Dethatching Our First Lawn - How To - Vlog Walk Through

[@williamnowacki]

Most properties a lot of companies will attach a dethatcher on their mowers and the benefit is they don't have to walk behind it as much. But I could tell this yard wasn't too big but still a good way to do the work and get it all cleaned up. Great job Brian

[@mattpeters232]

Love your channel and how honest, and humble you are about your experiences. Keep up the good work.

[@johnme7049]

WOW! That was COOL! I have never done de-thatching. I could not believe how much thach came out so quick. Great job. Thanks

[@Ryan44Hutch]

Hey Brian, long time lurker and fan of yours. I do government lawn care and landscaping out here in southern Nevada. We de-thatch fields/yards that are damaged and do so in the cooler months right before the temp starts to warm up when the grass is still dormant. De-thatching does a lot of damage to the field/yard and only really do it before we re-seed or overseed it and only once a year.This seemed to be a pretty healthy lawn, and de-thatching it could turn out to harm it the long run, I hope it doesn't. If the customer really wanted some kind of work done to this yard, I would have suggested aerating it, very healthy for the lawn, essentially no damage being done to it, as well as a lot less work on your end. Hope this provided some info and knowledge for ya. Good luck to you and keep grinding!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

ryan h good to know and thanks for the tips!! And thanks for being a long time lurker fan lol. The customer was insistent and yeah I also agree, generally speaking I convert 95% of these requests over to aerations, hence my stand on aerator. But this yard is growing nicely now about 3 weeks later. Thanks for watching!!

[@ApostleDoss]

I am so happy I found this channel! I am going to be starting my vetetan owned lawn service this year and wanted to get ideas and understanding of how much to charge to remain competitive in this market I will be deep diving on alot of your videos before I reach out with questions thanks videos so far are great! Take care much success in 2021!!!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Thanks for watching!

[@russclark1778]

See Brian like I said who needs college.. You just showed me a new way to make money!! Straight knowledge..."SWEET" love u man

[@GrassDaddy]

so THAT is how its supposed to go. when I rented one the throttle was broke so I had to run to keep up. almost died lol

[@James-uc2nd]

should have got that on video

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Grass Daddy now that's funny

[@mpblawncareservices]

Me too. I was using it on a hill and as I was going down to slope it was dragging me with it lol

[@jacksonjackson9474]

Not sure why I felt so much satisfaction and sensation from watching this video, but i enjoyed it. Teamwork, expertise and seemingly nice people. I am subscribed to the channel!

[@BrianDoesStuff873]

after seeing this video I am for sure doing my lawn, it's crazy how much grass came up

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

BrianLeeUSA73 Well now you have my experience to gain from! Good luck pal!

[@thatrealba]

Not all lawns need the service. And none need the service every year. Some of it depends on the type of grass, but in my area, every 5 years or so for a VERY established lawn. Studies show lawns benefit far more from yearly aeration.

[@G224u]

Hey brother...just for info...for better results you should cross thatch the lawn. You'd be amazed at the outcome. And that's one hell of a blower lol. Awesome job man!!!!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

J&M Lawn Care ty! It was a lot of grass as is. Didn't want to take out too much haha.

[@benheit7493]

Hi ya!! Just found your channel, great tips! I dont do a lawn service but I take care of five lawns for relatives...Some great tips and tricks I never have thought of before! Thanks!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Thanks for the support!

[@jamesbedell7261]

Hey Brian, love the video!!! You guys are animals!!! To rake the lawn l use a billy goat vacuum and or bagging mower to clean up all the clippings l find the vacuum is the best then the mower!!! Love the video!!!!

[@lawnkingslandscaping8328]

Just got a billy goat recently.....wonder if it would pick up that dead grass?

[@joshmorlock2915]

Me and my cousin are neighbors and we mow our lawns and sweep the extra grass up and put it to compost and spread it on our farm fields, the dethatching would get us even more to spread.

[@3Dsjk]

I love dethatching lol. I actually bought the attachments for my little Honda tiller and it works well. You use it more like a tiller, hitting small sections at a time, but it's less aggressive that a big power rake, and good for tight areas.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

+3Dsjk nice!!

[@ZacaryBenjaminn]

Hey man I own and operate a landscape lawncare company that's been around for 21 yrs now. That being said you do not want do dethatching in summer. It will stress the lawns way to much with the heat, especially if not on the correct setting.You want to do detatching when you aerate in the spring, And in the fall.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Yeah that's what I've learned! Thanks for the tips/suggestion! Will definitely be doing more next spring as an additional service offering.

