Taking Care Of Your Lawn With A Bluebird Dethatcher

Every lawn that is planted to grass needs regular care and maintenance. Depending on the type of grass your lawn is planted in, it will develop thatch in time.

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This thatch will need to be removed so the grass can remain healthy. Every time you mow the lawn you add to the thatch, unless you rake every time you mow.

It is easy to assume that the cuttings will all break down naturally, but they may not. After every winter when the new grass comes up through the dead grass from last year, more thatch builds up.

Though it takes time for thatch build up to become a problem, it will, and then you should purchase or rent a Bluebird dethatcher.


What is thatch? Thatch is the term used for the dead grass, weeds and other organic matter that builds up at the base of living grass. It forms an ever thickening mat that makes it harder for the living grass to stay healthy.

It blocks the absorption of water, air and sunlight and can cause patches of grass to die, leaving brown spots on the lawn. This mat or thatch can harbor insects and disease to further stress your lawn.

One way to get rid of thatch is to rent or purchase a dethatcher like the Bluebird dethatcher. A dethatcher is a machine that looks a little like a cross between a lawn mower and a rototiller.

It has blades and accessories that, used correctly, will cut through the thatch and lift it out of the lawn so it can be raked into bags and disposed of.

There are different pieces of lawn equipment that can take care of lawn thatch in different ways. There are thatching rakes, power rakes, aerators and different types of dethatchers.

It is important to read the owners' and operators' manuals to use these pieces of equipment correctly and safely. The blades need to be adjusted to the proper depth and accessories need to be attached and used correctly.

If you look at places like Home Depot and Lowe's you will find lawn dethatchers and other equipment made by companies like Classen, Ogden, Gothic and Bluejay.

Make sure the sales associate where you are purchasing or renting, a dethatcher is knowledgeable on the equipment and how it is used, and gives you good operating instructions as well as the operator's manuals.