►►► 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 ◄◄◄
Thanks for the educational video. I've seen these products on Amazon, but had no idea how they worked (how can a liquid "de-thatch"?). I may have to try one of these out.
You're welcome Indy! Glad I was able to shed a bit of light on how they work - probably should have pointed out that they are all long term plays that work well season after season when applied regularly during the warm months. I always apply them with other stuff so they don't really add any extra applications to my regiment just a bit of extra product. Lawn care is a marathon imo, not a sprint, that's why I love it as a hobby
@@TurfMechanic Here in Utah, it's too dry for the thatch to really break down. I've been manually dethatching, but these are worth giving a try. I'm going to try it on my compost piles too and see if that accelerates it.
That would be a nice companion video to this one. I'll put it on my list of vids to make in the future. I'll actually have to more research on the science behind it to understand how to make a diy version that works well enough to justify the trouble of making it ourselves.
The bottle says 2 year shelf life if stored properly but in all likelihood the yeast isn't active or alive from day 1 otherwise you're right, it would be used up in the bottle. Inactive yeast can still feed bacteria in the lawn which is why I love the concept. When I made the stuff in my backyard I used active yeast so that would have to be used quickly.
Totally try making your own, you'll feel great about it and you'll be able to use fresh yeast instead of inactive yeast in the packaged bottle! Otherwise wait and give those other products a look. I'm excited to try sweet and sticky, looking forward to April coming again and soil temps getting back into the 50s again. 😅
Great video and explanation of how this products work. You, tastefully, explained and showcase alternatives to the most popular products. This is very helpful to me, i have use GCF products with visible results but I'm looking for cost-effective alternatives. If it works 80% as good for 50% off the price, i say its worth it. At least for my situation
Thanks a lot for that comment, thats the goal, and I'm sure a lot of people that use gcf products like them but would still like to use lower cost alternatives if they make sense to use or make. A more knowledgeable customer is a better customer for the entire industry of diy lawn care imo.
I can’t get any of the Green County/Yard Mastery stuff here in Alaska either. I’ve reached out to them for an explanation , no response. Very frustrating. D-Thatch, RGS, and Air-8 are the products I’d really like to use. Thanks for the info.
You are welcome Avid! The diy concoction of d-thatch should be your best friend then since it can be produced so easily from grocery store products. It's too bad about the product lines availabilities in your state though, as I'm finding out in Oregon it's a mixture of labeling issues and state regulation that's the main problem. My guess is the makers of these products and others would prefer to sell/ship to all states but they just can't for whatever reason. Not sure how you reached out but that's my take in it at least. Thanks for watching!
I am going to use holganix blue sky; 24-0-8 liquid which has microbes; but it’s suddenly colder and too wet to apply; but it has several aspects and it’s like $35 for 2.5 gallons! I’m not sure if it’s good but for what the label is is much cheaper than so much out there
Can you please explain how living yeast survives in that plastic jug for the amount of time the product will sit on your shelf? And how it does so without producing enough CO2 to explode the bottle? And if it doesn’t survive, what the benefit would be from spraying dead yeast onto your lawn?
Hey Robert thats an obvious question that i should have addressed in the video itself. The yeast in d-thatch isn't and really can't be alive in the "jug environment". I could see the jug exploding if it was, lol! The benefits of the inactive or dead yeast is that it still helps to form peptides or "food" for the microorganisms in the lawn. They will break down very quickly in the thatch layer still acting like a starter ingredient. If you were to brew your own diy batch of thatch digester using live yeast then the result honestly would probably be even more dramatic.
I am not a believer of liquid dethatchers. Having a degree in turfgrass management and 40 years experience in turf I’m not sold and have not seen it work and the author here has used many of these without me seeing any definite results ( to be fair I may have missed the video proof) If you want to mitigate your thatch you can heavily aerate your lawn. And I mean heavily aerate it as in several passes. One cannot over aerate their lawn. Having experience in golf course management and aerating greens taught me that aggressive aeration is not only ok but the best way, next to complete dethatch to help relieve the problems associated with thatch buildup. Good luck !
