Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2015 April 19

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April 19

Lawn tool identification

Around this time of year, I usually see someone out doing something to their lawn with a power tool that I can't identify and I'm not sure what its purpose is. The tool is similar to a gas powered weed whacker, trimmer, or edger in that it has a long handle so that the user can walk over their lawn and use it while standing. It's the business end that has me confused though.

At that end is a rotating wheel or drum with what appear to be flexible paddles on it much like a paddleboat. Just imagine something like what is in this image but only about 8 inches in diameter and using flexible paddles with the handle extending up from the lateral center (not an end).

The paddle wheel spins and seems to be just fluffing up the dead grass. No large piles of detritus seem to be gathered.

What does this do and what is it called? I have a guess that it's to just breakup the topsoil in order to make it easier for the grass to come up but that seems a bit ridiculous since it's grass and has been coming up through soil for eons. I've looked over the lawn equipment selection at online hardware stores but haven't been able to find one of these. (Note: I'm in Vermont and the snow has just recently melted from most everyone's yards) Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 01:41, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

The process of fluffing up dead grass is called "dethatching", because thatch is dead grass. The device used to do so is called a dethatcher and there are a bunch of different models of dethatchers with different designs. I'm 99% certain this is what you are describing. The purpose of dethatchers is usually to expose or prepare the topsoil to receive seed. Depending on where you are in the world, it could be spring seeding season right now. --Jayron32 01:45, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Sounds sort of like a verticut or power rake, especially from how you describe what it's doing (breaking up the topsoil). The reason people use this is because they want a grass lawn that people can walk on, rather than a crisscross of dirt paths. When the soil gets compacted, the grass dies and can't grow back up through it. This is also why professional turf people will do deep aeration, which usually leaves a lot of dirt plugs lying around (they'll often then go back over and use a verticut to break up the plugs and get the dirt back into the ground before it dries and blows away). Compacted dirt won't let grass seedlings grow, and won't let water penetrate. Even if you just stop walking on it, only some grasses will spread back through... more often it's weeds that grow there and muscle out the nearby grass. —/Mendaliv/^2¢/_Δ's/ 01:57, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. While I'm not doubting you guys, an image search on Google provides pages and pages of dethatchers and none of them have flexible paddles. They all consist of either blades or, more often, tines. Dismas|^(talk) 03:02, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

Does it look like this? That's a "power broom", and I would have thought it was for sweeping sidewalks and driveways, not lawns. —Steve Summit (talk) 10:45, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

Yes! That's the thing! Thanks! Dismas|^(talk) 10:46, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

So you said you "usually see someone" -- I wonder if it's always the same someone? It seems an idiosyncratic use of the tool, and not particularly good for the grass. —Steve Summit (talk) 02:14, 20 April 2015 (UTC)

I can't remember each person specifically but it was more than one person that I've seen use the tool. I can't remember what each one of them was doing with it but I know I've seen at least one person out on their lawn with it. Dismas|^(talk) 05:20, 20 April 2015 (UTC)

A number of the pages on power brooms at manufacturers' Web sites say that they can be used for dethatching. (Admittedly, these are usually the larger ones; the small hand-held ones might be less suitable unless one has a pretty small yard.) Deor (talk) 10:43, 20 April 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps he was hunting worms.Ykraps (talk) 18:16, 21 April 2015 (UTC)