertilized in spring. After that work I’m going to give it the summer to recover and plan on aeration, overseed and fertilize in the fall. Will repeat until the lawn gets where I want it. Warm season grass in central Florida.
I was a golf course superintendent for 35 years! I agree with almost everything! A couple of reasons for aeration is not only compacted soil but clay soils too! One thing I would recommend is to pick up the plugs not only for the potential of weed seeds but if the plugs do not completely break down, you'll have small lumps of soil in the yard!
One thing else would be a good idea to topdress the yard and fill in holes!
I, 100% agree with dethatching! It's best way to overseed!
Blessings to you and your family,
Kevin Barron
Hey Kevin, my lawn consists of a blend of KBG, Fescue, and Rye. Question: My current lawn has a big time thatch problem which I plan on dealing with in early Fall. In most places, I cannot see or feel soil and it's spongy in some areas. I'm having a hard time deciding whether I need to aerate or dethatch to correct the problem. Will aerating do the trick? Or my Sunjoe with the scarifier? I'm always hesitant to aerate because of bringing weed seeds to the surface. Thanks for any advice in advance!
@@joemarchand8313 I had the same problem with my yard when we moved in 20 years ago.
When the thatch is thick, it's a perfect breeding ground for insect and disease infestations.
A little thatch is OK maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch.
It depends on where you are living.
If you have cool season grass. Yes, early to mid September, I would de-thatch the yard, rake it up (or sweep it if you have one) then overseed!
The only time I would aeriate is if you have clay or heavily compacted soil! If you feel the need to aerify, do it after de-thatching and rake up the plugs.
I look after soccer fields. Approximately 8 acres. I dethatch before I cut the first time in spring. I also aerate about a week later in spring. I even aerate every 6 weeks during the playing season with consistent irrigation depending on weather.
Really like my Sun Joe dethatcher, it works great. Thanks for the review a few months back. Looking forward to using it then over seeding.
Thanks for assuaging my guilt for not having my lawn punched this fall but instead running the SunJoe across it. The new crop of TTTF is sprouting up (albeit a bit pale from the Tenacity) nicely and my back is not sore from wrestling the aerator this fall. FWIW, your comment about the dethatching rake couldn't be more true. Three hours of that kind of lawncare is not in my list of options.
I have the Greenworks detacher, and just detached today. Tomorrow I’m getting core aerated, then overseeding with Scott’s Thickr Lawn. I had great results last year with that product. I will pry alternate yearly between detaching and core aerating after this.
Bought that machine 2 yrs ago ....best 120 dollars i ever spent, love it !!!
@@vincentstivali1561 It is great!
I rented both units, I highly recommend both steps, it makes a huge difference. You may wish to find a stand-on aerator, it’ll take less time, and btw, fun to ride!
I just pay a local lawn care place to aerate. Same price as renting a unit. I’d buy one because it would eventually pay for itself but i don’t want to store it.
Just bought mine this week, tried it out last night. Awesome. 100 times easier than pushing a rental aerator and cheaper in the long run. ,,, th-cam.com/video/prX975KQjjc/w-d-xo.html
And ppl like you are great, you provide work for others ✊🤙 so long as you put in effort in relationships or something,, not just employment :_)
Do both and add your soil conditioners and fertilizer and water in deep. Great video to very simplified.
To the viewers this is only for established lawns. If you have compacted areas just stab the ground with pitchfork and overseed plus some lawn builder formula and you will get more out of mowing 2 times a week. Once your lawn is full you will have to Dethatch twice a year. Early spring than again in late spring to make sure all your grass is fluffed up and growing.
Why would you ever deny a living object food? Dethatching removes dead, organics that the grass needs to survive. Fake lawn products are just that, fake products that are manufactured in a lab. Would you feed your family lab grown meat?
Hey there Clint, tons of great information. At the end of of the day, they are YOUR opinions and I respect and appreciate them. Keep up the great work Kind Sir.
I think it’s a good idea to do both. Especially if you have a newer lawn or your early in the lawn care process, Dethatcher first, then aerate before you over seed
But if you dethatch second wouldn't you break up all those cores and be able to use them as like a top dressing?
@@Nathan-ho7vr Dethatch first, aerate second.
@@Nathan-ho7vr I agree with your theory, but the chunks would probably strain the dethatcher pretty bad. I have the same sun joe and its great but even grass will bog it down a bit.
Would the best sequence be: dethatch, rake and bag the thatch, aerate, fertilize, and seed?
@Jonathan Anonuevo That is EXACTLY how I do it.
Thank you! Just the information I needed! And I'll listen to a guy who lays around on his lawn!!
