Weeds are vigorous and aggressive in the spring.
Power rake lawn in fall.
Fine fescue or kentucky bluegrass.
Power raking should be done either in the spring or fall when grass is growing vigorously but heat stress is not a problem.
It can pick up 2 4 times more thatch than dethatching.
This layer prevents your lawn from breathing properly.
Most homeowners power rake in spring and also in the fall when they want to overseed their lawns.
Cool season root growth is stimulated by soil temperatures above 32 f and is optimal with soil temperatures between 50 and 65 f.
It is hard on your lawn to power rake it so be sure you only do it when the thatch is more than 1 2 thick.
This process involves a machine about the size of a push mower that uses mechanical flails to literally dig the thatch out of your lawn.
Power raking untangles dead grass from the living plants around it a process that can bruise and even kill the live plants.
Power rake cool season grasses in the early fall.
Power raking addresses a much more superficial problem in the lawn.
This will give plants a chance to recover before they become dormant in winter or midsummer.
Using a dethatching rake is similar to using a regular rake.
By waiting until late summer or early fall you avoid the possibility of weeds taking over areas that have been damaged by power raking.
Power raking is for lawns with a serious thatch problem.
Optimal shoot growth occurs with air temperatures of 55 to 75 f.
Fall lawn maintenance is the perfect time for a good power raking.
In the fall months shoots start to grow again and nutrients are stored in the long roots for the winter.
Before the days of mulching mowers and leaf blowers raking was one way to keep thatch at bay and remove winter s debris but nowadays machines have replaced muscle power in many lawn grooming.
Cool season grasses grow in the spring and fall and include kentucky.
When to schedule lawn maintenance.
Once you power rake your lawn in the fall its overall health should begin to improve by spring as light water and air are able to nourish its root system.
Small lawns can be dethatched using a specialized dethatching rake or you can rent a dethatcher also known as a vertical cutter verticutter or power rake to tackle larger lawns mow your lawn to half its normal height before you begin dethatching.
Power raking is the more aggressive approach to taking thatch out of your lawn.