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A dethatching rake is a gardening tool that you use to remove thatch from your lawn. Thatch is a layer of dead grass and other debris that sits on top of soil. Thatch if left to accumulate will prevent nutrients from penetrating the soil and reaching the roots of grasses and plants. It can also house unwanted bugs and pests. That is why it is important that you use a lawn dethatching rake from time to time to remove thatch, to ensure the health of your lawn.
To test if the thatch in your lawn is thick enough to be removed by a dethatching rake, pat its surface. If it gets too bouncy then it is ripe for dethatching. Dethatching rakes can be classified into three types: manual, tow behind and power.
The manual type is ideal for small lawns or for removing little clumps of thatches. The design of this type of dethatching rake is similar to that of a typical leaf rake. The only difference between them is that the manual dethatching rake has sharp-edged blades that are sickle shaped. When using this rake, make sure that the blades are touching the soil. To remove thatch, pull the rake back to you. Do pulling strokes in varying directions for effective dethatching. You can also use this type of detaching rake to get to areas that cannot be reached by either a power or tow behind dethatching rake.
The tow behind dethatching rake on the other hand is fastened behind a tractor or riding lawnmower. It has a wide head that can cover ground faster than if you were to use a manual rake. When using this type of dethatching rake, drive over an area several times vertically before going over them once or twice horizontally. This is an effective method of removing thatch. Before you buy one, make sure that it is compatible with the tractor or riding lawnmower that you will be using it with.
The power dethatching rake is the most expensive among all types of dethatching rakes. For this reason, many gardeners would opt to rent than buy one. Similarly designed like a lawnmower, the power rake is great for big jobs that cover a huge area. Its blades are fully adjustable so you can modify their height according to the desired depth that you would want them to get into the soil.
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about gardening tools and gardening articles at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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