What is Thatch?
Year after year your lawn goes through a process of growing and then becoming dormant. When your grass becomes dormant the top green layer, what we see as grass, actually dies and is left behind to decay. Sometimes the old dead grass top becomes intertwined with the new layer of grass and next season it happens all over again. Add some grass roots and twigs and sticks and we have thatch.
Removing Thatch
The process of removing thatch is an easy one but not without its negative effects. The basic steps to dethatching is to mow your lawn lower than usually and then pull a power rake, or push a vertical mower over your lawn. These machines will tear up the under layer of thatch up to the top so you will be able to remove and discard. Be prepared to patch or over seed some areas because the process of dethatching can be a bit strenuous on you yard. Never fear because your lawn will never look better after the process is complete.