Sometimes your lawn needs a little space to breathe. A thatch rake is an important tool to help water and nutrients reach your grass’s roots and keep it healthy. While it’s a tool you’ll only use occasionally, it can be a worthwhile investment.
When To Use A Thatch Rake
Thatch builds up over time on your lawn. It consists of leftover grass clippings and shredded leaves left behind after mowing. While much of this decomposes and helps to fertilize the lawn, there is always excess. That excess forms a layer of thatch which can block water and air from reaching the soil and the root system of your lawn.
A thatch rake is designed to break up and tear the thatch away from the grass. That means it has a design that’s different from a garden or leaf rake. Its blades are almost always metal and sharp at the point. This allows it to cut through and pull up the thatch firmly embedded around the grass.
The blades come in various shapes. It’s common to see them as half-moons with one end pointed for cutting through the thatch and the other side designed to pull it up.
What To Look For In A Thatch Rake
When it comes time to choose a thatch rake, there are a few factors to look at.
First, of course, is to make sure the blades are adequate for the job. We’ve never seen anything advertised as a thatch rake that doesn’t live up to this requirement, so you’re probably not going to have any issues here.
You also want a handle that’s comfortable to use. That includes both the grip and the length. This job does take a bit more force than raking grass or leaves. So be sure to choose one that’s not going to cause more back, arm, and hand pain than necessary.
A final important factor is the width of the rake. A wider thatch rake will help you get the job done faster. At the same time, it will require more force to pull it through. There’s always a need to balance the two carefully according to your ability and your yard size.
For bigger jobs, you might want to rent a motorized dethatcher or one that can attach to a ride-on mower. You can often rent them at big-box stores like Home Depot.
Reviews Of The Best Thatch Rakes
Thatch rakes may be a bit tougher to find than many other tools. It’s worthwhile, though, if you want your lawn to look great.
Ames 19-tine Adjustable Thatch Rake
This thatch rake features the “traditional” style rake with half-moon shaped tynes. It has a 14.25”-wide spread, which is on the larger end.
The handle is a sturdy hardwood and measures 54” long. It has a rubber grip on the end. We’d prefer a longer grip, but this is helpful, at least.
The head is adjustable and the instructions explain how to angle it for the depth of thatch on your lawn. This is an important adjustment. It’s easy to do, but if you don’t set it right, you’ll be expending extra energy. As well, be sure to read the directions to save yourself some energy!
It’s nice to see that this comes with a 15-year limited warranty, too!
Wolf-garten Interlocken 12” Dethatching Rake – Head Only
This rake has a slightly different form than the norm but is still great for your basic dethatching work.
There is only one side to the tynes. Its “hook” point helps dig into and pull up the thatch all in one step.
The head is adjustable. The adjustment is best made with a set of pliers to loosen a nut. You then pivot it and tighten the nut again. The head is 12” wide, so it’s great for smaller yards. It also makes it easier to pull through the grass, since you’re pulling less thatch up at a time.
Please note that this is only the head of the rake. There’s no handle included. You’ll need to order a Wolf-garten handle like this aluminum one separately.
Gardena 3391 Combisystem 14-inch Rake Head
This is another rake head that’s ideal for dethatching.
The galvanized steel tines efficiently dig into the thatch and pull it up. These are “one-sided” tynes so the same ones that cut through it will pull it up. However, you might find it helpful to use a garden rake to pull it up better.
At 14 inches wide, this is on the bigger side. It’s not adjustable, so you may have to struggle a little to get it to the right angle. But once you find the right position, it makes quick work of the job.
It has a 25-year warranty. The handle fits multiple Gardena tools.
C2F Professional Metal Thatch Rake Head
This thatch rake from C2F is sturdy and uses the more traditional model of two-sided tynes. These are made of ough steel that will help get the job done quickly and without damaging the tool.
The head measures 13 inches wide. A big drawback is that it’s not adjustable.
We have seen some customer issues with the bow of metal holding the blade to the handle. However, from reading the issues, it seems they were using the tool to try to break up soil or roots. This is not designed for that and seems perfectly suited for breaking up thatch.
A standard rake handle will work with this; there is no proprietary design. Pop it in and screw it on.
Conclusion
While you may only need to dethatch your lawn once a year, it’s still helpful to have the right tool for the job. Getting a quality rake will help keep the job simple and painless. And it will pay off with a lawn covered in healthy grass that has all the nutrients and water it needs!
