Spread compost with a leaf rake or a landscaping rake?

12 years ago

Author Sandy Baker says to use a leaf rake to spread compost onto your lawn. Paul Tukey uses a landscaping rake (there's a photo in the book of him using a landscaping rake to spread compost onto a lawn).

A landscaping rake is a really wide rake and probably has metal teeth/tines (I haven't seen one up close yet).

The leaf rake I have is a very gentle one in that it's plastic (not bamboo--hard to find those) and its teeth are NOT pointed like a *soil* rake's canines. The teeth of a leaf rake are more akin to molars, I guess.

The closest thing I have to a landscaping rake right now is a *soil* rake--I guess that's what it's called. It's teeth are strong, unbending and *unflexible* metal and the teeth are pointed somewhat like canines. These *soil* rakes aren't as wide as landscaping rakes, but I imagine they're similar in the metal canine teeth respect?

Anyway, should you use:

(1) a gentle, plastic leaf rake to spread compost...

(2) a pointed canine metal *soil* rake...OR

(3) a wide landscaping rake to spread compost onto a lawn?

There's something that's an intermediate rake between a gentle plastic leaf rake and an inflexible metal-toothed *soil* rake, and that's a rake that has metal teeth, but the teeth are thin and *flexible* (they bend). I'll call that an intermediate rake.

I don't recall if I used the intermediate rake or the gentler plastic leaf rake to spread a bit of compost earlier in the summer. I probably used both. I do recall not using the unflexible metalic *soil* rake, though.

The landscaping rakes really are wide. Maybe they'd get the job done faster?

What's your rake preference for compost?

Comments (9)

grasshole
12 years ago
Quit reading and get out in the lawn and do some raking. They'll all spread compost.

Just to throw another wrench in the works, I sometimes like to use what you call a soil rake upside down to spread material. Sometimes something else.

Everything has a place. Put the books down, go outside, and figure out what fits you and where.
ZoysiaSod
Original Author
12 years ago
Grasshole wrote:
Quit reading and get out in the lawn and do some raking. They'll all spread compost.

[Chuckle] I see why they call you grasshole :-P [good-natured laughter]

You will see that I've done a whole lotta raking this season if you read this thread called "Winterkill and trench composting" at http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lawns/msg1218330522222.html

I've raked leaves and mulch-mowed them many times this season :-)

I've avoided all winterkill.

I've also mulched my veggie garden, spread some compost, and planted about 40 zoysia plugs and sod pieces.

I've also seeded a cool-season mixture in one area of my yard, and removed a *ton* of weeds *by hand* wherever I found them.

I read and do, not just read my friend. You, apparently, don't read, though, because that thread I mentioned is easily found in this forum.

Maybe the diffence between you and me is I read first before I do something, so I get it right.

Now let's be nice :-)
Let's go mellow on the testosterone :-)

Your pugilistic reply garnered one in return :-)
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grasshole
12 years ago
Haha! Avoided winterkill with zoysia in December?

What did that require on your part? LOL!
grasshole
12 years ago
And for the record, I was being nice. Just get out there and figure out what works.

There is no right answer here. All in fun. Just trying to help.

Now I understand why they call you ZoysiaSod. LOL!
ZoysiaSod
Original Author
12 years ago
Well, then, I apologize. But then, your first reply didn't seem nice to me :-)

No hard feelings here :-)
grasshole
12 years ago
I'm sorry. I thought my reply on what I used to spread material seemed on topic.
pkapeckopickldpepprz
12 years ago
I'd use a landscape rake. I use mine all the time for levelling bare areas.
pkapeckopickldpepprz
12 years ago
FWIW the landscape rake has a flat edge on the reverse side of the side with the metal tines. This flat edge part is the side you want to use for spreading compost. It will spread it evenly. Thank me later.
fruitjarfla
12 years ago
"veggie garden" ????????
OccupyGardenWeb !