Hey Paul, I believe liquid thatch removers make incremental improvements in thatch. I have a video or two this year where I showed my thatch layer compared to last year and you can clearly see the separation zone from thatch to soil was less pronounced and more fluid this year, the deep thatch layer appeared to be far more soil like than it did last year...having said that I agree that aggressive aeration is of utmost importance in repairing a bad thatch problem which is why I've aerated mechanically two times this year, documenting both jobs on this channel, one at end if March the other at the end of August. Working the mechanical side and biological side I'm happy with my progress on this problem this year. I'm not trying to convert you or anyone else here, just want you and other viewers to understand that I see this as a problem with a solution that's not so simple and a solution thats not fast. I will use all tools on the shed if I can see a way to make them work for my benefit. Thanks for adding to the conversation Paul and I'd love to hear more from you on how you would correct a true thatch problem using only mechanical means.
It's a decent idea but probably missed the boat on that. I've been applying to my whole yard since July of 2020 on this channel. I can make some side by side screen shots of cores pulled in 2020 vs this coming season to see how the thatch layer has transformed into something more soil like. I did that a couple month ago this year already. I also usually apply thatch digester products at the same time as ctyogro (most of the time) and I want that on all parts of the lawn.
@@TurfMechanic 2020vs 2021 vs 2022 comparison is irrelevant, because you can’t separate it from the effect of mechanical aeration and everything else you put on the yard. But if you keep applying detached, you can still do it during 2022, and see the results a year from now. I’m pretty sure you will still have some thatch:)
I find that most liquid alternatives to the Greene county fertilizer dethatch are twice the cost aren't they? I guess this is of no consequence if you can't actually get the product in a particular state
I didn't dive into price for this comparison, tried to avoid that, but honestly just glancing at prices while researching the products and options I don't think d-thatch is overpriced compared to all the other products. They all seem largely in line with each other but I could look into it more to get all the way to a per Oz cost...another point may be filler content though, it's possible that GCF has more filler or carrier content (water). I may explore more of that for the companion blog post to this piece.
►►► 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 ◄◄◄
How about the Kelp4less product?
I will look into that product, it hasn't been on my radar. Thanks for the tip.
Informative! Thank you for all the research you do!!
Thanks for watching and commenting Ron! You are welcome, the research for me is fun and it's pretty satisfying to share it with others like yourself 😃
once again, well explained video. thank you for all you do.
Your welcome Diego, and thanks so much for watching!
Thanks for the educational video. I've seen these products on Amazon, but had no idea how they worked (how can a liquid "de-thatch"?). I may have to try one of these out.
You're welcome Indy! Glad I was able to shed a bit of light on how they work - probably should have pointed out that they are all long term plays that work well season after season when applied regularly during the warm months. I always apply them with other stuff so they don't really add any extra applications to my regiment just a bit of extra product. Lawn care is a marathon imo, not a sprint, that's why I love it as a hobby
@@TurfMechanic Here in Utah, it's too dry for the thatch to really break down. I've been manually dethatching, but these are worth giving a try. I'm going to try it on my compost piles too and see if that accelerates it.
Could you do one on Air-8? Are there any DIY versions of it? (Since I cannot buy any of it....?)
That would be a nice companion video to this one. I'll put it on my list of vids to make in the future. I'll actually have to more research on the science behind it to understand how to make a diy version that works well enough to justify the trouble of making it ourselves.
@@TurfMechanic thanks!
How long is the D-Thatch shelf life? With yeast in the bottle along with the molasses isn’t it getting consumed.
The bottle says 2 year shelf life if stored properly but in all likelihood the yeast isn't active or alive from day 1 otherwise you're right, it would be used up in the bottle. Inactive yeast can still feed bacteria in the lawn which is why I love the concept. When I made the stuff in my backyard I used active yeast so that would have to be used quickly.
great video thank you for explaining this . i used the lawn star one this year. might try the N-ext next season or try making my own.
Totally try making your own, you'll feel great about it and you'll be able to use fresh yeast instead of inactive yeast in the packaged bottle! Otherwise wait and give those other products a look. I'm excited to try sweet and sticky, looking forward to April coming again and soil temps getting back into the 50s again. 😅
Great video and explanation of how this products work. You, tastefully, explained and showcase alternatives to the most popular products. This is very helpful to me, i have use GCF products with visible results but I'm looking for cost-effective alternatives. If it works 80% as good for 50% off the price, i say its worth it. At least for my situation
Thanks a lot for that comment, thats the goal, and I'm sure a lot of people that use gcf products like them but would still like to use lower cost alternatives if they make sense to use or make. A more knowledgeable customer is a better customer for the entire industry of diy lawn care imo.
I can’t get any of the Green County/Yard Mastery stuff here in Alaska either. I’ve reached out to them for an explanation , no response. Very frustrating. D-Thatch, RGS, and Air-8 are the products I’d really like to use. Thanks for the info.