[@kielhall2779]

what have you found to be the best way to clean that up.

[@1bad335ii]

What setting should the detach machine be set at ? How many inches off the ground

[@helpme8970]

Thanks man,keep up the good work and glad you actually help with pricing stuff out for beginners such as myself

[@Ram-vt3rm]

Wow! Who would have thought all that came out. Thanks for sharing.

[@praetorkambu]

That's a surprisingly huge amount of thatch from such a green, healthy looking lawn.

[@CRice-ln8lm]

You did the right thing putting the stout guy on that power rake. Those things can really jerk you around the yard!. Changing to the blowers was the smart move! Another trick for this and leaves is to use a backpack blower for the right hand and a handheld blower for the left. The left blower will contain the stuff on the right and make the job faster!

[@orangejuli07]

It's so hard to find a video of this actually being done. Like near impossible. Most people don't film the yard, just up close on the machine.. thank you for doing this right.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Mario C I hear you. Thanks for the feedback! Rock on

[@nathanburke6684]

i love how brian hearts all of his comments it shows that he cares about his fans so thats why i tch him best luck to you

[@tylorchaffey9990]

I'm literally loling right now because your the only comment I've seen so far that never got a heart.

[@tylorchaffey9990]

@Losttouchjs Nathan even called him Brian! By his name! If you look closely most people call him brain and they still get a heart lol.

[@tylorchaffey9990]

#Hearts4Nathan

[@tylorchaffey9990]

Brian there's some weeds growing over here you better come spread some love

[@paulhusky580bts]

Brian look up Dumpy bags they hold 1 cubic metre That how sand & ballast delivered to homes from builders merchants then find that all gardeners take the empty ones

[@PrevostKlaus]

Its amazing how much grass that came up. Great job

[@thatrealba]

Prevost Klaus it really wasn't that much, honestly.

[@snip3r416]

I know I could of probably Google it but it reminds me of Mulching Grass Pennsylvania person here the how it works you get your mower lower the whatever you’re on Push or drive lower the blades but not to Low but it just Mulchers up the grass rake it then put it in bags but awesome video New viewer here.

[@patrickcoyne2598]

I've done probably about 50 thatches this season. I only do it when the grass is dormant. The reason why is because when the grass is green, it seems to tear it up. You can easily make over $2000 in a day if you throw an aeration on top. I have done. Bought my self a thatcher and 2 aerators. What do you think on Thatching when the lawn is green?

[@kenboxx265]

I pick the thatch up with my bag on my zero turn. Works great!

[@theokranz]

How are you charging for dethatching? If you charge $15 per 1k sq ft for aeration should you shoot for the same for dethatching or bump that up to $20?

[@MsladyPearlz]

Outstanding machine

[@andydavis1508]

I have a landscape biz in Orlando fla , I try to collect all the way around the board cause that's how u make more money and love new checks , we do lawn maintenance plus we have a crew does nothing but mulch Sprinkers plants etc , I like your channel make that money brother , ground images landscape

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Andy Davis thx for the support!

[@kylefitzherbert9381]

We have a mower mounted one we use. Works pretty well and then we bag it afterwards. Always do our dethatching right after cleanups before we take the baggers off for the season.

[@keonicross8231]

I know this is old but how do you typically charge for this service? Just getting started and binge watching all you’re videos.

[@dextert8]

Great job man. I remember the first one I did I grossly underestimated the amount of debris lol

[@1bad335ii]

I got the same machine How many inches should you keep the dethatcher from the lawn ? I know you can adjust the front wheels ? And one more question. Should you cut the grass before using the detach ?

[@jellowpy9243]

Wow that was super satisfying to watch

[@mpblawncareservices]

Great video Brian! I love these videos. I use my John Deere X300 to suck up the dead grass afterwards. It's not a commercial machine but it does a great job. I bet your exmark could do it in half the time the Deere can lol

[@DieselMechanic30]

That’s what I was thinking- throw his power bagger on the Exmark and hammer down

[@jonrudy6824]

Its always astonishing on the amount of thatch that gets pulled out

[@MrZipperhead16]

Yes, do it when it's dry and use the bagger on the mower, won't put half it back that way. I thatch our buildings every 2 years and it makes grass grow like crazy. You've been warned.

