Knowledgebase
Raking #744494
Asked April 15, 2021, 1:20 PM EDT
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Thank you for writing.
The science of this is quite elusive and you do not say where you live. If you live in the southern third of the state, its is ok to start now. Do not power rake your lawn, especially if you overseeded last fall. You will tear out the new grass. A light raking to simply pull up matted leaves is fine.
Most bee nests are in holes in the ground. Let your early pollinator food such as dandelions bloom. It might be a good idea to leave your compost pile alone for a while for the insects nesting in there.
Normally I like to post an an authoritative link to evidence based research but I can not find any.
As a rule of thumb, if the ground can be worked, it is ok to rake.
Best of luck to you.
~Wendy
On Apr 15, 2021, at 1:04 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
My advice stands. Light raking is fine. Leave your compost alone. I really wish there were some studies to back up the memes on this topic.
We have a new screen this year and I am still learning to see the data.
Best to you