Most cool-season grasses are turf grasses such as perennial ryegrass, annual ryegrass, tall fescue, and bluegrass. [2] X Research source If you aren’t sure what type of grass you have, watch how it grows. If it mostly grows in the spring, then it’s likely a cool-season grass, whereas warm-season grasses put most of the energy into growing in the summer months.
If you cut your grass too short, it can cause it to dry out affect how well it recovers after you dethatch your lawn. Try not to cut it shorter than 1 inch (2. 5 cm). Mowing your lawn also helps expose the thatch so you can more easily see and remove it.
It may take several passes with the thatch rake to remove all of the thatch stuck to your grass. If you have a ton of thatch or you have a really large lawn, you can use a thatching machine, also known as a power rake, to pull up the thatch. You can rent them from your local home improvement or hardware store.
Some cities collect yard waste for composting! Check to see if your city has a program and find out what you need to do to donate.
All 3 ingredients are really important! The sand helps aerate the topsoil so it won’t clump up and choke out the grass beneath, and the compost provides steady nutrition to help the areas you topdress recover. You can find sand, topsoil, and compost at your local garden supply store or home improvement store.
Remove the grass from every low spot you plan to fill. Don’t worry, it’ll grow back within a few weeks. Even small divots will be easier to topdress if you remove the grass. Set the grass aside so you can replace it later.
Don’t worry about smoothing out the mixture yet. If you run out of the topdressing mix, just make some more!
If a low spot is still uneven, add more of the mixture so it’s level with the surrounding area.
Using the grass you removed from the sunken spots will look more natural than replacing them with sod or turf grass.
Be careful not to overdo it. If you add too much of the mix it could choke out your grass.
