If you’re reading this, you’ve likely stumbled across one of our recent verticutting projects and you’re wondering… “What’s happening to that grass!?”. Well, we have that answer and it’s as awesome as you were hoping for!
So, what is verticutting? Essentially, the purpose of a verticut is to remove the “thatch layer” which develops over time in small to medium bladed turf grasses. What is a “thatch layer”? As the grass grows, the mature layer dies off. Since there really isn’t any place for it to go, it simply stays put. While a small amount of thatch is actually healthy, too much can cause your beautiful lawn to suffer from a lack of nutrients and even breed insects and disease.
This is where the verticut comes into play. Verticutting removes that thatch layer, allowing the grass to regenerate. Once it’s regenerated, which usually takes place over the course of a month, the grass can breath and absorb nutrients in which the thatch layer blocks out. This results in a much healthier, more attractive, and softer turf grass!
How does this all work? The process begins by mowing the grass a few times to achieve a very low cut. We achieve this with a few passes with a push mower and a reel mower. Once the grass is cut low enough, we bring in the verticutter. A few passes with the verticutter removes the thatch and gets the grass down as low as possible, while allowing it to regenerate. In between passes, our team rakes the grass, which completely removes the thatch. Once complete, we apply layers of nutrient enriched sand and soil and let the grass do its thing!
As an added bonus, verticutting will level out the grade as well, resulting in a much more even appearance with much less undulation. This is achieved with the aforementioned nutrient enriched sand and soil that is integral to the verticutting process. While there are other techniques for dethatching, they can often result in damage to the younger blades of grass, and will never yield the results that a true verticutting will.
Still not a believer? Keep an eye on this lawn over the next month or two and you’ll see the proof with your own eyes! We highly recommend adding this to your current lawn care program and if you’re interested in learning more, please feel free to reach out ANY TIME! A friendly and knowledgeable Coastal Lawn associate is available to answer any of your questions any time of the day. We can be reached at 561-203-0983 or by email at info@yourcoastalcares.com.