Keeping your lawn in great condition involves a lot of different tasks for you to do, and these can eat into your precious time and drain your energy. As a result, we are all looking for the most efficient and effective ways to maintain our lawns.
If you are looking for help finding the best way to dethatch your lawn using a mower attachment, then this is the guide for you. We will be going into dethatching lawns and what steps you need to take – so let’s dive in!
How Do You Know If Your Lawn Needs Dethatching?
Before you even pull out and set up your lawn mower, you first need to decide whether or not your lawn even needs dethatching.
Dethatching is the process used to remove thick layers of organic material from your lawn. Thatches are precisely this – thick layers of organic material that form between the blades of your living grass, and the roots and soil beneath. They are created from dead grass blades, mulch, and other kinds of debris you will commonly find on your lawn.
When present in moderation, thatches are actually pretty useful as they help your soil preserve posture, temperature, and pH. It also helps to block out burrowing pests and provides your living grass with a steady supply of organic nutrients.
This is why it’s so important to check if your lawn needs dethatching – because a thatched lawn may actually be a healthier one.
However, a lawn can become too ‘thatched’ over time. This leads to other issues such as lawn diseases, a spongy feel underfoot, and the thatch itself becoming a barrier that deprives the roots of your grass of enough water, air, and nutrients for sustenance.
So, when you start to feel that spongy texture underneath your grass lawn, it’s a sign that it’s time to dethatch to keep your lawn healthy. Don’t dethatch before this time – otherwise, you could be causing more problems than you are solving!
How To Dethatch A Lawn With A Mower Attachment
Now you know for certain that your lawn needs thatching, it’s time to pull out your lawn mower and get started. Here are all the steps you need to take to successfully dethatch your lawn using a mower attachment.
Mow Your Lawn
A lawn with a lot of thatch can be very difficult to properly mow but unfortunately, mowing your lawn is the first step in the dethatching process.
This is because you need to keep your lawn at the correct grass height and by mowing your lawn first, the dethatching process later will be much easier because the grass will be a lot shorter. You should mow your lawn so the grass is half the height of what it was, and this will later allow you to dethatch your lawn just above the soil level.
So, without any additional attachments, take your lawn mower and give your lawn a trim (make sure you go right up to all the edges).
Attach Your Thatching Blade
The mower attachment which most people use for dethatching their lawns is the thatching blade. These need to be attached to your mower correctly but first, you need to remove your current cutting blades from your lawn mower.
Tilt your lawn mower towards the handle end, and prop it up using a sturdy object. Making sure that your lawn mower is disconnected from its power source, remove the cutting blades, and mark them so you know which side needs to be later fitted in facing downwards.
Then, take your thatching blades and fit them in place. Check which side is the grass side so you know which side needs to face downwards. Once the thatching blades are in place and the bolts are tightened, you can put your lawn mower back on the ground and give a little test to make sure the attachment works correctly.
You should see that the thatching blades will be pulling up the thatch of your lawn as it runs over it. You should also check to see what height your thatching blades are at so you can later adjust them if needed.
Dethatch Your Lawn
Now that your thatching blade is securely in place, it’s time to start detaching your lawn.
Make sure that the height of your thatching blades is slightly higher than what you would normally set your cutting blades at, and then start mowing your lawn once more. Instead of cutting grass, your mower will start raising the thatch out of your lawn.
Do this several times, mowing back and forth, until your lawn has been entirely dethatched.
Now, you need to collect all the thatch by using a rake and dispose of it accordingly. If you come across any missed patches, then you can either dethatch the patch using your rake or break out the lawn mower once more.
Give your lawn a little watering and some fertilizer as part of its aftercare, and then replace your thatching blades with the cutting blades on your lawn mower. Over time, your lawn will grow and come back to life.
Final Thoughts
Dethatching your lawn is a big job but luckily, you only really need to do it once a year. We also recommend that you dethatch your lawn in the spring so your grass can grow back quickly and healthily after dethatching.
Dethatching with a mower attachment is also one of the quickest and most effective ways to dethatch your lawn. There are other methods you can try, such as using a rake and dethatching your lawn patch by patch – but this method takes forever and is very physically draining.
So, if you want to quickly dethatch your lawn each year, it’s recommended that you get a thatching blade for your lawn mower. All you have to do to use them is to remove your regular cutting blades and replace them with your thatching blades – it’s super easy!
Just handle your blades with care and always make sure your lawn mower is powered down before touching them.
