Living in the Pacific Northwest means my .3-acre yard sees a lot of damp, gray weather and spring rain. While all that moisture is great for the surrounding forests, it makes my lawn an absolute paradise for moss.
For a long time, the only way I knew how to get rid of moss and dead grass was to vigorously drag a heavy metal rake across the lawn. But with all of the moss in my yard, I lasted about fifteen minutes before calling it quits. It was exhausting, back-breaking work, and it barely made a dent in the problem.
That’s when I discovered that my favorite yard tool brand makes a dethatcher/scarifier combo. This tool from Greenworks managed to completely clear my yard of moss in only 30 minutes. Plus, I also used it to scarify my entire lawn for reseeding!
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What Is a Dethatcher?
(Image credit: Future)
To understand why a dethatcher works so well, you have to understand how moss grows. Moss doesn’t have deep roots; instead, it forms a thick, spongy mat that weaves itself into the “thatch” (the layer of dead grass stems and roots sitting right on top of your soil).
A manual rake often just glides over the top of this spongy layer unless you use back-breaking force. A dethatcher, however, uses a spinning cylinder of metal tines to actually dig down and comb through the grass. Because moss and thatch are shallow, those rapidly spinning metal tines easily catch the spongy mats and yank them right out of the soil, while leaving your deeper-rooted, healthy grass completely intact.
Clearing My Yard Efficiently & Effectively
As my colleagues here at Gardening Know How are probably tired of hearing at this point, I absolutely swear by my Greenworks lawn tools. I have a lawn mower, leaf blower, and hedge trimmer from Greenworks already, so when I realized I needed a dethatcher, looking at Greenworks’ lineup was an absolute no-brainer. However, for a job as power-intensive as ripping up compacted moss and dead grass, I actually opted for their corded electric dethatcher and scarifier.
Greenworks 13 Amp 14-Inch Corded Dethatcher / Scarifier
This lightweight, corded dethatcher/scarifier effortlessly pulled up thick moss throughout my yard in only 30 minutes.
Using this tool feels exactly like pushing a lightweight lawn mower. I started in my front yard, simply walking in straight lines, and I was absolutely shocked by how much hidden debris it pulled up. It looked like it was snowing moss and dead grass!
I quickly moved to the back yard, which receives a lot more shade and had a much worse moss problem. The Greenworks dethatcher ripped through the spongy moss mats effortlessly. It completely takes the strain off your jointsrequiring a fraction of the effort of manual raking. I was able to clear both my front and back yards in just 30 minutes total. Clearing the debris out of the bag several times actually took longer than running the tool itself!
Using the Scarifier Attachment
(Image credit: JeanUrsula / Getty Images)
Getting rid of the moss was only half the battle. Because the moss had choked out so much of my healthy grass, I was inevitably left with bare patches and needed to overseed both yards. And you can’t just throw grass seed onto hard, compacted dirt and expect it to grow. The seeds need direct contact with loosened soil to actually germinate.
Here’s where this tool becomes a massive two-for-one value: before putting down a single grass seed, I swapped in the included scarifier attachment and ran the tool over my whole lawn again. While the dethatcher combed the surface, the scarifier actually broke up the hard surface crust and created the absolute perfect channels for my new grass seed to settle into and take root.
If you’re struggling with a spongy, moss-filled lawn, put down the manual rake like I did and get yourself a dethatcher.
Shop My Lawn Care Staples
As a new homeowner, I’ve learned a lot about what I realistically need for my lawn to thrive. Here are a few of my favorite products I’ve used to reseed and care for my grass.
Scotts
Mini Broadcast Spreader
Once you pull up all that moss and scarify the soil, overseeding is critical so new moss doesn’t immediately take over those bare patches again. This Scotts mini broadcast spreader is a game-changer for distributing grass seed evenly and efficiently across my lawn.
Scotts
Grass Seed Sun & Shade Mix
If moss is growing in your yard, there’s a very good chance that area receives a lot of shade. Don’t waste your money throwing standard sun-loving grass seed into those freshly cleared patches! This sun and shade mix is my favorite for reseeding my lawn.
Tell me
Smart Sprinkler Controller
This may sound extra, but I absolutely love my smart sprinkler controller. Getting as much rain as I do, it’s so much easier to ensure my lawn is well watered (and not overwatered) with a controller that actually uses weather data.