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

Great video, Brian! I see a dump trailer in your near future.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

markthomasbuilder Stop tempting me mark! Lol.

[@roncarrell2560]

Or even a truck craft dump insert. I have one and put air shocks and airlift 5000 air springs to handle the loads.

[@brianvassar7990]

markthomasbuilder or a dump truck bed for his truck

[@hampton1715]

That muryama would kill my Redmax, I need one :). Thanks for another great video Brian!

[@vervi1jw1]

I use my push leaf blower to clean up after I thatch. 1.3 acres produces a mountain of thatch.

[@CutandCleanTV]

Why not suck it all up with the exmark that has the bagger?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Cut and Clean Lawn Care takes 20 minutes to put that thing on. Didn't want to do it for just one lawn haha

[@CutandCleanTV]

Brian's Lawn Maintenance gotcha

[@jeffj42085]

Cut and Clean Lawn Care 20 mins to put on if youre drunk that shoulda taken you 45 mins tops lol.. time wasted

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Jeff Johnson lol it was my first one. Time not wasted, it's called learning (:

[@mattrob15]

Brian's Lawn Maintenance 🤣👍👍great job Brian keep it up!

[@evank7444]

Love these vids. If you want more vid ideas, do in action vids of you and your team working, like dethatching and mowing.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

EDK Landscaping Hard to do that.. I like getting my hands dirty. I respect my guys too much to shove a camera in their face while they break their backs. You'll never see that happen with me. But I feel ya.

[@evank7444]

Ok. No problem.

[@jessebolton5581]

Hey your rider will pick it up then tarp it when your done vac the lawn looks awesome

[@Virtuewz]

Hi Brian, thanks for the video. I am contemplating investing a Stihl Yard Boss to offer aeration and dethatching. What, when, why do the dethatching, and what services are typically done simultaneously with the dethatching? Thank for you the inspiration !

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Usually Dethatching and Aeration, but I don’t do much Dethatching anymore

[@Virtuewz]

@@BriansLawnMaintenance are you more focused on the aeration and the coinciding services with that?

[@steveclarke5262]

Hi Brian what is dethatching? I'm new to this and have seen this before. Thanks

[@prreed34]

great vid!..may sound dumb but where do you take the bags afterwards? do you have a yd dumpster or take them to a local landfill?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

prreed34 This quantity you can take almost anywhere but to be honest, it wasn't that many so I just put them out infront of my moms place on her grass day pickup, ha

[@philbuilds116]

Empty pickup bed with tonneau cover is cheaper than a dump trailer. You should check out Home Depot's rental sales. Dethatchers really can't be beat up like a rental chain saw can. They sell them for cheap too. Find one with a Honda GX engine and bank.

[@myke_bota7590]

Hey Brian, couldn't you just have gone over the lawn with your zrt mower with the bagger to suck up the thatch with the mower blades turned off or on. I would have tried both scenarios. God bless!

[@swimbait1]

Nice job. Seems like if you did this in fall or spring you could follow up with an overseed and really make things look great. Thanks.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Swimbait1 Ya absolutely. Lots of guys do I've noticed.

[@AaronPennington1]

So what is dethatching and is it something I should be doing to my yard? I live in Alabama and have bermuda grass if that matters.

[@paulhusky580bts]

Leaf blower miles quicker than plastic rake i first tried 6yrs ago & found it was miles better using blower & when new gardener started told him try & HE FOUND IT WAS BETTER THAN RAKE AS GETS MORE THATCH UP STILL USE RAKE TO LOAD INTO Dumpy bags we got here in UK B

[@andy44646]

Hiya! Great video, just a question, do you work your price out per square metre? Or yard which ever you measure by. Many thanks love your videos only found your channel this week 👍🏁👌🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@DavidC1]

next time can you try bagging the thatch with the exmark see if that is quicker?

[@ryanhealy3409]

Did you ever use the dethaching attachment on your zero turn while bagging at same time or do you alway use the power rake?

[@aaronallred5499]

Wow that thing works good! Is dethatching basically to air out the lawn?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Aaron Allred To remove the dead grass, good time to oversees as well I would imagine.

[@thatrealba]

When true thatch gets too thick, it can choke out growth and lead to thinning. You don't need to do it often. Yearly aeration is where you get the biggest benefit of doing something extra.

