What are the pros and cons of aeration vs. power raking my lawn before seeding and fertilizing? Thanks!

Power raking only eliminates the debris from the lawn. Aeration feeds oxygen to the roots of the grass. Do both. A good tip, and one my husband used to do, was go over the entire lawn wearing his golf shoes. It eliminated having to rent one of those push/pull rollers with the spikes in it.

Hey Nater, thought there would be more replies by now. Mowerman is usually here, must be having a cold one. Tickle is correct about the power raking removing the thatch. Check to see if you have a thatch build up by raking with a rigid rake maybe 3 strokes in the same area. Don't do it right now because you are about to get hit with a storm in your area by 7:00 PM.

You should power rake first. This removes thatch from existing grass. Which also clears the soil for good contact by seed and fertilizer. Then aerate the soil. This allows grass roots to spread, making the lawn thicker. It also allows fertilizer to move more quickly to the root zone.

Aeration has much better results then power raking. Using a power rake can put the lawn into shock and damage the crown. The aeration will help oxygen, water, fertilizer get to the root system. Then will help expand the root system by plugging the cores. This will also help dethatch the lawn but will maintain a nice level of thatch on your lawn. This will help make your root system thicker and healthy, which will help with the lawn density.