Thatch is root DE-THATCHING is not an endangered Old English craft or skill pertaining to thatched huts. Just as power-raking is not another body-building technique of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s; although you may think it should be, before the task is done. Yes, those two catch phrases of the early spring season are simply the garden centre salesman's well-disguised terms for hard labor. But don't blame him, it is labor that must be done if we are to have that dream lawn that our good intentions promise us at the start of each year. Thatch is a layer of dead and living stems, roots, Jeaves and leaf cuttings that builds up between the green tops of your lawn and the soil below. Doesn't sound all that bad now Coes it? In fact, thatch is one of the primary causes of most of the problems’ you will encounter in your lawn; including our nastiest adversary, moss, Thatch will in- crease drought problems in the summer, drainage problems in the winter and pest problems year "round. Cos Thatch. will’ cause’ an - overall thinning of the lawn while it creates’. the perfect nursery for weed .sced and® moss spores. to . germinate: and: multiply. Even in-. sects..like-the leather: jacket. will find a happier, home in a bed of thatch.. Itis a particularly . ‘severe pro- blem - here, ‘in the. Pacific Nor-- thwest.:The amount of rain we get. ‘combined : with’ the’ nature of our * “soils create. conditions that-retard:: ‘th decompo tion of the materials. NIELSEN METAL FRAME 7 -Select either: “Brass or. Silver” in our‘most popular 7 - profile,’ Precision .mitrés. « custom cut by our expert ‘craftsmen: . ne ‘Other colours ‘also available from:$7.0 eee that form thatch. If you do not lime and aerate regularly, thatch will become a perennial problem. Other causes of thatch buildup over the garden gate Geoff Tobiasson include too much high nitrogen fertilizer and an abundance of overly. vigorous turf- grass cultivars. Either of these situations can cause excessive growth which when cut back increases the amount of thatch-building materials. One of the newer marketing gimmicks the lawnmower com- panies have come out with is the “mulching mower."' They are simply playing on our basic in- clinations to do as Jittle as possi- ble. The more junk you leave in the lawn, the worse the thatch problem will become. Much is said about letting the lawn grow longer during the hot summer months to protect the turf's sun-sensitive roots. In our climate, this is a rationalization for the couch potato who doesn’t want to water or mow the grass during the baseball/football season. Keeping the grass short by cutting regularly at lower mower settings will reduce thatch problems. So much for reducing the buildup, now how do we get rid of the stuff to start with. Well here we are again with the terms ‘‘de- thatching’’ and ‘‘power-raking"’. De-thatching should now be ob- vious and power-raking is the term given when mechanical assistance is used, It is possible to perform the task without the help of power equip- ment, In fact, if you are in need of a weight-loss program that in- cludes some masochistic exercises, this should do nicely. Simply pull a steel garden rake through the turf until you can’t get any more of the organic fluff out no matter which direction you rake in. It is possible to rent machines that will! do most of this back- breaking work for you. These power-rakes or Jawn-combs have rapidly rotating blades or tines that d Maximum size 24x36” or.60 united Inches. Oversize up to 32x40" maximum ‘available $7: 50 extra “GLASS & BACKING -Regular* 2mm ‘float glass. Heavy '. duty corrugated backing |. >. *.Non-glaze glass also available --.$15.00°- . ‘Oversize $20.00 EASY ‘TO ASSEMBLE "Top. quality material & Regis unique ‘easy-to-follow instruction sheet makes assembly a breeze or we assemble MOUNTING Vacuum mounted on heaw: weight millboard to stop those wrinkles you see on cheap framing job 21 - Friday, March 4, pull the fluff out for you. Check your local rental centre for rates and availability. These machines are in big demand at this time of year so plan to book one at least a week in advance. There is another little gizmo called a roto-rake bar which will fit on single-bladed, rotary mowers. You attach this to your mower in place of the cutting blade. The two springs that are included spin hori- zontally through the Brass ang tear out the thatch. Whichever method is used, be sure to work in two directions at tight angles to each other in order to assure the best results. Be careful with the power equipment if your lawn if uneven, or scalping might occur. If you have done a good job, your lawn will fook as though a battalion bivouacked on it over- night or perhaps a rock concert was held on it while you weren't looking. Don't be alarmed, the worse it looks now, the better it will look by summer. As for the mountainous amounts of fluff that seem to ap- pear from nowhere, you must now gather it all up and get rid of it. It can make excellent compost if there is not too much moss pres- ent, otherwise bag it up and get i¢ 1988 - North Shore News of many iawn problems to the dump. Now, aerate, apply some moss killer and dolomite lime, and feed it in about two weeks. If you take proper care of the lawn and have the right conditions you may not have to repeat this process for sev- cral years, otherwise cvery other year is recommended. Here are some other things to think about doing during March: 2 weeding flower, vegetable and shrub beds : ® finish pruning deciduous trees and shrubs, especially roses © begin pruning and = shaping evergreen hedges © feed your azaleas, rhododen- drons, camellias, holiy, pieris, blueberries, etc. with rhodo and azalea food * apply 6-8-6 to other shrubs and flower beds *start. tender flower vegetable seeds indoors © get peas and sweet peas in the ground early in the month e plant. gladiolus, dahlias and other summer-flowering bulbs © plant berry plants and bushes now ® plant “ thubarb, ‘and potatoes, © asparagus, garlic, chives and hardy. herbs * this is one of the best months to plant trees and shrubs. Tm, + for you; $10.00 small, oversize. . $1500. : gis. pICTURES & [RAMES _ NORTH VANCOUVER | 1425 MARINE DRIVE 984-8469 “(Next to Burger King Plaza) ~ WEST- VANCOUVER os "1432 MARINE DRIVE 922. 3513— ALL STORES OPEN SUNDAY / LATE OPENING FRIDAY “DOWNTOWN, “ KITSILANO. 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