Why Should I Dethatch or Power Rake My Lawn?

Dethatching We only recommend dethatching lawns that suffer from an extremely thick thatch layer that is greater than two inches thick. The reason is because dethatching causes extensive damage to a lawn and is extremely labor intensive. If your thatch layer is less than two inches, then we recommend aeration in the spring and fall as the best method to reduce your thatch. Aeration pulls plugs of soil and thatch out of the lawn and the cores of soil breakdown and populates the thatch with millions of soil microbes that help biodegrade that thatch naturally. Power Raking Power Raking is great a way to remove the dead debris and crust that builds up on a lawn over winter. It is also a gentle way to remove a small amount of thatch from the lawn without causing the significant damage that dethatching can cause.
We recommend power raking in the early spring before new growth has begun. Power raking is also a great service to combine with over-seeding, as it opens the lawn surface so that new seed can get better established. Power raking is a great way to thicken up bentgrass lawns. Power raking slices the surface stolons and stimulates new growth, thickening the lawn.

What is the Difference Between Dethatching and Power Raking?

Dethatching
Dethatching and power raking are both performed with the same machine. The difference in the two services is how deep the cutting knives are set on the dethatcher, as well as the type of cutting knives used.

Dethatching generally involves the use of flail type blades that are designed to rip out excessive thatch. The dethatching machine is set low so that the blades reach into surface of the soil. If a lawn has an excessive thatch and it is dethatched, an incredible amount of plant material will be ripped up from the lawn. Several pickup trucks of dead thatch can be created from an average sized lawn. The lawn will suffer extensive damage as well, because the knives will not only rip out the thatch, but also rip out a large percentage of the healthy grass plants. The growing points of a grass plant are at the base of the plant, and a lot of the growing points are damaged when a lawn is dethatched.

Dethatching causes a lot of damage, creating a lawn that is thin, brown and beat up. Because of this we strongly recommend that you combine a dethatching with an over-seeding/slit seeding and topdressing. Over-seeding ensures that new grass plants will quickly fill in the damaged areas in the lawn. If over-seeding is not done, weed seeds can quickly get established in the damaged areas of the lawn. Topdressing will help the new grass seed get quickly established and also stimulate the existing grass plants to recover from the dethatching.
Power Raking Power raking generally involves using fixed knife type blades that slice that thatch as opposed to ripping it out. The dethatching machine is set high so that the blades just skim the surface. Power raking does not cause the extensive damage that dethatching does, and so the lawn recovers rapidly and maintains it’s density.

When is the Best Time to Dethatch or Power Rake?

Dethatching
Dethatching is best done in late summer/early fall. This allows the lawn plenty of time to recover before winter, but also avoids the rigors of summer drought and heat. By waiting until late summer there will also be less competition with a variety of weeds that germinate in the spring. Dethatching can also be done in early spring, but avoid late spring because the lawn needs time to recover in order to survive the summer heat and drought.

Power Raking
Power Raking can be done in the spring or fall. If you are power raking to remove winter debris it is recommended to do it before the lawn starts growing to avoid setting the lawn back during the critical spring time growth. If power raking is being combined with over-seeding we recommend doing it in early spring to allow the new seedlings plenty of time to get established before the summer drought and heat. Late summer/early fall remains the optimum time for any over-seeding because you avoid the summer heat and drought and the new seedlings do not have to compete with the spring germinating weeds.

How Do I Order Your Services?

To get more information or to order a dethatching or power rake
Contact your Greener Grass Office