Dethatching the lawn with a Mantis dethatcher attachment 

Orientate the tines so that they are pointing back towards you while you are gripping the handle.

my thoughts.

+paul pentony Yes, its a great little machine. With the snow now melted away, I can see that almost the entire lawn has to be dethatched this spring. A LOT of moss.

The only reason I was walking backwards was so that I did not want to walk on the the thatch that was just raked up from the mantis.

@@WoodchuckCanuck Yea I did that for years......Best way is to wait till the grass needs mowing. Dethatch first. Then put the bagger on the mower and hit the lawn.

@@joesantora8855 No bagger on our mower. So the clippings fall where they land, then dethatch and rake once maybe ever 5 years.

Craig Arndt The lawn will look great but I hope you like mowing because now you'll be mowing 2-3 times more often :).

you'll love your Mantis it will be one of the best investments you'll ever make!

Grass is hardy. Use the machine, top down some seed and fertilizer and you'll be mowing your lawn twice a week...if you like that sort of thing LOL. I only detach every couple of years.

I also walk backwards so that I'm not walking over the grass I just brought up, making it easier to rake later. Now if only to invent a ride one dethatcher and vacuum.

Yes they are a well made machine. When you have the full kit, you can do a lot.

Jim Barry

Stutch Thirteen Mantis company policy is to replace the blades/tines for life. You can break them once a week and as long as you return the originals, Mantis will replace them every time. I've been fortunate in the 15 years I've owned mine I've only broken one set of blades.

paladinNJ Even the dethatcher atatchment?? I've never had the tiller blades break.. or the edger either.

Every Attachment. Company policy

The panels have to flex in order to fit snugly. Think of the environment those panels are in. Especially for tilling soil, rocks and sticks will get kicked up. So you want those panels to fit good, and they and the tiller will get chipped and scratched. Keep your tools clean and treat them with a environmentally friendly rust inhibitor occasionally, they will last a very long time.

Seed after you dethatch, wait about 5-7 days for seed to start germinating, then fertilize. If you seed and fertilize at the same time or fertilize first, the existing grass will have a growth spurt and shade out the seed trying to germinate.

Hi, I'm not a landscaper. I don't even fertilize my lawn. Its just that in my area a lot of moss grows, so I dethatch every couple years. Have you tried speaking with a local gardening store, or co-op? you'll want to kill the weeds then use a combination of fertilizer and seed and sweat equity. Remember that a green lawn requires more mows. So if you are into doing that, go ahead with your plan. I tend to let the lawn go a little on the wild side with clover and such, but dandelions I pull.

the problem is, there is no lawn at all., its all weeds, and I never learned how to landscape, just a 23 year old trynna learn. yeah, i have but i live in san jose, ca and the places that would even touch the yard wont do it for anything less than 9k$. so i really do have to do it myself.

Well then, start form the beginning. There are plenty of online references to get you r started. I simply am not qualified to helping that regard.

thank you for your time Jim.

No idea. Never heard of it. But looking it up, its description is similar to what we have.

no, its a dethatcher that uses metal tines.

You could install a counter balance wheel on the front to control the aggressiveness. And you could also fluctuate the speed of the motor too.

No but the reason I do is so that the tossed up material is sitting on top and not crushed back into the ground from walking on it. Makes it easier to rake.

when dethatching yes! when cultivating a garden yes!

never heard of a sun joe

Don't bother ordering a Sun Joe......Out of stock after waiting 2 weeks with no update. Mantis is the way to go.

The Mantis is a Honda GX 25 so assume its 25cc

Bear Minator Well, this thing has metal tines which are similar to a tine on a metal rake. The engine spins these tines around which goes through the grass and rips up moss and dead grass clippings which naturally accumulate over time due to grass dying off naturally. Thia opens up more soil to the grass so it can grow thicker and more vigerously. This also helps drainage as previously, the thatch, when wet will form a very tight bond and not allow the water to drain through very well.

it allows your lawn to breathe better and get better water drainage to the roots of the grass by removing dead grass clippings and allows for better fertilizer to soil contact!

That's how the dethatcher works.