usually known as a power dethatching rake. Sometimes these machines look like small lawn mowers and sometimes they are a bit bigger. Some power rakes come with a bagging option and some may also feature a seeding connection which puts new grass seed into the soil while it operates.

Power rakes can come with metal blades or spring-like coils. The blades are usually more popular and they are better at removing thatch in areas where the thatch is really bad.

How often should I Power Rake my Lawn?

Most people rent a power lawn rake for their lawns every 2-5 years. In lawns where severe moss cause problems, thatching should be done every year. This is mostly done in the Spring. If you have cooler winters, you can also thatch in the Fall. The trick with thatching is to be able to repair your lawn by overseeding it and fertilizing it when you are finished. This is a tip it took me a few years to learn: If you are pulling moss out of a shady lawn or thatching in the Fall, you will have better luck using shade seed. Even though it may be a little more expensive, it will better in the shady areas and not die out in the winter.


Should I Buy or Rent a Power Rake?

Since purchasing a good power rake or power dethatching rake can often cost $1000 to $2000 dollars, most people elect to rent one rather then buy. For spot thatching or in smaller lawns, thatching can often be done by hand using a dethatching rake. I do not recommend lawn mower attachments because you have to mow the lawn to a dangerously low height in order to use them and they don’t work well. The grass can take a lot longer to recover and you may also end up with a lot of weeds.

Dethatcher rentals or power rake machines may cost about $35 to $45 for a 2 to four hour period or $50 to $75 dollars for an entire day. Usually you will not need the insurance coverage unless you have a lot of exposed roots in your lawn or are not to careful. These dethatcher machines will cost an average of $10 to $20 less then renting an aerator. A good tip for saving you money on the job is to do the job at the same time as a neighbor or nearby relative. This will allow you to split the rental cost.

Most power rakes take regular gas, they are low maintenance and easy to fix. If you own your own machine, you need to remember to change the oil every 20 engine hours and rotate your tines at least once every 150 hours. The blades on the power dethatcher are self sharpening as long as you rotate them on a regular basis.

Remember that repairing your lawn in a process. Quite often, you will also need to overseed and fertilize at the same time. Generally you can completely repair a lawn in about 3-4 weeks. In cooler climates were temperatures average less then 70 most of the time, it could take 6-8 weeks to repair a lawn.

Is my lawn to wet to Thatch?

A really good thatching machine will still do a good job is the lawn is wet. But you never want to use a power rake if the ground if soft or mushy. In addition, thatching the lawn on a nice dry will be a lot funner and the thatch should be a lot easier to clean up.

You have to remember when using dethatcher rentals machine it must contain a full tank of gas. Some others may need an oil/gas combination. Another advantage of this is that you simply do not need any servicing, no cussing, and you never need to sharpen any blades.

Keep in mind that the benefits you take pleasure in gardening must at least make up for your work and money invested. A dethatcher rental machine, also know as a power rake rental may help lessen the task and enhance your garden’s beauty and productivity which is worth your money.

Power raking, also know as dethatching can be done either by renting a power rake of switching out the blade on your lawn mower with a lawn mower dethatching blade.

Power dethatchers are also known as power rakes and thatching machines.  They are machines designed to remove thatch from a lawn. They are similar to a gas-powered lawn mower, but are bulkier and heavier (twice as much or more than lawn mowers). Typically two people are required to get one into or out of a truck or trailer. Along the bottom are rows of blades that can be set at different heights and widths apart depending on the grass type and amount of thatch. The blades can be set to go into the dirt and rip out the thatch or they can be set to slice through the thatch, which is then raked up later. Sometimes the second process is referred to as power raking, but many people use the two terms interchangeably.

Thatch

Thatch is the spongy layer of organic material that accumulates on the top of the soil line but below the grass. Most people don’t notice thatch in their lawn unless it gets especially thick or starts creating problems. As grass clippings, leaves and other lawn debris build up on the soil surface, the resulting thatch affects how water, nutrients, oxygen and light are able to reach the grass roots. Some thatch is good for the grass, insulating it and improving the grass’s ability to survive drought and high temperatures. Too much thatch can keep water and nutrients from getting to the roots, causing the grass to yellow, brown and die. If it is too thick, some of it should be removed to maintain good lawn health.

Determining Thatch Thickness

To figure out how thick the thatch layer is, use a coring soil probe that pulls up cores of soil. Then look for the spongy layer on top of the soil’s surface. If the lawn is large, take several cores from different areas to get an estimate of the average thickness and find any areas that might be problematic.

Deciding How to Remove Thatch

Once the thatch layer is around an inch thick, some sort of minor dethatching should be started. Using a manual dethatcher rake will keep the thatch from getting too thick. A power rake set on a higher setting so the blades cut the thatch rather than rip it out is great for less than three inches of thatch. At three inches or more, it is a good idea to dethatch with deeper blades to rip as much of the thatch out as possible. While it is hard on the grass and the lawn won’t look nice for a little while, it will be much easier to keep the thatch from getting too excessive and causing more problems than its removal did.

Dethatching

Dethatching can be done by professionals or a power dethatcher can be rented for around $50-$75 hours for four hours. At the rental center, have them help position the blades correctly or follow the manual directions. After dethatching a small section, check to make sure the blades are going in the correct depth. Roll the dethatcher along the lawn in rows or diagonals and then go crosswise against those rows to remove the most thatch. The thatch and grass pulled out will need to be collected and disposed of. An average-sized lawn with a thick layer of thatch can yield more than one pickup truck worth, or more if the thatch problem was extensive.

1.  Plan to rent or borrow a power rake. Ask a friend to help you get the machine back to your lawn since they are heavy and usually cannot be transported easily by one person.

2.  Make sure your lawn is ready before you head to the rental center. You do not want to waste the hours you are paying for the machine doing things you could have done early. Make sure the lawn is free of anything that will get in the way. The grass should be mowed shorter than normal, about half what you typically do, to improve thatch removal. If the ground is a bit dry, water well, but do not over-water. Dirt that is too wet and soft can also be a problem.

3.  When you go to pick up the lawn power rake, look the machine over to make sure that everything looks like it is in good condition. Ask any questions you have about how to operate it safely and correcting. Have them show you how to position the blades at the right height and spacing. For cool weather grasses, ½” is usually a good height with 1-2” between tines. Warm weather grasses may need less depth with the blades around 3” apart.

4.  Once you have transported the power rake dethatcher to the work site, check the oil and fuel levels and fill if needed. Make sure you have the machine at the first area to dethatch, then set the choke on the engine, pull the starter and let the engine warm up a few minutes.

5.  Start raking over the lawn, checking that the height and spacing seem correct. Make any adjustments needed. You may need to change the settings for different areas of the lawn as height and conditions are variable.

6.  Rake the entire lawn first, going in one direction such as long rows or diagonals. Then do the lawn again perpendicular to the first rows, making short rows or along the other diagonal. Using the different directions gives better coverage and better results.

7.  Next rake up the thatch left on the lawn. You can compost it or just get rid of it.

8.  Since the roots are exposed, this is a good time to overseed and/or fertilize. Be sure to water well and do not mow for 2-3 weeks. The lawn may look bad right after because power lawn rakes create a lot of stress to the grass, but should look better than before in a month or so.

When you are done, pull out a folding lawn chairs and enjoy.  After all we’ve work hard and you deserve it.