How to Use an Electric Lawn Rake
Electric Lawn Rake: What It Does and How to Use It
Though not as common as gas-powered rakes, an electric lawn rakes can also be used to dethatch a lawn. There are many benefits in using one to remove unwanted thatch and encourage healthier and thicker grass growth.
Why Use a Lawn Rake?
A lawn rake is used to pull out some of the thatch before it gets too deep. Thatch is the matted moss, leaves, grass and other debris that accumulates on the surface of the soil. A little bit is good for a long, but when it gets too deep (1/2-1 inch) it can begin to adversely affect the health of the lawn, blocking the flow of nutrients, water and air from the surface to the roots. The lawn may look a bit sparse right after power raking, but soon the grass will be thicker, greener and healthier than before. To maintain lush grass, a lawn should be dethatched every one to three years depending on how quickly thatch accumulates in it.
Advantages of an Electric Lawn Rake
An electric lawn rake has some significant benefits over its gas-powered counterparts. They typically are smaller, easier to maneuver and weigh less, only around 15-30 lbs for an electric rake as opposed to 100 lbs or more for a gas-powered dethatcher. They cost must less, only $150-$200, than gas-powered machines that sell for closer to $1000 or more. Most also have foldaway handles, which make them much easier to store.
The electric rake will need to be plugged into a power source and the cords are typically about 40 feet long. Narrower than gas-powered rakes (only about a foot of raking width), they will take a bit longer to do the same area. However, they are easier to roll over the ground, turn, and maneuver around obstacles, so that helps make up for dethatching less grass at a time.
Electric rakes typically have a collection bag or box. While it will need to be emptied out as you power rake, it is faster and easier than having to rake up all the thatch and moss that is pulled out with a leaf rake afterwards. Some even have a compacting box that squishes the material tightly together to get more in there so you don’t have to empty it as often.
Mow the grass short, about half its normal height, before dethatching. Adjust the height of the vertical rake tines based on the type of grass (lower for warm-season and higher for the delicate, cool-season varieties) and the amount of thatch (lower for deep thatch). These will slice into and pull up the thatch. Plug in the rake and begin to dethatch using lawn rows. Always be aware and careful of where the cord is. Periodically check that the blade height is correct and the machine is working properly, making adjustments if necessary. Empty out the collection bag as needed. Be sure to use crossing rows for the best coverage and to get up the most thatch. After dethatching, the grass will benefit from fertilizing, over-seeding and extra watering for about a month, until it has filled in the sparse areas again.
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What Is a Lawn Roller? or Soil Roller?
A lawn roller is a weighted cylinder designed to smooth the surface of a lawn so it is flat and even or to level out the ground in preparation for laying new sod or seed.
Lawn rollers are made of steel, polyethylene or concrete. The cylindrical drum is filled (usually with water or sand) for additional weight before it is rolled across the ground. They have a rod extension that attaches to either a lawn mower or tractor or to a handle for manual use.
Why Use a Lawn Roller
Lawn rollers or soil rollers are most frequently used when seeding or laying sod, but are also helpful for removing bumps and dips in an established lawn. It is common for lawns to get uneven over time due to frost-heaving (when the ground freezes then thaws, expanding and contracting) or from rodents. With smoother ground, a lawn mower can cut the grass more precisely, giving the entire lawn a crisp, even finish. Water drainage also improves as there will be less spots where water will collect and pool. When rows are rolled with a non-weighted roller in opposite directions, the grass will become striped light and dark green like what is commonly seen on athletic fields.
How to Choose Good Yard Rollers
Start by determining the size and type of lawn roller needed . Smaller ones are typically only 2 feet long with a cylinder about 18 inches wide and weigh a little over 200 pounds when weighted with water. They get bigger from there until they are around 6 feet long with a 2 foot diameter, weighing over 1000 pounds when filled. Most of the smaller ones are designed to be pushed by hand, but some will convert to a lawn mower attachment. The largest ones are so heavy they need to be pulled by a tractor.
Prices start around $100 for a small manual roller and go up to $500 or so for the larger towed rollers. Renting a medium-sized roller will cost around $20 for a day and $50-$60 for a week. Call around to find what is available because most rental centers do not have a wide range of different sizes.
How to Use a Lawn Roller
To even out the surface of an existing lawn, begin by digging about 3-4 inches around each large bump. Pull back the grass and remove the extra soil until it is just about even with the rest of the lawn. Replace the grass back on top. You can also fix depressions or holes by adding soil this way instead of removing it.
Once the lawn has been prepped, remove the cap and fill the lawn roller until it is the desired weight. The amount and substance of what is used to fill it vary, depending mostly on how heavy it needs to be. Water and sand are the common recommendations; however, soil works too. Keep in mind that water is the easiest to remove after rolling, but should never be left to freeze inside.
Use quick, short strokes over the grass where holes were filled or bumps flattened. Roll until the area is completely smooth. This will leave it even and also help reestablish the connection between the grass roots and soil. Be sure to water these areas well. Since this process does compress the soil, consider aerating after the grass is thriving again, especially if much of the lawn was rolled.
When laying new sod or seed, first roll the entire area in straight lines until the ground is smooth and even. For large areas, this is best done with a lawn roller than can be towed by a tractor or pulled by a mower. Then place the sod or seeds down, re-rolling everything again. The second time pushes the sod or seeds into the ground so they grow more quickly and more securely in the ground as well as making sure the sod is even. You can use this same process when replacing a section of lawn with new sod or re-seeding it. Water the area frequently until the grass is well-established.
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