Dethatcher

[carpetfarmer]

I am needing to dethatch a grassy area
ahead of a 4-H archery match in a couple
of weeks.

Will a landscape rake work suitably for
this or will it cause more damage to the
turf than good? We will be using church
property; its a grassy area just off the
parking lot that gets mowed frequently
but they dont blow out the windrows when
they mow, so there will be a lot of
thatch down in the grass canopy. Just
wanting to dethatch it ahead of time so
it will be easier to find lost arrows.

I don't have a dethatcher or a landscape
rake, but I know a couple people with
landscape rakes that I could borrow.

 

[carpetfarmer]

Just remembered, I do have an old single section spike tooth harrow similar to the picture that I have never used. Would that work better or worse than either a dethatcher or landscape rake?

 

[DoubleO7]

(quoted from post at 01:46:23 08/10/20) I am needing to dethatch a grassy area
ahead of a 4-H archery match in a couple
of weeks.

Will a landscape rake work suitably for
this or will it cause more damage to the
turf than good? We will be using church
property; its a grassy area just off the
parking lot that gets mowed frequently
but they dont blow out the windrows when
they mow, so there will be a lot of
thatch down in the grass canopy. Just
wanting to dethatch it ahead of time so
it will be easier to find lost arrows.

I don't have a dethatcher or a landscape
rake, but I know a couple people with
landscape rakes that I could borrow.

Without a real dethatcher I would use the landscape rake and run it backwards so as to drag over the grass like the tooth harrow would.

Another consideration...
Look up your nearest billboard company, see if they will give you a couple of expired use vinyl billboards. They will give them away for free.
Lay one or two on the ground starting at the targets.
We have done that for a few years at a renaissance fair with good results in stopping the arrows before they diasappear.
Most just slide over, some go under but you can see the hole.

 

[carpetfarmer]

Ahhh, the billboard is a good idea! Thank
you!

 

[DoubleO7]

Just don't leave it on the lawn all day. Especially if hot and sunny as it can get hot underneath and hurt the lawn.