Grasshorn
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Joined: Sun May 06, 2012 9:52 pm
Location: Wisconsin

To dethatch or not to dethatch?

As I mentioned in another post, I'm planning on overseeding my lawn sometime this year. I've read that you should first go over the lawn with a dethatcher, and then with an aerator, before spreading the seed. However I've also read that aerating is all you really need to do, and some people even say dethatching is bad for a lawn. So which is it?

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

I'm no lawn expert, but personally I would de-thatch before seeding. If there's a thatch layer, it will be harder for the seeds to get in contact with the soil and harder for them to sprout if they do. (The thatch would be acting like mulch, which we put down to prevent seeds from sprouting.)

Grasshorn
Newly Registered
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun May 06, 2012 9:52 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Actually now I have pretty much decided to wait until the fall to do the overseeding part, but I may just go ahead and dethatch this spring before I fertilize. Maybe if the fertilizer works well enough after a dethatching I won't bother overseeding. Except then I'll have to figure out what to do with the big bag of grass seed I bought last year for just that purpose. :?



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