Power Rakes for Landscaping

Power Rakes

• Boxy, motorized tools, power rakes possess long handles, two to four wheels, and a central body containing a rotating cylinder that moves at a speed of 18 to 30 revolutions per minute. A number of keys, also referred to as knives or blades, hang from this central cylinder. As the cylinder rotates, the keys slice in to the earth beneath the power rake, cutting lines into the soil. The keys of a power rake also cut through whatever plants stand between them and the soil. These tools exist to remove thatch from lawns.

Dethatching

• Power rakes save landscapers considerable time during the dethatching process. Thatch describes the layers of dead grass that sit beneath the living grass on the surface of a lawn. These layers prevent new grass from seeding and growing and stifle lawn rejuvenation. The compaction of thatch also damages the soil and may even compact it. Power rakes cut through thatch and into soil, chopping dead grass into loose material and severing its connection from the soil for easy removal. Upon removing thatch, landscapers may plant new turf cover. The lines cut in soil by power rakes allow for the easy planting of grass seeds.

Aeration

• Though designed exclusively for thatch removal, soil aeration becomes a beneficial byproduct of dethatching. Some sources, such as the book "Turfgrass Installation, Management and Maintenance," go so far as to recommend power rakes as an aeration tool to landscapers who already own machines for dethatching. Aeration describes the loosening of soil to allow for the penetration of air. This improves soil health and makes lawns and gardens more hospitable to plants. The keys of power rakes slice into and turn soil, providing aeration as a result of the dethatching process.

Dangers of Power Raking

• A lawn care fact sheet produced by horticulturalists at Colorado State University warns that deep or rigid dethatching with power rakes may prove more harmful to a lawn than beneficial. Deep dethatching results from the use of long keys to slice up thatch and soil. Such dethatching can kill living grass as well as dead turf cover. Rigid dethatching refers to the use of a power rake with inflexible keys. Such keys can destroy the living root system of a lawn and prevent rejuvenation, thus, precipitating the need for replanting.