[@caseydavis6935]

Curious if this is a service you are still offering now ? Also, why couldnt you have followed that dethatching with a fresh cut and bag and saved all of the raking and bagging ?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

We are back to offering it ever since we got the new MultiForce and the dethatching attachment.

[@gabemalcolm4429]

Great work!

[@JealousLawnCare]

Geez that's so much easier than doing by hand like I do every year...but then you miss the beloved workout. heh

[@valleygirl670]

dont miss the workout at all. this year borrowed the neighbors.

[@julian11able]

The first time I dethatched a super thick yard I ruined the yard. The machine will rattle horribly and clump up thatch on the underside. When that happens it tears the ground up. You can hear the noise on his first pass in video. RUN YHE MACHINE HIGH!

[@devinauen7745]

use your Zturn with a bagger to suck up the thatch makes the job move so much faster

[@richardspropertymaintenanc5807]

dam Brian you have to get one for the from of the Exmark and bagg it. but if you don't do much than this machine works great.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Richard's Property maintenance Ya I've never tried bagging with a Dethatching yet. I hate hooking up the bagger system, especially for just one. But I'm sure it would shave the raking / bagging time in half. Especially if you have multiple to do on a day. Does Exmark make a dethatcher? Just curious.

[@richardspropertymaintenanc5807]

Brian's Lawn Maintenance that I do not know i just kno there is JRCO that makes pretty good ones

[@tobiasschuermans4857]

you should do it horizontol en verticol. we do it so you sure you get all the moss out and the wild grass

[@themechanic4222]

My landscaper want $125 to do it but when I asked him what type a machine he was using he told me zero with rakes in front so I canceled I want it done like this method. Is the best

[@rxlo1062]

Excellent job 👍

[@Gmaguire04]

Hey Brian, I am the owner of 4G Services of N Florida Inc in Jacksonville Fl. Do you have experience with Floritam St. Augustine Grass? If so can you do a video on how to properly prep, and install the Floritam St Augustine ? Love your channel and thanks for everything!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

I don't sorry pal, we don't see that type up here.

[@adamisherwood7776]

Great video's! I was wondering how many square feet was this yard?

[@antoniomontgomery1349]

Wow I did this manually with a Thatching Rake... Next spring definitely renting me one

[@homescapegardenandlawnltd7448]

couple questions, Why do you 'blow' the thatch to bag? I was taught to use the lawn mower - probably about the same amount of time - is there a reason you 'blow' ? Does this help the thatch?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

+HomeScape Garden and Lawn Ltd I didn't want to attach my bagger system for just 1 lawn

[@robertswift6101]

i would be right behind that with the mower and bagger,seems faster that way,just suck it up as you go along

[@studiosdmv9214]

Quick question, you didn’t seed and fertilize after right ? Normally I see people aerate and put seed and starter then pit moss on top to cover it after

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

We didn’t no

[@mikeleroy2282]

Great video Thanks for the info

[@rpoteau201]

Save yourself time and rent a lawn vacuum with the dethatcher.

[@miguelp346]

Save yourself time and hire someone to do it...now if you want to save even more time..leave it like it is..😂

[@jake_of_the_jungle9840]

miguel p tbh best comment I’ve seen

[@matthewcriss29]

I like the way you blew the grass all over the operator 🤯

[@waynetec13]

I don't have my glasses on. What blower is that? Looks smallish and light, but has a ton of power.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Probably our Redmax 7500/8500's.

[@waynetec13]

@@BriansLawnMaintenance I've heard a lot of praise for Redmax gear. What makes Redmax so good?

[@caputo116]

Don't forget to add your labor in the pricing as well

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

caputo116 Ya good point

[@jaredjones2848]

Travelling time, gas, workers, labour, labour time

[@ericochoahernandez8133]

Hey im 23 living out here in new Hampshire worked for a commercial lawn care company for about 3 years and this is my first year working on my own under my own business its a good feeling but im womdering if you could give me some tips thanks bro

[@mclovin_it8872]

What is the purpose for detaching? I live in south Florida and nobody does this here. Is it more common up north.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

For removing excess thatch. More of a Midwest thing for sure

[@mccool24]

What is it actually doing? Is to Removing that brown grass that’s always underneath the grass blades?

[@thatrealba]

mccool24 sort-of, it also brings up some live growth. When thatch gets too thick it chokes out growth and leads to thinning.

