using a power rake on rocky/gravelly soil to prep for lawn seeding

Sometime this summer I will be taking down a maple tree, dig out the stump, put in a sprinkler system and replace my walkway.
With this, I will most likely get a tone of rocks. Usually pebbles to 2 inches. I know this bc I had work done in the back yard and the rock situation was horrible, so I'm guessing this will be more of the same. It seems we have a few inches of decent topsoil and rocky fill after that, that gets brought up to the surface once anything is dug up.

The plan is to reseed the front yard. (approx 1000sq ft)

I've been calling around and the only available thing available to rent locally that I've been told may work for this purpose would be a York Power-Rake.

I dont want get through all this, rent the power rake (just under 600$ for one day delivered along with the tractor), then figure out it is not going to do what I want to do. i.e. leave a gravelly surface left.

Can anyone give me some advice on this?

I may kill the whole lawn in the fall and start over. Would the power rake be an appropriate tool? Or would I have to remove sod first?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

A power rake works very shallow. Generally only the top inch or two so it's not not good if you want to loosen the soil to a greater depth and remove the rocks. If you just want to fluff and clean out your thin topsoil layer then it is a good tool.

If you had grass growing previously and it did OK I would probably go with the power rake and not open the can of worms of trying to work the soil deeper. Loosening the soil deeper can be a benefit but if your topsoil layer is so thin I would not want to till that under.

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I don't have gravely glacial remains but my area is known for rocky soil all the way up to car size boulders. I had virgin ground where the topsoil had been removed so what was left was extremely hard. I used a ripper to break up the soil as deep as possible, about 10-12". Then went over it several times with a disc plow to break down the clumps. Then finally a pulverizer and a lot of picking up rocks.

 

Here is what I expect to find ( this pic is of a spot out back that had to be dug).

is an inch or two enough to seed a lawn?

if I do decide to kill all existing grass and re-seed everything, is a power rake acceptable?

thanks again.

 

Holy cow! It's nothing but rock.

If your front yard is like the pictures I'm not sure any tool is proper other than a front end loader and dump truck to dig it out so you can bring in a foot of topsoil. But you're talking a major expense.

A power rake has a long horizontal roller with steel nubs or fingers an inch or two long so it only works the ground down an inch or two. If there are larger rocks it cannot break free they will cause it to ride up and over so you may need to go over the area a few times. Each in a different direction. Any soil you can bring in will be a big help even if it's just a thin skimming on the surface but don't expect to get a golf course.

You might start asking around what people experienced with that type of soil do. Even a landscaper will probably give a DIY'r some free advice.

 

For a 1000 s/f yard I think the easiest route would be to bring in topsoil as Pilot Dane suggested. Eight or ten yards of topsoil should be enough to give a lawn a good start. Grass needs but 3-4 inches to thrive.

 

thanks for the reply.

boy, what a nightmare this whole thing is going to be!

 

I agree with removing some of what you have and replacing it with top soil! I live on the top of a small mountain and my yard is basically slate rock with an inch or so of soil. I've been sowing grass seed yearly to get a lawn with grass - after 20+ yrs, I think I'm starting to make progress. I fertilize but don't dare use any weed killer. Ideally I'd plow it up, remove the majority of rocks and bring in top soil. The main reasons I haven't; my wife would be upset if we had no grass for a while and I'm not really up to the extra work and expense.

 

Would the power rake make the above soil good enough ( i know not deep enough) to seed grass?

Due to expense, I was thinking of getting the soil in good condition a couple of inches down, then perhaps laying sod on top. Even if I have to add an inch or so of topsoil. (preferably not).

Of course my plan is useless of ( insert equipment here) does not work to make that soil half way decent!

Please let me know what you think.

thanks again.

 

The power rake cannot "make" soil. It can only loosen what you have there. If you've got 75% rock and 25% soil you're still going to have a lot of rock but the soil in between will be loosened which will help seed get started.

I'm not sure I would bother with the expense of sod unless you are willing to really go all in. Adding several inches of topsoil and seeding would be my moderate cost approach. The problem is not making your soil decent. It's just that you don't have much soil judging by your picture. You could power rake and then remove the rocks but I think you'd need a dump truck to carry away all the stone (many tons).

 

Thanks.
What an expensive headache.

All this because an idiot planted a maple, then put a cement walkway next to it!!!

 

Don't forget that you're cursed with a whole lot of rock. My inlaws were in a similar situation in Pittsburgh. Their house was built on a hill of old slag. No soil and the slag let any water quickly drain away. They dug out one area and brought in topsoil for some plantings in front of the house and they turned everything else into a paver patio because they never could keep a decent lawn going.