DIY Thatch Digester Recipe vs N-Ext D-Thatch & Lawn Star: Compost Starters For Your Lawn!

I've been battling thatch in my lawn for over a year and I've made significant strides in decreasing my thatch layer using primarily over-the-counter liquid thatch remedies from both the biological and bio-stimulant categories. I've also utilized core aeration and electric dethatchers (scarifiers) to bring about a better aerobic environment for thatch decomposition.
In this video however I'm putting together a DIY liquid thatch remedy based on my knowledge of how compost piles work and the ingredient lists from two popular thatch dethatching products, Lawn Star's Liquid Dethatcher and N-Ext's D-Thatch product.
Basically I hand mixed molasses, yeast, humic acids, NPK infused aquarium water (substitute ammonia if you need to), and cytogro (to access the cytokinins found in sea kelp extracts). I also advised mixing in soluble mycorrhizal fungi as an optional ingredient used to form more substantial grass root systems through the complex entanglement of mycorrhizal colonization in and around the root zone of the plant.
I suggest seeing the following articles on my website for product links and to learn more about the DIY thatch digesting recipe I followed in this video.
► How To Make Your Own Liquid Thatch Remover ◄
turfmechanic.c...
► A Comparison Of The Best Liquid Thatch Removers For Sale ◄
turfmechanic.c...
► How Is Thatch Used In A Traditional Compost Pile ◄
turfmechanic.c...
For brevity, the important parts of the thatch digesting process are the purchase of yeast and molasses from your local supermarket and the inclusion of a mild fertilizer. I used fish tank water but ammonia or urea can work too.
► I frequently advise my audience to add CytoGro to their lawn care regimen for a variety of reasons. It's an excellent product. You can price it out through this affiliate link right here: turfmech.link/...
► To learn more about natural lawn care fertilizers make sure to see this video: • How Organic Lawn Care ...
► See this playlist for my entire thatch removal playlist: • What Is Thatch In The ...
Here are a couple more videos that should help you understand a bit more. I consider this fundamental or foundational knowledge that any lawn care enthusiast should understand:
► What Humic Acids Are & Why They Matter: • Benefits of Humic Acid...
► What Seaweed Extract, Sea Kelp, & Cytokinins Do For Lawns: • Seaweed & Sea Kelp Ext...
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[@TurfMechanic]

►►► Want to fix your lawn for the long haul but don't know where to start? I can help! Click here right now and get started today: turfmech.link/dont-know-where-to-start ◄◄◄

[@lastcastproduction4030]

Now you talking sir! Organic vege gardeners are actually eons ahead of us lawn care nuts wont you agree?? 😆 its all about the soil, at the end of the day grass is a plant.

[@LouSassle]

Have you heard of Lawn Force 5?? It claims to have fertilizer, aerator, dethatcher, humic & fulvic acid, kelp Seaweed, and mycorrhizae all in 1 product. I've been using it and didnt know what all the things in it were until I watched your video :) They dont list the ingredients so I'm not sure if the application rate is comparable to the individual products or if it's just a spritz of everything.

[@seanrice7511]

Got a 400 gallon pond that I can use as my water source from now on. And bonus when I backwash the filter, I am going to make sure to save some of that water for a nice rich mix for the lawn. Thanks for the ideas!

[@TurfMechanic]

That's what I'm talking about! Fish tank water / pond water, it's probably similar! 😁

[@raydavison2972]

You slipped up on your Humic acid ratio calcs. In the D-Thatch there is 4% Humic acid (That's 4% of pure Humic acid). In your mix Ii think you used a 4% mix of Humic 12 in your home made brew. Because Humic12 is already a diluted 12% mix of acid and water, you only have a 0.48% concentration of Humic acid in your DIY mix, not the 4% you are aiming for. You need to do the calcs again whilst also accounting for the significant additional water you will be introducing from the Humic12 when used in the greater volume necessary to achieve a 4% overall dilution.

[@TheDylan6908]

Brian, can either urea or ammonium sulfate be substituted for the ammonia? Ammonia has gotten crazy expensive in the last couple of years.