Man u have a really nice lawn. One of the nicest I've seen on A LOT of lawn channels. 👍 Good job
Twenty two years as a golf course manager I’ve done both. They both serve their purpose. Spiking is another form that gets irrigation down to the grass roots. Thatch is never good for a lawn. Avoid creating it by using a grass catcher on your mower. Core aeration is far more beneficial. Nice video 👏👏👍🏻
Well even if u do have the grass catcher, there would still be some grass clippings over time so I guess raking would just be ok for the spring
Clippings aren’t thatch
@@TH-camuser1aa
I was in the turf business for over twenty years. I know what I’m talking about, clippings turn into thatch when they dry up.
Trump took the vaccine yes, but it is one of the *BEST* ways to add to it.
Love your channel man. You are easily my favorite lawn channel to watch.
We do both. Detach, aerate, overseed and fertilize. Works wonders.
I do both every March. And then overseed and fertilize around the first of April and start my water cycles. It has worked well for me.
What kind of grass you have?
@@MrOwaisk Tall Fescue
Great video and information! Super jealous of your lawn lay downs! LOL Great lawn!!
I like using the blade reel instead of the rake. Also good way to help with overseeding.
Interesting. I will try with core plug lawn aerator. As Italian, I live not far from Venezia.. I also can say nice tshirt buddy
The man has a passion for his grass. Gotta respect that….
Our home we just moved into has never had anything done so I’m considering doing both in the upcoming weeks.
Same boat here. Just bought a house and moved into it and it's got at least 3/4" of thatch and I don't think it's ever been properly cared for
Wow, soooo much knowledge. Didn't know anything about that.
I think the same way you do. I feel yard should be Dethatch every year. Im all about aeration but with short cut turf. The units you rent do more damage then good. I want a billy goat so bad and i will do spike aeration through out the year. Maybe i will have one in a couple of years. I will be Dethatching and vert cutting. Planning on seeding and then sand leveling .
Watched this last year, since then the dethatching ead done that helped get rid of weed seed buried in the thatch
I live in Delaware and dethatched my approximately .6 acre yard last weekend. I ordered an aerator that will be delivered hopefully in a few days. Once I receive it I am going to aerate and then overseed my yard. Anyway, the reason I am posting this is to let people know that dethatching and then collecting the thatch is HARD WORK!!! I did this over the weekend but most of the work was on a Sunday and it was 87 degrees. I was raking up the thatch and luckily my neighbor saw me and came over and offered me her sweeper. That thing was a lifesaver. Moral of the story is if you have a decent sized yard a sweeper will really come in handy. There is no way I could have finished the job that day without it. In the end I had over 15 trash bags filled with thatch.
Just raked myself and wow lmao glad thats over time to aerate and then over seed and fertilize
After using a commercial dethatcher ( rented at Home Depot) I pick up all that thatch using my riding lawnmower with the bagger. Saves tons of raking.
Yeah some get it up with their lawnmower or leaf blower. It is a lot.
The thatch build-up on our 1-year-old sodded lawn is preventing water and nutrients from getting down into the soil. Our lawn care company pulled some plugs and we've got minimal to no root growth. Next week, I'll dethatch myself and my lawn care company will then aerate and overseed. It will look ugly for a few weeks, but it doesn't look very good now, so there's that.
I’ve lived in this home for over 10 years. I started to use Scott’s fertilizers in the spring of 2020 as recommended by Scott’s app. I’ve seen improvements but nothing was as impactful as dethatching and overseeding. I got a sunjoe and seeds from superseed store. I dethatched in mid Sept and as expected my grass went from green to yellow but the bounce back about 3-4 weeks later was incredible. The grass is fluffy and a deeper green. I highly recommend this. I ended up bagging 2 Home Depot yard trim bags (I own a townhouse) with nothing but dead stuff. Very impressive considering I don’t have big yards
What type of grass do you have?
@@giveme10feet tall fescue
When your grass goes from green to yellow, you have shocked it too much and killed it. Dethatching is not what made your grass come back, it was feeding it with chemicals.
Next time you think about feeding the lawn, simply go to the hardware store or your local farmer and get some top soil and cow manure. That is the absolute best food product you can ever put on your lawn, and you never need to worry about your personal health, nor the health of everything that is down stream of your house.
Both, but aeration is more important of the two. Regularly aerated soil will greatly reduce the need to dethatch.
The comment about the use of Scotts Fertilizer....these are homeowner grade fertilizers with little to no Phosphorous. Why is this important? Because P is very immobile and easily gets tied up in the soil. So with compacted soil, and the use of low/non-P fertilizer...well, the roots can no longer find any P and the lawn suffers.
