What is Lawn Thatch

Lawn thatch is what happens when living and dead stolons (runners) build up on top of your soil. As lawns continue to grow and regenerate new stolons, the old stolons will die off underneath the new growth. Over a period of time these dead stolons build up into a thicker mat.

You'll notice thatch build-up when your lawn feels soft and spongy underfoot. When you mow it, a heavily thatched lawn will always cut back into the brown thatch layer. This leaves an unsightly appearance after you mow your lawn. Instead of being green - your lawn looks brown. If you mow with a cylinder mower, your lawn will often be left with what appears to be ‘tram lines’ in the lawn. This is because the heavy weight of the cylinder mower sinks into the spongy thatch during mowing. Vertimowing removes all of this dead thatch layer and improves the feel and colour of your lawn.