You are welcome Avid! The diy concoction of d-thatch should be your best friend then since it can be produced so easily from grocery store products. It's too bad about the product lines availabilities in your state though, as I'm finding out in Oregon it's a mixture of labeling issues and state regulation that's the main problem. My guess is the makers of these products and others would prefer to sell/ship to all states but they just can't for whatever reason. Not sure how you reached out but that's my take in it at least. Thanks for watching!
Hat looks good on your bro!
Ha, I don't know, makes my head look pretty tall 🤔 lol
@@TurfMechanic that gives you the gangster appeal 😂
@@Thelawncarenut that's my target market so yeah, I'm in 👊😄
I am going to use holganix blue sky; 24-0-8 liquid which has microbes; but it’s suddenly colder and too wet to apply; but it has several aspects and it’s like $35 for 2.5 gallons!
I’m not sure if it’s good but for what the label is is much cheaper than so much out there
Thanks for letting me know. That's a product that's new to me. I'll give it a look.
Can you please explain how living yeast survives in that plastic jug for the amount of time the product will sit on your shelf? And how it does so without producing enough CO2 to explode the bottle? And if it doesn’t survive, what the benefit would be from spraying dead yeast onto your lawn?
Hey Robert thats an obvious question that i should have addressed in the video itself. The yeast in d-thatch isn't and really can't be alive in the "jug environment". I could see the jug exploding if it was, lol! The benefits of the inactive or dead yeast is that it still helps to form peptides or "food" for the microorganisms in the lawn. They will break down very quickly in the thatch layer still acting like a starter ingredient. If you were to brew your own diy batch of thatch digester using live yeast then the result honestly would probably be even more dramatic.
Can you separate a small part of the lawn where you do NOT apply any detacher, and show us a comparison at the end of the next season?
I am not a believer of liquid dethatchers. Having a degree in turfgrass management and 40 years experience in turf I’m not sold and have not seen it work and the author here has used many of these without me seeing any definite results ( to be fair I may have missed the video proof) If you want to mitigate your thatch you can heavily aerate your lawn. And I mean heavily aerate it as in several passes. One cannot over aerate their lawn. Having experience in golf course management and aerating greens taught me that aggressive aeration is not only ok but the best way, next to complete dethatch to help relieve the problems associated with thatch buildup. Good luck !
Hey Paul, I believe liquid thatch removers make incremental improvements in thatch. I have a video or two this year where I showed my thatch layer compared to last year and you can clearly see the separation zone from thatch to soil was less pronounced and more fluid this year, the deep thatch layer appeared to be far more soil like than it did last year...having said that I agree that aggressive aeration is of utmost importance in repairing a bad thatch problem which is why I've aerated mechanically two times this year, documenting both jobs on this channel, one at end if March the other at the end of August. Working the mechanical side and biological side I'm happy with my progress on this problem this year. I'm not trying to convert you or anyone else here, just want you and other viewers to understand that I see this as a problem with a solution that's not so simple and a solution thats not fast. I will use all tools on the shed if I can see a way to make them work for my benefit. Thanks for adding to the conversation Paul and I'd love to hear more from you on how you would correct a true thatch problem using only mechanical means.
It's a decent idea but probably missed the boat on that. I've been applying to my whole yard since July of 2020 on this channel. I can make some side by side screen shots of cores pulled in 2020 vs this coming season to see how the thatch layer has transformed into something more soil like. I did that a couple month ago this year already. I also usually apply thatch digester products at the same time as ctyogro (most of the time) and I want that on all parts of the lawn.
@@TurfMechanic 2020vs 2021 vs 2022 comparison is irrelevant, because you can’t separate it from the effect of mechanical aeration and everything else you put on the yard.
But if you keep applying detached, you can still do it during 2022, and see the results a year from now. I’m pretty sure you will still have some thatch:)
I find that most liquid alternatives to the Greene county fertilizer dethatch are twice the cost aren't they? I guess this is of no consequence if you can't actually get the product in a particular state
I didn't dive into price for this comparison, tried to avoid that, but honestly just glancing at prices while researching the products and options I don't think d-thatch is overpriced compared to all the other products. They all seem largely in line with each other but I could look into it more to get all the way to a per Oz cost...another point may be filler content though, it's possible that GCF has more filler or carrier content (water). I may explore more of that for the companion blog post to this piece.