Question
I have been raking the lawn every year when springtime comes (I live in CT).  My parents would just tell me to rake all the dead grass, and I rake it into a wheelbarrow and then we throw it away somewhere.  There are no leaves to rake, I'm just raking the lawn (not with a metal rake, with one of those crappy plastic rakes).  I realized that this is the dumbest damned thing I've ever done.  My parents argue that it is aerating the soil, but to do that, I should be using the metal rake, and I don't believe that the grass will be needing too much aerating.  Also, I believe that the dead grass is the lawn's only source of a natural compost, and it protects the new grass that is growing from the sun.  Can you settle this argument please?

Answer
Charles,

Anything which can bring Americans out of their arm chairs and which involves physical excercise can only be a good thing. Even if you were cementing the yard, I would still say it was good, if it brought you outdoors and involved  excercise. A good lawn raking is remarkably good for the cardiovascular system. It has probably added 5 years to your life span.

Raking the lawn in early spring is beneficial. It cleans up dead grass which would otherwise clogg up the soil surface. The 'natural compost' value is not all that great, and raking does free the grass plant crowns which keeps them healthier and allows sunlight in which prompts grass to grow earlier. Raking in spring is more beneficial than fall, as the organic matter can help protect crowns during winter.

Aerating value, however, is very limited (especially with plastic rake). Metal rakes which are specially build to 'aerate' would have half-moon shaped discs with two sharp pointed ends. these ends can rip into the thatch layer and remove it. thatch is a layer of partially decomposed crowns, rhizomes, and roots which build up over time. It  is not all that common with cool season grasses (as grown in CT) but very common in southern states (on warm season grasses). Thatch will prevent oxygen, water and fertilizer from reaching the roots and without annual dethatching southern grasses can decline rapidly. On cool season lawns, de-thatcing is less critical.

if the lawn is fertilized in late spring, early fall and late fall (instead of early spring and summer) thatch accumulation should be minimal.

Proper aerating (core aerating) involves removal of 3" cores of soil from the lawn. core aerating machines can be rented from equipment rental stores (where you rent tents, etc). The machines are oversized lawn mower types with hollow tines which penetrate and pulls thousands of cores of soil from the lawn and deposit them on the surface of the lawn.

The core holes allow oxygen, water and fertilizer to reach the root zone. it also eliviates compaction and permit grass roots to expand and grow deep. it is one of the best horticultural practices you can perform on the lawn if done in early fall (september). The machines are really bulky and heavy, however, and require two people to lift plus a large van or small suv to transport. prices run $40-100 for a weekend.

If you want to help aerate the lawn, rent a core aerator every fall, but don't stop raking the organic matter off the lawn every spring. It helps tidy up the lawn, it is a great cardiovascular work out for you, and it allow sunlight to warm up the crowns and can get the grass growing without any decomposing organic matter which can lead to disease (potentially) and which compete for sunlight, oxygen, water, and fertilizer.

While probably not what you were hoping for, I do recommend an annual raking with a leaf rake (plastic rake). If nothing else, for your health.