Imagine Lawns & Landscaping Ltd. - Winnipegs Best Spring Cleanup Service!
Benefits of Power Raking in Winnipeg
"How does power raking help my lawn, and do I need it?
Current and potential Lawn Care clients always ask this question and at Imagine Lawns & Landscaping Ltd. we recommend annual Power Raking in Winnipeg for most yards, and for it to be performed in the spring to take advantage of more rain and lower temperatures for optimal results.
To understand how Power Raking can help your grass, it’s best to understand what grass really is. There are 9,000 known species of grass on earth and it’s extremely important to how people live because we use it across suburbia to make our homes beautiful.
Grass has a simple structure and how it grows is simple as well. At the base is a root which is fibrous and threadlike that extends down into the ground where it soaks up water and nutrients and is secured to the ground. The grass stems (or ‘Culms’) grow from the root upward and create your lawn.
Most grass types have 2 additional stems that grow sideways, either above ground or below. Stems that creep along the ground are called ‘Stolons’, and stems that grow below ground are called ‘Rhizomes’. Grasses use their Stolons and Rhizomes to spread out through the soil and establish new stems.
If once a year, every spring, you Power Rake your Winnipeg Lawn, it will break up the current Stolons and Rhizomes which forces them to re-grow, therefore causing new stems to sprout from those regenerating limbs which will lead to a thicker lawn year after year!
Power Raking causes regeneration to occur, and with an application of Starter Fertilizer you can give your yard a big boost to get growing!
The other most common question is, " If I Power Rake, should i also Aerate my yard?"
Adding Core Aeration with every Spring Cleanup and Power Raking Service will help reduce soil compaction for the clay based soils we have in our Winnipeg yards, allowing the root system of your grass to spread and flourish easier to further maximize your lawns ability to use air, light and fertilizer to look full and vibrant!
When you drive by a well kept home, and see a full, thick, green lush lawn and wonder how can I have that at my home? It's simple...
- Power Raking
- Core Aeration
- Fertilization
- Over-Seeding
Select one of our Spring Maintenance Programs on the home page, crafted into 3 specifically built packages to get the level of service YOU want for YOUR home!
The service you want, at the price you want, that's our Lawn Care Solution with Imagine Lawns & Landscaping Ltd.
We recommend a Spring Cleanup and Power Raking Service in Winnipeg to get rid of the thatch buildup
Turf Knowledge and Thatch
De-Thatching - What Is Thatch 101
In many lawns, organic matter is getting produced faster than it can decompose. That organic matter is called Thatch, and it gradually develops and builds over time. Thatch is a layer of partially decomposed and un-decomposed plant material which is woven tightly with the living tissue of your lawn. The Thatch lies between the surface of the soil and the green vegetation.
Thatch accumulates year after year at a rate based on numerous environmental and maintenance factors.
Minor thatch can improve the durability of a lawn and help keep the soil cooler in the summer heat, as well as prevent weeds from germinating as easily. This healthy amount of Thatch which happens when one mulches their grass clippings over a summer, which does provide numerous benefits to that added decomposing material.
Excessive amounts of Thatch harbor insects and disease making the lawn unhealthy and more susceptible to drought which can be a problem in a climate like Manitoba. This is why many yards drastically benefit from year Power Raking to keep the thatch at a nominal level for best results
What Does Thatch Do?
This matted concentration of material can have positive and negative effects on your lawn depending on its thickness. A minor thatch layer can help with durability to your grass roots and soil stability, but excessive thatch can harbor insects and disease as well as hamper water and sunlight from reaching the soil.
Power Raking Benefits
Using a Power Rake to remove Thatch from your lawn should be performed on a year to year basis depending on the condition of your lawn.
Removing a thick layer of thatch will allow sun and water to penetrate the soil and allow proper growth. Other services like Aeration and Over Seeding will be much more effective if a thick layer of thatch is removed prior to those services taking place.
4 Causes of Excessive Thatch In Your Winnipeg Lawn
1. Clay Based Soils
Grass that grows in a high clay based environment like we have here in Winnipeg, will accumulate Thatch must faster than if it was growing in a softer soil environment.
Most lawns are found to have an extremely high clay content causing there to be shallow root development, leading to Thatch having a higher impact. Yearly Power Raking is required to reduce this.
2. Side-Effect of Constant Fertilization
Applying nitrogen based fertilizers in the Spring can highly increase the rate in which Thatch develops, but due to our dry and arid climate, Nitrogen based fertilizers are used to keep the grass green. Highly maintained lawns require yearly Power Raking to remove the Thatch it generates.
3. Lack Of Maintenance
Regular lawn care and maintenance reduces the amount of Thatch in your lawn. If over the course of the last few years your grass hasn't looked green and lush, but looks thick and brown, it's time to Power Rake. If a lawn has not had regular Hand Raking, Aeration, Top Soil or Seeding Service, excessive Thatch build up is likely the culprit of a lawn's poor appearance.
4. Poorly Aerated Soil
Poorly Aerated soils leave the ground highly compacted. Yearly Aeration can allow the ground to breath and move thus allowing for better growing conditions for your lawn which can proper uptake of water, nutrients and sunlight, all of which help combat Thatch.