Why rake a lawn

How to Dethatch a Lawn. How to Get Rid of Moss on a Lawn. How to Handle Your Yard in the Heat. Customer Support Raking steps: Rake the dead areas to loosen any brown grass. It is important not to remove all of the grass, but just break up the top layer of thatch Remove the loose dead thatch either with a lawn mower, by hand or with an outdoor vacuum. Given that some leaves, such as those from red maple trees , look quite pretty lying on the grass, you might wonder why it's necessary to break out the rake and get rid of them—after all, it's an awful lot of work.

In some cases, raking the leaves may not be necessary, and it might even be better for the environment to leave them. However, in some cases , raking the leaves may be important for the health of your yard.

Raking leaves offer many benefits, both to you and to your property. The most important benefit of raking leaves is that it will help your grass grow. A thick layer of fallen leaves can deprive grass of sunlight, which gets in the way of the growth of some cool-season grasses , such as Kentucky bluegrass, which revitalize themselves in the fall. Cool-season lawn grasses are most active in moderately cool fall weather when they must "make hay" to strengthen their root systems.

Having a healthy lawn, even if you have other types of grass, does not depend on hunting down every stray leaf you can find. Having a few leftover leaves can't hurt your lawn. In fact, if you plan on mowing at least one more time in the autumn, the mower blade will shred up any remaining leaves and you won't notice they're there. There are more benefits to raking leaves:. Autumn is the prime time to rake leaves. But there's a fine line between early and late autumn raking.

Ultimately, you will want to rake before the first frost or snow of the late autumn or early winter seasons and when leaves are dry. Many people like to keep up with leaves by raking as they fall, while other homeowners wait until all the leaves have fallen to the ground before raking. Regardless of your preferred schedule, wait until the leaves are dry to make it easier to rake.

Spring raking is also another time for this chore. Raking the lawn in the spring is one of those spring lawn care steps done by habit by homeowners. Raking your lawn in the spring can still be helpful in maintaining a neat lawn -- if you know how to use your rake to best effect. Following these spring lawn care steps for raking can help you make the most of your time outside. Many grasses welcome a bit of thatch to protect grass crowns and roots against cold, wind or hot sunshine.

Several turf grasses , however, develop enough thatch to cut off air and light due to their fine texture, dense growth or both. They will collect and compost the organic matter for you, redirecting this valuable resource from local landfills. Expert Advice Benefits of Raking. Compost It is recommended to shred the autumn leaves for a quicker break down of material and to facilitate easy mixing of the compost pile when necessary. Mulch Mulch is designed to reduce weeds and maintain moisture.

Municipal Collection If keeping the leaves is not an option for you, please take advantage of municipal collection programs. You may also be interested in… Pollen.