Donna asks…

Treating brown thatch?

I have what looks like brown thatch on my lawn. What is the best way to treat it and prevent it from spreading?

landscapeliving answers:

Thatch is not on your lawn. It is a layer of the old dead grass blades and other decomposing organic materials like dead bugs, leafs. If you have something on top of your lawn it is more than likely a fungi like rust spot or a mold. Sounds like your in a warm climate. Have your local lawn service company come out and have a look. They will do this at no charge but will try to sell you applications. The other alternative is the county extension agent.

Paul asks…

i have problems with brown spots of dead grass appearing in my lawnthey appear like thatch what is causing it.

these spots appear randomly.apart from these small areas the rest of the lawn is in very good condition.

landscapeliving answers:

Dog urine is a possibility. It could also be a fungus if You've been watering late in the day.

Nancy asks…

my lawn is a mess?

i use a well known lawn treatment company, they came and applied there treatment 3 weeks ago and the apperance is worse than ever. waiting for the company to come and have a look at the lawn but i have no faith in them. the lawn looks worn,patchy and different shades of brown and green. there sems to be alot of thatch to. what can you good people on here suggest?

i can then compare what they say to the answers i get of here to see if there trying to just take my money and run

landscapeliving answers:

If you have a dog or a cat that urinates in the yard then your just wasting your money, pet urine destroys yards. Depending on the type and size of yard you have, I would rip out all of the old grass and reseed it. Go to your local nursery or hardware store with a nursery in it and they should be able to give you some free advice as well.

Mark asks…

lawn maintence question?

I am not realy knowledgeable when it comes to making my lawn look good. My husband hates yard work so it seems like it is up to me...We used to have a beautiful lawn and slowly each yr, its looking worse and worse..This yr there is a lot of white, dead looking grass that is on the ground with new green grass on top of that. It looks bare this yr compared to last. Is thatching the process when you remove the dead underlyi;ng grass??? How do you do it? I probably need to aerate also? Which order should I do things in for maximum results i.e. weed and feed, aerate, thatch.. ect.. and is there anything else? Thanks so much for your advice. I am not looking for a show winning yard, I just don't want to lose what i have......

landscapeliving answers:

I had a similar problem 3 years ago when I bought a duplex, so I know your pain.

Before you go nuts and buy a bunch of stuff, you MUST identify the cause of your lawn's downturn!

Check for bug infestation, dog urination, lack of water, cutting the grass too short, etc. Where to begin largely depends on what you find as the cause.

Provided it's not infestation or lawn disease, here's what I'd recommend.

First, dethatch your lawn. If your lawn is big (ie takes longer than 30 minutes to cut), rent a dethatcher. There's two types - one that you pull behind your lawnmower (big lawns) or one you push around (smaller lawns). If you just have a couple of thick patches here or there, use a rake to dethatch.

Important: thatch is not necessarily a bad thing. Your lawn should have some thatch as it seal in some moisture. If you have too much thatch, it'll prevent water from coming in.

Second, wait and see whether your lawn recovers. You'll know within a couple of days whether further work is needed. If it turns green quickly, it's your choice whether you want to continue. If it doesn't - continue on.

Third, get your soil tested. Take 6-8 samples from all over and mix it up. You can attain a kit from a local gardener retailer. You should get a result back within a week. It'll tell you what's recommended to get your soil best suited for grass. Add the appropriate fertilizer in order to get it up to snuff. The cost varies, but my local extension charged me $35.

Next, water your lawn.

If these steps don't green up your lawn, I then would aerate (rental item), reseed, and water again. Do this in this order and I guarantee an upturn of any lawn. This is a proven plan that works. Just don't do them all at once and you'll save yourself a ton of work.

Mandy asks…

Push (reel) mower and grass clippings?

I use self-propelled mower. It cuts the grass into tiny pieces that fall back to the yard and decompose quickly, letting the nutruition back to the yard and redcue the needs for fertilizer.

Push (reel) mower is environmental friendly becasue it doesn't produce air and noise pollution. However, it doesn't cut the grass to pieces like the gas lawn-mower. Will it cause thatch problem if the grass left in the lawn?
This question really originated from a dicussion in the environment forum where people are asking how "green" a reel mower is. I am not planning to replace mine.

landscapeliving answers:

Thatch isn't cause by clippings, it is formed by a layer of dead roots and stems in an unhealthy lawn. The real mower should do just fine, as long as you don't wait until the grass is 6 inches high to mow it. I used one on my old lawn for several years and never had issues. I'd still use one, but I'm not about to try to mow an acre of grass with a push mower.

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