[@Taydrum]

you should use kelp extract instead of the cytokinens. In addition to being a more sustainable option, It also has complex sugars, enzymes, natural wetting agents, and micronutrients that all contribute to faster microbe growth

[@chrisyoung8062]

I don't understand what the yeast contributes, especially the type you're using which is bread yeast. Yeast feeds on simple, short chain sugars. I've studied yeast and its life cycle because I'm a home brewer. Yeast can't break down thatch. In addition the yeast will use up some of the molasses that you're putting down, which I thought was intended to feed the microorganisms in the soil? Maybe some other sort of fungus (yeast is a fungus you know) can break down thatch but not yeast as far as I know.

[@TurfMechanic]

Yeast is frequently used as a compost starter which is kind of what we're trying to accomplish, the composting of the thatch material. There may be a better yeast to use which I have never researched so it might be something I dive into before long.

[@jrivet5108]

i can't find humic anywhere in canada I'm either not looking at the right spots or ir's banned like most of lawn products. If i just do the recipe without the humic will it help with breaking down the thatch. And you seem like a really knowledgeable dude. what is humic is there an other product that does the same but is branded differently?

[@TurfMechanic]

Definitely do the recipe without the humic, a year ago I had no idea how hard it was for Canadians to get these lawn products. Stinks. Humic isn't needed for the recipe to work...its purpose however is the addition of a carbon component for building up soil biology, as an alternative you could use well aged compost tea, or biochar both of which you could make if you wanted to.

[@MikeBee77]

Awesome video, just got Yeast, didn’t know how this could add up benefits to the mix. I have liquid fish fertilizer, which I may add a little bit to mimic the fish water, not sure if the same, but….. thanks for sharing, great video!!!

[@TurfMechanic]

I always find it fun putting all the ingredients together manually, thanks for watching and I hope it goes well for you!

[@WisconsinEric]

Big Yes on the fish fertilizer. I used it on the lawn last year with Great results.

[@bigV2069]

That’s great video! maybe you can make a video on making liquid aeration products

[@TurfMechanic]

Good idea, I'll put that one on the bucket list. Diy applications are something lots of people look for so im sure it would be a welcomed topic.

[@TheDylan6908]

@@TurfMechanic yes please

[@webeducation]

Whew! Had to double check and make sure I was subscribed. Great information, thank you 👍

[@TurfMechanic]

Glad you found it valuable! I had a bit of fun with the kids putting this together and learned a few things myself along the way 😃

[@50hellkat2]

molasses and rodents can be an issue.

[@rodgersandrodgers8191]

You read my mind. I was wondering if you could make your own liquid dethatcher. And, since I live in Nevada I do believe I can get the Next product. If you need to or want it, just let me know and I can have a bottle of the Next product sent to you. As a matter of fact, I know I can get the product because I just ordered it by the gallon from Amazon. It was slightly more expensive than you report but I felt it was worth it.

[@velcroman11]

There is a problem here. I agree with what you say. BUT, we suffer badly from fungus and we spray a fungus poison every month. So, we can not use liquid dethatch because we would kill off all the goodies in the liquid thatch. We have a 2 x 1 x 1 compost bin. In all the years that we have had it, I have never been able to over fill it. Bless those hungry little worms. You don’t need a compost starter, ever! It’s like buying a bottle of air, pointless.

[@murtaghslawncare.]

Great presentation and for someone just into lawn care I am convinced that natures way is the only way to go. We must work with the soil biology and stop killing it. You should manufacture a full range of natural fertilisers so we can dump the chemicals. Question: I came across a soft lawn today, I don’t think it’s thatch but it’s as if the very soil is soft underfoot. Any ideas?? Water isn’t the problem either…

[@mattfrekwentflier8342]

I was already putting down molasses and humic/fulvic, but never thought to use yeast. You may want to checkout kelp4less for powdered humic/fulvic and seaweed.

[@TurfMechanic]

You can bet I'll take a look! I just wish I could try everything out, the lawn can only take so many inputs 🤣

[@mattfrekwentflier8342]

@@TurfMechanic K4L is cheaper than buying liquids, and of course cheaper to ship. However sometimes I regret getting them. The Humic/Fulvic blend doesn't dissolve very well, so it sometimes clogs my sprayer. I have to mix it in very hot water and use a strainer when pouring it into the sprayer. I sometimes wish I had just paid the extra for the liquids. But if you're willing to mess with that, you cannot beat the price. I think the Humic/Fulvic would work better in an Ortho hose end sprayer. It should clog that up if you cut off the filter.

