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Winter Kill Your Grass? You May Have Thatch On Your Lawn

23 February 2017

Jose Wheeler

If the snow clears away and you have yellow or brown patches all over your lawn, there could be thatch growing on the grass. The thatch, along with the problems winter itself can cause from snow and ice on the grass throughout the winter can result in these dead patchy areas. Below is some information about removing the thatch, as well as how to get your lawn looking healthy again.

Remove Thatch

Thatch is tightly woven and thick and lies on top of the soil within the grass blades. Look closely at your grass to see if you see a lot of thatch. If you do, then you must remove it. This is because the layer is so thick that water and fertilizer cannot reach the soil. It also blocks sunlight from reaching the grass. Thatch can be caused by over fertilizing your lawn or over watering it. It can also happen if you mow too high or your soil is heavy clay.

To remove the thatch, you can use a rake or you can purchase a de-thatcher at a local garden center. The grass itself is also likely dead. If so, use a shovel to remove the top layer of the grass until you see healthy soil.

Plant Grass Seeds

When you have removed the dead grass, you can plant grass seeds to fill in those areas. If you are not sure what type of grass you have, take a sample of healthy grass to the garden center and they will be able to tell the seed you should purchase.

If it is a small area you can simply spread the grass seed by hand evenly on the soil. If there are large areas, you can use a lawn spreader to make it easier for you. If the areas are very large there are mechanical spreaders available.

Do not disturb the areas where you planted grass seed until you see the grass growing. Consider putting a sign up or stake around the area to prevent someone from accidentally walking or driving over it. Once the grass is a few inches tall you can mow it. Keep the grass watered on a regular basis until it starts growing. A good way to do this is to use a sprinkler.

If you continue to have problems with your grass, contact a lawn care company to help you. They can plant the grass seeds, if you are not sure how to do this yourself. They can also give you many tips on how to keep your lawn healthy.

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