subject: Common South African Thatching Raw Material [print this page] South Africa has an abundance of popular thatching grass and reed raw materials. Each one is indigenous to a certain area of the country and for your convenience they have been listed below with the geographical area in which they are found.
Hyparrhenia Hirta
This type of grass is also known as Common Thatching Grass and is found mainly in the Natal Drakensberg area.
Hyperphilia Dissoluta
This grass is commonly known as yellow thatching grass and is found all over the Northern Province in Mpumalanga and parts of Northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Thamnochortus Insignis
This Cape thatching reed is also often called dekriet in the Albertinia and Riversdale districts of the Cape where it is found.
Hyparrhenia Dregeana
This uncommon thatching grass is found in the Natal Midlands and the Drakensberg area of KwaZulu-Natal.
Hyparrhenia Filipendula
Also referred to as fine thatching grass, this thatching raw material can be found in the coastal regions of KwaZulu-Natal.
Thamnochortus Erectus / Specigerus
A thatch reed that is common in the Cape coastal regions.
Chondropetalum Tectorum
This is yet another thatching raw material common to the Cape area.
Phragmites Australis
Also know as Norfolk reed and swamp grass in Europe, locally it is called by the name Umhlanga grass. It is widespread all through South Africa.
Tambookie Grass
This grass is also often referred to as simply Tamboekie. It is only used in rural areas for thatching. However, there are varieties of this grass that are considered unsuitable for thatching.
Thamnochortus Insignis
Often called Cape Thatching Reed, it is one of the best thatching raw materials available in South Africa. This hardy reed is found mainly in the Albertinia and Riversdale regions of the Cape.
The Structural Differences Between Thatching Raw Materials
Natal thatching grass is generally of a finer texture than the grass found in Mpumalanga and the Northern Province. Because of this it is often the preferred grass of Thatchers around the South Africa.
The stalk of a thatching grass is normally hollow and roughly about 3 mm thick. Cape dekriet stalks on the other hand are solid and about 3 to 4 mm thick.
Please Note! The quality of the raw material improves over time with cultivation and regular cutting.
Thatch Material Harvesting in South Africa
Thatching grass is normally harvested when it has stopped growing from about midwinter to the end of August. This is when the hard frost has killed the leaves. In areas where no frost occurs one can only determine if the grass is ready for cutting by the absence of seeds. If seeded grass is harvested then it will impact on the quality of the thatch and the raw material yield for the next season.