[@creatingmind4910]

Kelp4less doesn't seem cheaper than other options? I just checked them out and it still seems pricey

[@TheDylan6908]

Brian, would it be possible to mix up a season's worth of homemade dethatcher at the beginning of lawn season or would it lose its digesting properties over time??

[@chrisweidmaier3619]

I wouldnt have thought of doing it myself but now you have me wondering!

[@alanbickford175]

Great video Brain. How could this be broken down making a super concentrate to apply to a hose-end sprayer that would cover 3000 sq feet per fill. I guess I could use 3 cups of ammonia, 9 teaspoons of yeast, and 6 tablespoons of syrup? More or less, too much or wont work?

[@chrisyoung8062]

The ammonia will certainly kill the yeast in a concentrated form.

[@RisingTidesAtlas]

do you have any side-by-side plots for testing these?

[@TJintheVI]

My brain is about to explode now

[@TurfMechanic]

Lol, that actually made me laugh 😅 I may experiment with this more in the future by upping the concentrations, time will tell.

[@JBSwanstrom]

This is great we have a ton of yeast to use up. Covid buying spree! Just wondering if I could make a large batch and store it?

[@K-Zone]

Yeast will die once mixed after a few hours.

[@grassthief1280]

Nice recipe but I wouldn’t purchase nothing from the makers of the humic that your using found out all of his products are basically just STINKY WATER

[@TurfMechanic]

There are other brands out there that I'd like to try this coming year too. I may do a new an improved version of this diy recipe too, I always do enjoy putting the ingredients together myself. 😃

[@grassthief1280]

Yep your awesome Bryan great channel detailed & very informative youtube needs more Teachers like yourself keep up the educational vids you do a great job ,my personal feelings about certain youtube products is just my opinion nothin to do with your channel 👍

[@wakingupfrom]

fresh yeast and molasses!

[@TheDylan6908]

Brian, would it be possible to make up a season's worth of DIY liquid dethatcher at the beginning of the season. If it wouldn't go bad that would make the whole thing more doable.

[@HippieFertilizing]

I would recommend it. It’s going to turn to alcohol fast and that would ruin everything the alcohol gets sprayed on

[@TheDylan6908]

​@@HippieFertilizingIm guessing you meant to say you wouldn't?

[@orlandowoods1234]

Great video! Thanks for saving me 💲💲

[@TurfMechanic]

That's the goal! Hope it works for you 😊

[@davidgonzales-ec8bo]

This video is why you are better than other lawntubers.

[@TurfMechanic]

👊👊

[@lobo11141]

This video is 🔥🔥🔥

[@TurfMechanic]

That's an awesome bit of feedback there Nutz! 😁

[@MRM5J]

The link to yeast isn't working

[@TurfMechanic]

Thanks for letting me know, I'll fix it right away

[@TurfMechanic]

I just got to my computer to fix this but now I remember I didn't include a link to yeast anywhere, I just got mine from the grocery store. You could get it on Amazon or walmart or target. For this recipe they are all similar enough; whatever you buy should work fine.

[@WisconsinEric]

I have used Molasses for veggies and cannabis for 15yrs. FYI "Blackstrap" molasses has much more of the good stuff vs what is shown in this video. Last year was the first time I used it on my lawn and I used the same brand shown in this video(Brer Rabbit), but the "Blackstrap" version in the purple bottle. Per the label shown in this video Blackstrap has 2x the potassium and iron, 2.5x the magnesium, and 3x the calcium. Blackstrap molasses is said to have a 1-0-4 NPK. I apply at roughly1 teaspoon(1/6 oz) per gallon and water it in with a Ortho hose end sprayer at 4-8oz per 1000. I hope this helps.

[@TurfMechanic]

Dude! Excellent addition to the comments. Thank you 🤝 ill look for blackstrap soon, maybe even try it out this season.

[@WisconsinEric]

@@TurfMechanic Blackstrap is a VERY thick consistency. I recommend adding it to a small 1/2L - 1L water bottle with a very tight fitting screw on cap and shaking very briskly it to mix it, then add it to your spraying device of choice. I use an old Nalgene bottle I bought at a thrift shop as Nalgenes don't leak, and I don't want that stuff leaking all over while shaking to mix it.

[@icaughtyoubasstard4877]

I been making my own mix for several of years. Works awesome.