Tow Behind Dethatcher

castlebb – posted 08 February 2002 14:59

How well do the tow behind dethatchers work. Here is the kind I am considering buying:

http://www.brinly.com/products/dethatcher/dethatcher40.htm

I live in the FL panhandle and have centipede grass with a lot almost an acre big.

wdrake – posted 08 February 2002 16:12

What you are describing is more of a power rake (to loosen surface and slightly below surface debris) than a thatch removal machine. Check out UF recommendation on thatch control in Florida lawns at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LH029

Bill DrakeNiceville FL

seed – posted 08 February 2002 19:05

I’m even more skeptical than Bill. Verticutting is extremely power intensive. With no apparent source of power other than forward motion, I expect these tines to do little more than rake leaves. Verticutters, and even the less effective power rakes, rotate blades much faster than ground speed.

Phil

castlebb – posted 11 February 2002 13:42

Thanks for the replies. I too am skeptical about how well those things work just from looking at them in Home Depot.

Let me describe my situation the way I should have the first time. This spring will be my lawn’s 3rd full spring. Last year I had a severe problem with Spittle Bugs. I read in the Florida Lawn Handbook that they thrive in areas with a lot of thatch. As I have yet to aerate or dethatch my lawn I jumped to the conclusion that maybe thatch was beginning to be a problem for me.

My real question is, as a first-time “lawn owner”, what do you think I should do this year…aerate or dethatch? Also, which one will I need to do more often? Since I have a big lawn and I plan to live here a while, I would like to buy whatever equipment I need instead of renting every year. At the same time, I am on a budget. That’s why I was looking at the tow-behind dethatcher…they are inexpensive.

I would also appreciate your opinion on these type of aeraters:

http://www.brinly.com/products/aerator/aeratorplug48.htm

Thanks,Bruce Castleberry

Bill (SC) – posted 12 February 2002 05:45

Bruce, The Brinly aerator looks very similar to the 40″ Agrifab I bought at Lowe’s. It’s a nice design, easy to use. I got a soil test, core aerated and spread 60 lbs lime/1000 sq. ft. as recommended last Fall. I already see a big improvement.

wdrake – posted 12 February 2002 16:23

Bruce;The objective of aeration is to drill/cut holes in the lawn and deposit (the removed) soil on the surface. The only units I’ve used have been rented core aerators. About the size of a large walk behind lawn mower or mall roto tiller. Operation difficulty is some where between the two also. Aerators that merely punch holes actually compact the soil around the holes and probably do as much damage as good. Some pull behind units; assuming you move along at a brisk pace, punch holes and drag soil to the surface. They are probably OK, but not as good as the heavy-duty rental unit. Cost to rent for the day was around $70. Believe me you can probably aerate a couple of acres in a day. With regard to your Centipedegrass, it is hard to imagine that thatch would build up after 2 years to be the cause of your spittle bug problem. Check the Florida Lawn Handbook for help in identifying a thatch issue. If you’re still convinced that thatch is a contributor I’d suggest you cut a couple of small sample (6 or 8 inch cubes) of high thatch areas and take to Larry Williams or one of the Master Gardeners at the County Extension Agent’s office on Old Bethel road there in Crestview and see what they say about it. Okaloosa County Extension OfficeWeb Site is: http://okaloosa.ifas.ufl.edu/

Bill DrakeNiceville FL

castlebb – posted 15 February 2002 07:37

Thanks for the advice. In particular, thanks for the tip about the aeraters that only punch holes in the ground and don’t bring the soil to the surface. If I do decide to buy one of the tow-behind models, I will talk to the folks at Home Depot and see if I can return it if it doesn’t work well.

Kerry – posted 15 November 2004 15:44

I had the same question about a pull behind dethatcher. I live in Houston and have St. Augustine grass. I have one acre. I bought a small pull behind aerator from HD last year and it was a piece of crapola. It was too small to fit enough blocks on top to make the tines sink into the dirt. I am seriously thinking about buying one of the talked about dethatchers and either a bagger for my john deere L120 or the sweeper. If it takes a few passes to get the thatch up that is fine with me since it is not a frequent chore. Thanks.

ted – posted 27 November 2004 12:52

you’re talking about a tremendous about of work to dethatch and cleanup st. aug. in houston, and there’s alot of research as to whether or not it’s harmful to the stolons. anything you would be buying as a homeowner at the hardware store would not be a good investment, and the pro stuff is very high. try brookside sales on the north fwy. in spring. also,you’ve really got a acre of grass? in houston???

mikemaas00 – posted 17 December 2004 11:07

For area specific advice, go to www.lesco.com and type in your zip code in the upper right hand box. This will give you a list of stores in your area. Give them a call…they can tell you price-specific options for your situation.

Nosmo – posted 29 March 2005 20:07

I would recommend a pull behind sweeper rather than a bagger . My experience with the baggers is many replacements of the blade bearings. Those baggers require a lot of pressure on the blade bearings to lift the grass into the tube and on to the bagger.Got my first sweeper this year and it is just great.

chase – posted 14 December 2005 21:05

What is the best pull behind sweeper and leaf pick up machine, thanks Chase P.S. Also who makes one of the best pull behind or three point hitches. Remember you either make dust or eat dust!!!!!!!!!

LarryFagel – posted 20 March 2006 08:23

Bill Drake,I’ve seen your name on several forums dealing with lawns. You seem to be knowledgeable, so I’d like to ask you some questions about dethatching. I am not a member of any of those forums, so I’m unaware of the procedures, but if you could respond via email, it’s fagel@comcast.net

Hope you respond.

Larry

chococat – posted 20 March 2006 11:11

just googled and found this forum.re: dethatching:i usually haunt the mastercomposter site, but we have been trying to get our lawn in shape for spring… we just moved into our first house last year and we didn’t know a thing about lawns, and now we are paying…we are in raleigh, NC and pretty much all the real grass sizzled and died. the lawn got taken over by weeds and the bermuda grass has moved in. we just ordered and used the Mantis dethatcher attachment, and it worked great for dethatching- we have the Mantis Tiller, and last fall we tried using the dethatching rake, and discovered that is only practical if you have about 25 square feet of lawn, otherwise, hello blisters! just thought this might help. we definitely think the mantis attachment does GREAT! if anyone has a tiller, think about getting the dethatcher, it is pretty darn easy to use once you get it started (my husband usually starts it for me, because i’m a puny girl).

l8trs~kat