"Ben" wrote:

I'm no expert but I thought that
thatch was still attached the the roots, not clippings. I've been
trying to get an expert opinion on that for years.

It is both the clippings and dead roots and leaf sheaths and other dead
material that harbor disease at the ground level. If air can penetrate,
it is not all bad. I hot weather it can help shade the roots. However
when is too dense it can prevent aeration and harbor disease.

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