It’s important to limit the thatch layer in your lawn. Thatch is the layer containing grass blades, stolons, rhizomes and organic matter that has not had a chance to decompose. Thatch laying between the soil and grass blades can play an important part of supporting a healthy lawn, akin to a layer of mulch. A small amount of thatch can moderate soil temperature and help retain moisture.
However, too much of anything is a bad thing. Once your lawn contains a thick layer of thatch, this can prevent water reaching the root system, and instead evaporating before the lawn benefits from it. Additionally the lawn may choke out oxygent from the lawn’s root system, resulting in no growth or potentially causing diseases.
Vertimowing is a mildly intrusive way of preventing thatch, in that it’s less aggressive than dethatching or typical lawn aeration and coring. We target the buildup of organic matter and clean up the sward, which prevents build up of thatch. Vertimowing may be sufficient for lawns that are newer or have not yet built up a major amount of thatch.
During vertimowing, we:
Thin out the grass canopy
Remove young weed seeds
Help prevent future uneven grass cover
Remove litter within the lawn canopy
Vertimowing usually remains about 2-3mm above the soil surface, minimising impact on the underlying soil, if that’s what your lawn needs.