Emerald Isle Turf Product Answers

Thatch Management

Ideal application timing for Thatch-X

What is the ideal application timing for Thatch-X?

Apply at 3 lbs per 1000 sq ft at the beginning of the growing season when soil temperatures are consistently above 40°F and daytime high temperatures are above 60°F. Apply when danger of freezing has passed. For best results, apply directly after aeration.

Control and reduce thatch

Problem: Excessive thatch causes a host of management and quality problems for the Superintendent. Not only does it make the surface of the green too soft, fertilizers and fungicides get tied up, and localized dry spots can be a constant problem. Worst of all, thatch results in shallow rooting, and shallow rooting makes the turf vulnerable to disease and stress.

Solution: Control thatch by following a Program of True Foliar Nutrition with seaplant extract in the late spring through the summer. Reduce thatch by using Thatch-X® and PanaSea Plus in conjunction with mechanical cultivation methods such as verticutting, Graden, and core aerification.

The accumulation of excess thatch is directly related to shoot growth. If you can control growth, you can control thatch. This is especially important if you are maintaining one of the newer varieties of bentgrass or one of the ultradwarf bermudas. To control growth, you need to control Nitrogen inputs—that’s best done by using a complete True Foliar nutrition program to provide the balanced nutrition essential for turf health. In a 2001 study conducted at The University of Arkansas by Dr. Mike Richardson, Crenshaw creeping bentgrass treated with the Emerald Isle True Foliar Nutrition Program had 40% less thatch accumulation than plots treated with conventional granular fertilizer regimes.

Because cool season shoot growth is naturally limited as daylight and temperatures decrease, Dr. Zach Reicher of Purdue University recommends that approximately 60% of the nitrogen fertility for turf be applied in fall and late fall. The nitrogen in fall and late fall applications will help develop roots and will build carbohydrate reserves. A lean fertility program for cool season turf built around his recommendation that would also limit thatch buildup could be structured as follows:

• One-third to one-half pound of nitrogen per 1,000 sf from SeaBlend in spring to aid recovery from core aerification
• 1.0 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sf through 10-12 True Foliar Nutrition Program applications May-September
• 2.0 lbs of nitrogen per 1,000 sf from SeaBlend in fall and late fall applications

For Superintendents who have inherited a thatch problem, some mechanical removal is necessary. Core aerification, verticutting, and the Graden process can all be very useful. Applying Thatch-X and PanaSea Plus with these cultivation methods provides beneficial microbial activity that will help reduce thatch beyond what is physically removed. Independent research at the University of Rhode Island documented the effectiveness of Thatch-X in reducing the thickness and density of the thatch layer.

• Apply Thatch-X at a rate of 3-5 lbs per 1,000 sf in conjunction with the Graden, verticutting, and/or aerification 1-3 times per year
• Apply PanaSea Plus at a rate of 2 oz per 1,000 sf monthly to accelerate beneficial microbial activity