This will give plants a chance to recover before they become dormant in winter or midsummer.
Power rake lawn in fall.
Most homeowners power rake in spring and also in the fall when they want to overseed their lawns.
Using a dethatching rake is similar to using a regular rake.
The process of power raking removes a thick layer of dead grass matter or debris sitting right on top of the soil in your lawn.
Power raking should be done either in the spring or fall when grass is growing vigorously but heat stress is not a problem.
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.
Weeds are vigorous and aggressive in the spring.
Power rake zoysia in the early summer and bluegrass in the early fall.
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 is the more aggressive approach to taking thatch out of your lawn.
Optimal shoot growth occurs with air temperatures of 55 to 75 f.
It can pick up 2 4 times more thatch than dethatching.
Power raking is for lawns with a serious thatch problem.
Cool season root growth is stimulated by soil temperatures above 32 f and is optimal with soil temperatures between 50 and 65 f.
Fall lawn maintenance is the perfect time for a good power raking.
Power raking addresses a much more superficial problem in the lawn.
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.
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 layer prevents your lawn from breathing properly.
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.
By waiting until late summer or early fall you avoid the possibility of weeds taking over areas that have been damaged by power raking.
Cool season grasses grow in the spring and fall and include kentucky.
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.
Power raking combined with overseeding while the grass is still growing gives your lawn time to recover before cold weather hits.