So aerate, do a soil test, use agricultural grade fertilizers, and it'll be a home run.
I'm learning that lawn care is way too much work, for most of the places that I've lived, the lawns had more weeds than grass, but I would just mow it, and that was that. I recently moved into a house that has a Bermudagrass lawn in a gated community, so it has to look good. We hired a local guy to treat the lawn, but he hasn't been back since the first day, three months ago, now I'm making myself crazy trying to educate myself about what my lawn needs when I really just want to plant flowers and watch the hummingbirds and butterflies enjoy them.
3 things to a nice Bermuda lawn:
1. Mow mow mow. The more you mow the thicker it will grow.
2. Water it if you are able.
3. Feed it occasionally with nitrogen.
Great vid…and being from Wyoming , I like your cap 👍🏿
I have a Greenworks dethatcher. I’ll be using it in a few weeks.
“Work work work work work” 😂
Good video!
I’m not sure if I should get an aerator or dethatcher
I just bought the dethatcher, I can rent a aerator for $40 bucks and I have 2 neighbors who go in on it with me.:)
i would go dethatcher for sure.
My personal experience is that my WorkX dethatcher has lasted 3x longer than the SunJoe I originally purchased.
Sun joe is garbage,,,not good enough
Great video I'm a cool season lawn currently mowing lower each time this week and planning on dethatching aerating and overseeding this weekend
Just detached my front lawn 2200 sqft with a groundskeeper 2. Bag after bag after bag after bag of stuff. Man.
Gorgeous lawn... also nice low-key Jet's Pizza ad, now I'm hungry :D
Moved to a new house in May. I have booked an aerator rental from home Depot for next week. Just a little manual dethatching beforehand
Nice! Enjoy the process
I desperately need a good dethatching after our horrible fungal summer. Just gotta find a free weekend to do it. Skipping on the aerating this year too.
Jets pizza guy laying down solid lawn advice! Thanks dude
I did power raking yesterday (12pm-9pm). I did aeration and over-seed today (12pm-6pm).
This is on a 30,000 sq ft lawn… :/
I am sure tired.
Btw, I called many companies for power rake estimates, and they all gave me a bunch of excuses like they couldn’t do it… I had to take manners in my own hand. Thanks for the tips!
You're wasting your time....all of that detaching and aerification put into a homeowners lawn being mowed at 2inches is completely unnecessary. You're doing work that only high performance turf requires (golf course greens, tees and fairways). Growing grass is simple and should be kept that way. Control your fertilization program, irrigation, height of cut, unwanted weeds and/or leaf litter and you should have a quality stand of turf that'll look just as good as the idiots putting 10 hrs of dethatching and aierification practices in place. I'm telling ya....unless you are growing grass at under a half inch with daily mechanical and cultural abuse happening then all this extra work You're doing isn't necessary.
@@lntrlp4936 I would disagree! This summer caused a lot of damages. My lawn also had a lot debris build up over the years. The build up made it so difficult for the water to contact the soil… so yeah… enough said… I can go on if I wanted…
@@BobbyHerrright so much thatch blocks nutrients from getting into the soil. I heard the liquid dethatcher eats away the thatch. You have to read the reviews
You can get good results from either. Best seems to be both then feed, overseed and topdress.
To me just by name default the tines or rake are used to clean the debris from the upper thatch level and the scarify tool is removes the thatch.
I dethatch in the spring n recommend aerate in the fall to all my clients. It's what golf courses do and they always have the best grass lol
Aerate and detached in the spring. I'll dethatch next week before overseeding.
I Live in WA with cold weather grasses. Creeping bent grass is a major problem and dethatching is the only way to control it. Chemicals like Tenacity are illegal in my state, so dethatching and over-seeding after is the only method to stay on top of bent grass.
Can you see another type of grass for cool season grass
Brother thanks for the tip of detaching I need to do this.
Instead of a dethatching manual rake, use the Groundskeeper II rake. I bought one and it’s amazing!
B
Just ordered this on Amazon! I've heard great things about it
Cut pretty short, de-thatch, aerate, overseed, Humic DG, starter fert or triple 19, water-water and more water.Spend your time the next 2 weeks sharping your blades. Your going to need it.
How short do you recommend we cut?
Depends on what you have for grass and the weather. If you have healthy but thin turf and it's not 90 degrees out you can go pretty short, 1 1/2 to 2 ". It will come back fine, you get better soil contact and your going to be watering it anyway.
@@MrZipperhead16 We have a mix of tall fescue bluegrass primarily. It was the sod that was installed when the house was built.
