How to Rake a Lawn in the Spring

Raking a lawn in spring can prepare the grass for grooming.

The warm spring weather signals the start of a new season for homeowners across the country: gardening season. The hum of lawn mowers and the smell of fresh fertilizer will soon permeate the air. The first step to any good spring lawn care program, however, is preparation. Even the best mowing, trimming and fertilizing cannot create a perfect lawn if the grass is not properly cleaned and prepared before the work begins. A rake is an ideal tool for this type of preparation.

Things You'll Need

• Rake
• Lawn bags or trash bags

Instructions

1. Walk around your lawn and pick up large pieces of debris, such as fallen branches or sticks. Remove as much of this large debris as you can, so it does not damage the tines of your rake.

2. Start at one corner of your lawn and rake with a hard-tined rake, moving in one steady direction. Use the rake to gather debris from the lawn such as small twigs and fallen leaves.

3. Use the rake to dig under shrubs, bushes or flowers on the lawn. Dislodge all stuck leaves or twigs.

4. Collect all lawn debris and dispose of it in lawn bags or trash bags.

5. Go over the lawn once more with the rake now that all debris is gone. This will help to break up clumps of grass, allowing for better airflow and healthier growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Rake your lawn after the snow has completely melted and you know that there will be no more; wait until it has dried so the soil is lightly moist, not damp or wet.

• When preparing your lawn for the spring, use a traditional hard-tined rake, made of metal or sturdy plastic. There are power rakes available at many hardware and home improvement stores, but these rakes are designed to cut through thick debris or the soil itself.

• Dispose of excess lawn materials in lawn bags or trash bags; many neighborhoods have certain days during which they pick these bags up like traditional garbage. If your lawn has not been treated with herbicides, pesticides or other chemicals, you can use the material for compost as well.

• Do not rake the lawn while it is wet or severely damp. Footsteps on a wet lawn can ruin the look of your grass and will compress any detritus farther into the soil.

• Raking while wet can pull up clumps of soil or grass that will make lawn repair even harder.

References

• Homeowner Net: Spring Lawn Preparation
• Beginner Gardening: Spring Lawn Care
• Family Handyman: How to Revive Grass: Thinning Lawn
• Lawn Care Minnesota: Spring-Lawn-Care: Tips for Spring Lawn Clean Up