Why verticut 419?

TarheelTurfGuy – posted 08 November 2004 11:18

I have noticed that my local golf club closes the fairways for a day or so once a year to verticut them. I have 419 for a lawn, same as on the golf course. Should I also verticut my lawn and if so why?

Thanks

turfie – posted 11 November 2004 09:15

Verticutting is a process to remove thatch, an accumulation of rhizomes, stolons, cut grass blades, and roots above the soil. Excessive thatch may accumulate on your lawn if it is subject to high nitrogen fertility and maintenance. If the thatch layer is more than about a half inch thick, you may benefit from verticutting. This will disrupt the turf and you will need to put some topdressing (sand mixture) down afterward if you decide to verticut. It can be very damaging if the blades are not set right. You may not want to attempt this yourself. Another approach to minimizing thatch is to topdress occasionally. This means spreading a light layer of sand or sand mixture over the grass and watering it in. The idea is that the microbes in the sand will get into the thatch layer and break it down. In my experience, fairways do not receive as much nitrogen as tees and greens and generally do not accumulate as much thatch. Here in FL we occasionally core aerify our fairways, but don’t usually verticut them.

TarheelTurfGuy – posted 12 November 2004 08:41

Thanks for the info. I control the amount of thatch I get by catching the clippings from time to time. Keep it mowed at 11/16ths throughout the summer and generally look for around 1/4 inch or less of thatch. As it composts down, I quit catching and leave the clippings on there.

So, long and the short is I guess I have no need for verticutting, and given your explaination of potential problems/damage I’m glad about that. Will just aireate in the spring as usual.

Thanks again for explaining this for me.