Thatch

Thatch is also the build up of dead grass on a lawn. Severe thatch can kill a lawn. Dethatching a lawn can treat the symptoms, and may be necessary, at least to improve the appearance of your lawn. But to prevent the problem you need to aerate your lawn on a regular basis. Core aerifying, both prevents, and cures, thatch. I rather think that dethatching and power raking was "invented" by the lawn care industry. So instead of buying a dethatcher or hiring a lawn care company to dethatch your lawn; buy a core aerator, or even one of those two-hole manual core aerator's. The pluggers will penetrate any modest layer of thatch to allow nutrients, water and oxygen to reach the roots.

Note: do not buy a shoe-attached aerator they don't work.

Thatch (?), n. [OE. thak, AS. �xed;aec a roof; akin to �xed;eccean to cover, D. dak a roof, dekken to cover, G. dach a roof, decken 8cover, Icel. �xed;ak a roof, Sw. tak, Dan. tag, Lith. stogas, Ir. teagh a house, Gael. teach, tigh, W. ty, L. tegere to cover, toga a toga, Gr. , , a roof, to cover, Skr. sthag. Cf. Deck, Integument, Tile, Toga.]

1.

Straw, rushes, or the like, used for making or covering the roofs of buildings, or of stacks of hay or grain.

2. Bot.

A name in the West Indies for several kinds of palm, the leaves of which are used for thatching.

Thatch sparrow, the house sparrow. [Prov. Eng.]

 

© Webster 1913.

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Thatch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Thatched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Thatching.] [From Thatch, n.: cf. OE. thecchen, AS. eccean to cover.]

To cover with, or with a roof of, straw, reeds, or some similar substance; as, to thatch a roof, a stable, or a stack of grain.

 

© Webster 1913.