@@dwkwb8 I overseeded the last weekend of Aug this year with tall fescue/kentucky in 90 degree heat. Bad timing on my part but, the established grass grew back fine as soon as I put water on it and helped the new seed germinate. I just kept it damp for a week and it did great. I never used humic dg before but i won't be without it now. Pricey but what it does for the soil is worth it.
I remember that time I core aerated my 5000 Sq ft lawn manually...
It's the closest to death I've ever been 😆
Getting kicked in the nuts hurts less....
Everyone should get their ass kicked by a walk behind core aerator! I did it ONCE. Lesson in humility and character building LOL! Holy hell words can't describe that beat down.
@@Robert-to1op Wait. What do you mean? My aeration is scheduled for 9/18. Should I be afraid?
@@teemplaya If someone else is doing it, no fear. But if you rented a walk behind core aerator and doing it yourself then yeah, take plenty of ibuprofen before and after LOL.
@@Robert-to1op got it!
honestly... when its $75 to rent the machine vs $90 to have it done..................... I made the easy decision.
I love your channel. I’ve learned so much. Can you talk about the different types of grass. Do you recommend different types in the shaded areas & the sunny areas.
All I need is a good looking lawn and I’d be happy
Aeration for sure on new lawns to help get established and dethatch as needed.
I detached my lawn 2 times once in March the other in early April did the job my yard looks great now
I was thinking of getting the Sunjoe, but unfortunately dethatching 12,000sq. Ft of lawn at the pace you were walking and with only about a 12” width of cut, it would take forever and a day to complete the job so I can over-seed the lawn. Good advice. Thanks.
I usually go way faster than what I went in this video. I was just doing it for visual purposes. It would take a bit of time but I would have no hesitation using it on 12k if you are ok with doing work and taking a little time
gonna take you a day to dethatch and a day to cleanup... with that much yard I would pay someone with professional equipment.
@@TripleAstyle1 just got quoted $800-1200 for that by professionals. Personally I think it’s a scam, I had my friend run calcs at his commercial landscaping business. Either way, get some beer and thatch away for a day! That’s what I’d do at least 😁
Do both but I think aeration is better for breaking up thatch and dethatching is actually better at getting all that debris off the lawn.
I aerate in the spring and dethatch and over-seed in the fall.
thanks for sharing...planning to buy both machines (aeration and dethatching) to bring my lawn up to speed...excellent video
Do you water every other day after scarifying, dethatching and fertilizing? Thanks!
@@RealWomenRealStories I just water like normal every few days
I wanted to dethatch then air8 and over seed I have that rpr from barenbrug I want the best result possible and thank you for another great video my friend!!!
Have you ever tried a liquid aerator treatment? Sounds too good to be true. Do they work? How do they work?
Great explanation on the benefits of aeration, Clint! 😁
Definitely a “charged” topic…I personally stick with liquid aeration year round (unless there are runoff and compaction issues) and dethatch as needed. I do agree that dethatching before overseeding will rough up the soil nicely
I still personally think even using the liquids that a good core aeration is great every few years
... does liquid aeration really work?!!...this is a genuine question, and not meant sarcastically... 🤔
=^..^= 🇺🇲
@@naturegirl7777 check out the Lawncology channel to hear about a study that was done to compare liquid to mechanical!
@@TheLawnMentor ...cool!...okay! I'm genuinely interested... I eat/sleep/drink all this stuff! 👩🌾💚🌿💐🌹🌻🐝🦋🐦
=^..^= 🇺🇲
@@naturegirl7777 Googling it:
Most experts agree that these products are not effective. The experts state that liquid lawn aerator products have not been proven to successfully break down dense soil to alleviate compaction.
I've looked closely at my lawn. Most of what looks bad is the dead grass as a part of grass lifecycle. I don't see much actual thatch like i did last year. It needs raking, which is a huge pain in the ass. The dethatcher does this process in 10% of the time. I bought an Earthwise dethatcher last year and removed 19+ bags of material. Had never done before on the lawn, though I only have been at here for 3 years now. It looked great after dethatching and overseeding, and I am way ahead of where I was last year. I am waiting for this last heat wave to pass prior to lowering HOC so i can dethatch. Maybe next year I will lower the HOC a little to do raking in early June, that is when I noticed the first grass blades turning brown and dying off. I have mulched the entire year until last week.
What is HOC? I am new at lawn care.
@@garybrewer1035 height of cut.
Great quick tips. The process never fails 👍🏽
...yes, I meant to make that comment in my original one... this was a great tutorial!
=^..^= 🇺🇲
Thank you for sharing, very informative especially for a dolt such as myself.
