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K-State Turf and Landscape Blog

Tag: power raking

A couple blasts from the past! Seed selection and power raking/core aerification

(By Jared Hoyle, KSU Turfgrass Research and Extension)

After finding the article on grey leaf spot I found a couple more articles that I wanted to repost due to the time of the year it is.

One is on determining if you need are going to conduct power raking or core aeration this fall?

https://blogs.k-state.edu/turf/power-raking-or-core-aeration-that-is-the-question/

The others were on selecting the right grass seed!

https://blogs.k-state.edu/turf/for-seeding-success-pay-attention-to-other-crop-on-the-seed-label/

https://blogs.k-state.edu/turf/the-art-of-knowing-your-seed-label/

***Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for identification purposes and does not imply recommendation or endorsement, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned by Kansas State University.***

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Also, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/KSUTurf

Power Raking or Core Aeration? That is the question!

(By Ward Upham and Jared Hoyle; KSU Research and Extension)

September is the optimum time to power rake or core-aerate tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass lawns. These grasses should be coming out of their summer doldrums and beginning to grow more vigorously. This is a good time to consider what we are trying to accomplish with these practices.

IMG_1534   Power raking is primarily a thatch control operation. It can be excessively damaging to the turf if not done carefully. For lawns with one-half inch of thatch or less, I don’t recommend power raking but rather core aeration. For those who are unsure what thatch is, it is a springy layer of light-brown organic matter that resembles peat moss and is located above the soil but below the grass foliage. Power raking pulls up an incredible amount of material that then must be dealt with by composting or discarding.

Core-aeration is a much better practice for most lawns. By removing cores of soil, core-aeration relieves compaction, hastens thatch decomposition, and improves water, nutrient, and oxygen movement into the soil profile. This operation should be performed when the soil is just moist enough so that it crumbles easily when worked between the fingers. Enough passes should be made so that the holes are spaced about 2 to 3 inches apart. Ideally, the holes should penetrate 2.5 to 3 inches deep. The cores can be left on the lawn to decompose naturally (a process that usually takes two or three weeks, depending on soil-type), or they can be broken up with a power rake set just low enough to nick the cores, and then dragged with a section of chain-link fence or a steel doormat. The intermingling of soil and thatch is beneficial to the lawn.

***Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for identification purposes and does not imply recommendation or endorsement, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned by Kansas State University.***

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @KSUTurf.

Also, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/KSUTurf