Lawn care after dethatch couch

[Dark]

Whats the best lawn care after a good dethatch

Community manager's note: Check out How to dethatch your lawn for expert advice.

[Former Workshop member · Accepted solution]

I would aerate, and then rake over some fine topsoil mixed with well rotted fine cow manure or some other well rotted fine compost. Make sure you fill in any dips and tread that part down firmly. water it all in and then feed it light/y after a week.
Should come up lush.
If it's a fast grower like Kikuyu - skip the extra feed - that stuff will grow on nothing.

[Jason]

Hi @Dark,

Looks like a great backyard you've got there. I'm sure the Workshop community can help get your lawn looking lush in no time. Let me tag lawn care expert @Adam_W for you to contribute to the discussion. 

Many thanks for joining the community. We are looking forward to reading more about your projects and plans. Workshop is a fantastic community of clever and creative members sharing amazing stuff every day, so feel free to share or ask any questions about projects around the house or garden. You're bound to get plenty of inspiration and helpful advice in no time. And please let me know if you ever need a hand getting the most from the site. 

Thanks again,

Jason

[Adam_W]

Hi @Dark , apologies for not jumping in sooner. Been a crazy couple of weeks!
Best stuff after a de-thatch as a minimum is to feed well. I'd also look at an organic boost.

Use a quality slow-release fertiliser like Lawn Builder (use the organic one & you can skip the Seasol) and then water this in with a hose-on seaweed tonic like Seasol (you don't need the fertiliser boosted one in this case).
If you do have dips and bumps or the lawn feels a little spongy then consider top-dressing.

If doing small spots to just fill dips then you can just buy bags otherwise, if you need to get rid of lots of dips or sponginess, get a bulk, quality 80/20 (or similar) top dressing mix from a landscape supplier. This generally contains heaps of fine soil & organic matter (20%) and coarse, washed sand (80%). Just make sure you tell them it's for top-dressing.
If top-dressing all over then spread to a depth that gives you even coverage so it's just covering the grass and don't water-in. This can make the mix form a hard crust. Just let it naturally settle and once new grass starts poking through you can water well.
If your lawn area has had a lot of wear then do consider aerating. Best way to do that is hire a spiked-roller or a coring machine. You would aerate BEFORE top-dressing.

Hope this helps!