Sun Joe, it looks like your video is a couple years old now… I looked at the reviews on Amazon and they were all over the place. Reading reviews, I normally stick between the twos and fours… the negative feedback spoke of short battery life, gears locking up and the unit overheating, not meant for larger lawns.
Could it be the quality has gone down? If so… can you recommend any other brands?
Thanks!
what type of grass is in your video? thanks for the explanation of thatching and aerating.
Nice job, TLW. Very informative.
My sunjoe lasted three years. Motor started to smoke yesterday and died. I have just under 200 yards of grass. Used maybe 5 times.
No. You're not an idiot. If we have a brutal summer and I need a lot of renovation, I do core aeration. But a fairly mild summer like this one, my yard looks amazing, thick and green. No bare spots, no weeds. I always bag and I will definitly do dethatching in mid to late September, I may or may not overseed, depending on how it looks a week or two after dethatching. Nice work! You ever take a nap on your lawn? ;-)
Let’s get Jets❗️ lol. Great video. 👍🏼
Very nice presentation. Thanks for sharing.
aeration depends on factors like kids and pets and how much you are on your lawn compacting it. I aerate yearly and dethatch every few years. I do not get enough thatch build up to require it to be done yearly.
Can I get a Detroit style Super Special to go, please? Thanks, Clint!
Do both, especially before an overseeding.
Great Video! Seriously considering getting the sunjoe.
Totally agree. Got the SunJoe too and it did an awesome job. I had purchased a battery-operated Handyman dethatcher thinking that it would be ok. but it really was terrible and overheated in less than 3 minutes of continuous use. I'd like to know how the SunJoe cordless performs. I have a much worse-looking lawn that didn't have consistent coverage, I did a dethatch, scarifu and overseeded - hoping to get something more beautiful next year. \
Thank you for sharing
My lawn is old, the dirt was hard and we had moss, moles, and ants. I tried fertilizer, weed killer, over seeding, and grub killer, and nothing gave me any lasting results until we aerated it. Now it really needs to be dethatched but I don't know how I want to do it. My garage is already half full of stuff, a power washer, snow blower, lawn mower, wheelbarrow, rakes, shovels, gas cans, hoses and power cords, saws, hedge trimmers, an edger and a weed whacker, wtf am I gonna do with a dethatcher? I'm sure that's what keeping my lawn from good to great but I hate buying something else that's going to sit in my garage for most of the year.
Got my Sunjoe on the way!!
Thank you so much for this video!! My lawn is HORRIBLE!! I’ve been trying to dehatch my lawn “by hand” and I just can’t finish it. I will be buying one payday. (Also a new subscriber and I’ll be cruising your other videos 💕
Buy you a SunJoe Dethatcher
Watch the videos about the detacher by sun Joe and liquid thatcher and aerator. It's about the soil too. You have to treat it or test it.
I've rented the big gas operated aerators and detchathers, now maybe I was too aggressive with them, I don't mind hard work, but I done a lot of damage to my good grass when over seeding. I agree, the Sun Joe may be plastic, but it does a good job for a home owner. I used the detchatcer, run it over each direction. I take the bag off. Next I will scarifiy, then plant my tall fescue. I ordered my tall fescue from United Seed today. It's that time of year!
If I am not aerating this fall, is this the correct order with respect to overseeding?
1) mow lawn
2) dethatch lawn
3) apply seed
4) apply starter fert
5) apply Jonathan Greene Magical
Lastly, is spring the best time to do my annual soil test? (I figured this would reveal what products I’ll need for the season)
Thanks for your input 😊
Yup those steps look solid. Spring is a good time for soil test. Or you could really do it anytime but want to wait at least 6 weeks after previous fertilizer application
Good stuff, Clint!
Hey, Great video! But I have a question, does your manual Core aerator gets clogged alot? I am constantly clogging up every like 4 steps, any tips or suggestions?
I usually do mines after a nice rain storm. Aerator works alot easier.
Wash the tubers out after and before each use - i spray wd40 down each whilst it is stored in between. Water lawn the night before timing.
Great information on this one. I need to do this on a section of my lawn that is cold season turf. I'm not going to lie. The majority of my lawn is bermuda grass. I wish it was as green as the cold season turf that I planted.
Thatching works! But you have to not over do it, and do it when its cooler. And fertilize afterwards.
The Sun Joe dethatcher is clutch. Just fyi, don’t loan it out, etc., I think it pretty much tells you that it’s great to use, but minimally. Definitely not made for anything approaching commercial. Be prepared to rake; it has a bagger, but you’d spend more time emptying that damned thing.