[@christopherdwyer9649]

Hey man! Thanks for your advice and videos. How long did this job take you? I’ve got a bunch of aeration and dethatch about to come up. Also, can you give me an estimate for what you charge? I’m charging $25 per 1k sqft. Plus $15 per 1k for clean up. It’s better money than aeration, but more work.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

This took 3 hours. We don’t do much dethatching anymore sorry!

[@kielhall2779]

@@BriansLawnMaintenance any particular reason why you dont do dethatching's anymore

[@andresz6714]

@@kielhall2779 im guessing his pricing was off? I charge $100 per 1k sqft for a cross pattern dethatch wich includes debris removal as well

[@sgt_jr3232]

How efficient or inefficient would it be to use a mower with a bagger to remove all that thatch.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Joseph Renhack Not sure but logically I'm guessing to bag and dump on a dump trailer, much much more efficient

[@CalamariTasteGood]

lol I know the neighbors hated y'all when you was doing this 😂😂

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Great video, which redmax blower are you using

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

7500's!

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks. Maybe someday you'll habe 8500's

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

AndysLawnCare andOutdoorAdventures Very soon ;)

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

That's gonna be a video I won't miss!!!

[@lonesomeonrymean9216]

I’m a fan of the show. Had no idea you’re a local guy!!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Wixom/Novi MI :)

[@shanesterphelps3680]

would a echo shred and vac help load lawn bags

[@James-uc2nd]

good video and Dethatching

[@natethegreat-xf6rm]

Is it best to have it set to the highest it can go when dethatching?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

You want to pull a good amount out but not all of it. Every unit is going to be different!

[@zerocool212121]

its not always a must do for every yard but it can really turn around some sickly/struggling yards within a year. its a must have piece of equipment imo. there is still a bit of efficiency that can be done to speed things up raking/blowing will slow you down to much imo. if you got your efficiency sped up id be willing to bet with a 2man crew that shouldnt take more than 45min. i need to start charging more but we have to many low ballers that start @ $40 for that and do terrible work, so its hard to show people what it should cost for quality. id buy a ryan over my bluebird as it clumps the grass up more which slows down sucking it up but still way faster than rake/blowing. if you have a power broom that can also come in handy if you prefer that method.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Well said. I may invest in one in the future, make it part of our regular offering. But I wouldn't do this on a yard but every handful of years at best. Need to try the ultravac on something like this. I'm sure it'll double my productivity, like you mentioned.

[@medjoolmaker]

What type of grass is that? And where are you located? Thanks

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

MedjOOL Maker Detroit Metro, Novi Area. Kentucky blue grass up here mostly

[@tggoutdoor4876]

Great job....and profit

[@JahhMikeky]

can you tell me were i can buy one of dethatcher mower use?

[@rennnyyy]

Why are you blowing it back onto the yard instead of moving in the direction of the driveway?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

To rake it up

[@peterharper9703]

Really nice yard; I want one too😭

[@platinumlawnservice]

What are those cool pop up bins youre using?

[@platinumlawnservice]

NVM now that I watched the whole thing I see theyre paper bags? We don't have menards here so that kind of threw me off

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Ha :)

[@angelcaban2387]

Awsome channel

[@garinbaker_]

Wouldn't it have been more efficient to bring a TimeMaster and bag the thatched grass clippings?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

garin baker I have a bagger but I didn't want to hook it up for just one lawn. It didn't take very long anyway to take and bag.

[@jracevedo4915]

do you need to mark the sprinklers?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Yes!

[@GxxdGonzalo]

We should get the grass to the horses 🐴

[@melissablanchard6568]

Iamgonzalo , I wouldn't give it to any animals unless you're sure it hasn't had any chemicals like fertilizer or weed killer applied. that would be very harmful to your animals.

[@theveganoptimist2723]

Can that be done when you have an irrigation system (auto pop up sprinklers)?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

The Vegan Optimist This one had a sprinkler system yep

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Just mark the heads and stay 12" away from them.

[@theveganoptimist2723]

Brian's Lawn Maintenance Kool! And thanks for your rapid response. 😀

[@stevenvandensen967]

Actually what we do is we move the grass short as possible and be detached and then earache

[@4seasonslandscapingservice192]

How come you don't know that dethatching supposed to be done in early Spring, before growing season?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

4Season's Landscaping Good to know. Customer wanted it done now. But makes sense.