Aerating, power raking benefit lawns

April is just around the corner and with it comes the start of lawn care. Practices that can be done in late March or early April, when weather allows, is removal of debris that has collected over winter, raking leaves that were not removed last fall, mowing, and seeding as needed.

Ideally, delay fertilization until after mid-April. This allows soil to warm for active root growth and herbicides for crabgrass, applied along with fertilizer, to be applied at the correct time. April 20 to May 5 is the ideal window to begin fertilization and apply preemergent herbicides for crabgrass.

At this time of year, there is no need to mow the lawn low to try and stimulate growth. This is not good for turfgrass roots, and it will scalp the turf. It is best to leave the lawn at one height all season, even in early spring.

For Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue, maintain a height of about 3.5 inches year round. If you prefer to mow lower in spring, do not mow any lower than 2.5 inches. Now is a good time to have lawn mower blades sharpened and lawn mowers tuned if still needed.

Two lawn care practices to complete in April, if soils are not too wet, are core aeration and power raking. A common question is which of these practices is better. Both can be beneficial; however, core aeration needs to be done more often than power raking.

Aeration removes plugs of soil to relieve compaction which occurs from irrigation and foot and mower traffic. If possible, aerate lawns growing on silty loam or clay soils and which have a lot of foot traffic once a year. Lawns growing on sandier soils and those having little foot traffic can be aerated less often.

By relieving soil compaction, infiltration of water, fertilizer, and soil applied pesticides is increased. Water and air drainage is improved for increased soil oxygen levels and a more vigorous root system. Aeration also slows the build-up of thatch.

Power raking is beneficial, although stressful for lawns, when a deep raking is done to remove true thatch. Thatch is a tight mat of dead roots, rhizomes and stems that occurs naturally over time. Some thatch is beneficial so power raking is only needed when true thatch exceeds one-half inch.

True thatch cannot be seen from the surface. To check for thatch, cut a small plug from the lawn. Look for the reddish brown, dense, mat-like thatch between the soil and the base of grass plant. Only if it is beginning to exceed one-half inch is deep power raking needed.

Some thatch is beneficial. It insulates growing points from extreme heat, cold and foot traffic. But once thatch exceeds one-half inch, it becomes detrimental as roots tend to grow in thatch rather than soil and fertilizer can be tied up in thatch.

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Aerating, power raking benefit lawns