The suction effect of mowers is overblown. I suggest a combination of both; use common sense and your lawn will spring back up.

Anything you do that will increase, oxygen, water flow and sunlight will work.

 

Depends on your lawn and equipment. Personally, I have to do both...rake first and then mow later. Otherwise it's pointless (for me). Raking takes a few weeks if you do a section at a time with a decent sized yard, so I won't be mowing anywhere for at least a week probably, and even then I'll still have areas left to rake.

 

I mow low with a rotary to remove lawn debris and scalp the lawn lower. I then scarify (light power rake) after the lawn is awake, growing, and the soil is dry enough it won't tear out the grass. That is about 3-4 weeks after the scalp mow.

 

Thanks for the comments. Depending on how many spots have to be opened up, I'm going to determine to either rake it or mow

 

I use a blower. Way better than a rake. Dries it out, fluffs it up, and doesn't damage the grass.

 

I use a blower.

 

I do neither and somehow the grass always grows and turns green. :dunno:

 

And to add, mowing as low as you can go would remove a lot of green tissue at a time when the grass needs all the energy it can get to come out of dormancy. I think you might be trading a sooner green-up in exchange for negative overall health of the lawn.

 

I'm most likely going to with blower route.
Seems to make more sense. That's got the advice!

 

One thing to consider is the type off grass you have. KBG gets seed heads in May and it can take forever to green up and actively grow. I get the mow low and make it easier for the sun to warm up the soil, which starts the lawn growing sooner.

But last year I was waiting forever for my KBG to perk up and as soon as it did, I had seed heads everywhere. The theory has always been let the seed heads get nice and long, then cut them down a notch or two when they KBG gets out of that phase.

Cutting really low, makes it that much harder for KBG to regain the ground it lost, and then you won't be able to cut the seed heads when you have to.

 

Leaf blower at max power and point it down.

 

I agree, blow the lawn.