Dethatching Your Lawn - vs - Mulching Your Clippings - Does doing both make sense?

[l008com]

I've known about mulching your grass clippings for many years. I almost always mow my lawn this way. It's supposed to return nutrients to your lawn, keeping it healthier and greener than it would otherwise be. Plus its just less work and less gas used to mow, so it's all around a good thing.

Then theres dethatching, which I only somewhat recently heard of. Apparently theres so much dead material under your grass that it smothers the grass. SO you should dethatch your lawn, as much as twice a year, to pull out all of this dead grass and give your grass space to grow.

I read all of the above over and over again and heres what I don't understand. How do these two things meet? When I mulch my clippings, aren't I just adding more thatch? When I dethatch, aren't I just removing the clippings that are supposed to be breaking down and adding nutrients to my lawn? This feels like WAX ON, WAX OFF. It feels like busy work. Here go make a mess, and then go clean up your mess.

Can anyone explain this to me?

 

[oneeye]

Not all grasses have to be dethatched only the ones that have a lot of rhizomes runners. .

 

[l008com]

What does that mean?

 

[pepper]

If you cut out a plug of grass you will know if it needs to be dethatched or not. If the thatch is 1/2 Inch thick or more it might be a good idea to do it, otherwise it could lead to fungi disease and also choke the grass. Some people say it's better to just aerate the lawn, some say you can naturally dethatch by putting some sugar on it then water it. Most say it's best to dethatch in the spring.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

How do these two things meet? When I mulch my clippings, aren't I just adding more thatch? When I dethatch, aren't I just removing the clippings that are supposed to be breaking down and adding nutrients to my lawn?

The thatch has died where it grows, the mulch has been chopped by the mower. An actual thatch of straw will not decay, chopped straw will, every wound is a potential entry for fungi and bacteria and the moisture they need.
I can't imagine having to do it that often, maybe, like someone said, there are some grasses.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Fescue makes thatch. St Aug and those others with above ground stolons like hybrid burmudas are a problem for dethaching as you rip up the roots. Those are better aerated. The main problem I have with mulching is the spread of those types of plant particles that are capable of regrowing a weed. Speedwell and Veronica for example.