A dethatcher rental, also called a thatcher or a power rake rental, is the perfect tool to use to pull unwanted moss, pine needle and thatch build up out of your lawn. If your lawn gets a lot mos moss, you may need to have it thatched every year. Most regular lawns only need to be thatched once every 3 to five years. The average cost of a dethatcher rental is $35 to $65 dollars per day. Thatching a lawn usually ends up being a lot more work then you plan on.
How to use a Dethatcher Rental?
Dethatcher rentals are fairly easy to use. After starting the engine, lower the blades to the desired settings. (This is right to the surface of the soil. Setting vary with use so I am not including a number.) You should start by going over the edges of the lawn. Be careful not to go over any heads. Then go back and forth length-wise until you cover the hole lawn. Be sure to overlap the base of the thatcher rental 3-6 inches on eash pass for the best results. Normally, you will want to go over the entire lawn twice, once top to bottom and once left to right. An alternatice is to overlap by 50% and go over the whole lawn once. Then rake up the thatch and dispose of it. My favorite type of rake to use is a 30” polythene rake, but any rake will do. The best dethater rentals for heavy duty moss are the green billey goat thatchers or billy goat power rakes. Another popular brand is a bluebird power rake, this work well for medium to light thatch. However, these bluebird machines tend to fall apart in only a few years, so if you have to rent a dethatcher that is a bluebird see that it is less then 3 years old. If you need help getting all of that thatch up, you should consider getting a garden cart,
How to prevent having to dethatch your lawn every year?
Here are some priceless tips I learned during the coarse of thatching and repairing 1000s of lawns. To prevent moss accumulation, thatch in the fall and then overseed with shade seed. Lawn with severe moss problems are typically pretty shady anyway. Using a shade seed that only requires 2-4 hours of sunlight in the winter is a good way to compete with the most. Another way if to add moss kiler down in the Fall. This inhibits winter time growth. A third way to prevent moss build up is to put down an organic soil amendment, like lime. This sweetens the soil, turning acidic soils into soils that are more basic. Since moss has a tendency to prefer acidic soils, this can help to get rid of your moss.