How to aerate a lawn and when you should do it
If you take pride in your yard, you need to know how to aerate a lawn. When freshly planting grass seedFertilizing for growth and regular mowing contribute to healthy grass, nothing beats airing.
Aerating essentially involves piercing the soil to allow for better air circulation in the soil, and this is something many lawn lovers forget.
Over time, your soil will become compacted both from daily footfall and from its own weight (especially on heavy soils). This can result in a layer of straw forming on the surface, preventing your lawn from reaching the necessary water and nutrients. Taking the time to aerate your garden frees up the grass roots to access what they lack. This leads to a healthier and greener Results in the long run, so it’s definitely worth reconsidering your garden.
But before you rent a machine, know that there’s a time to aerate your lawn and a time to leave it alone. Would you like to find out more? Here’s how to aerate a lawn and when to do it.
How to aerate a lawn in 7 easy steps
what you will need
– Lawn aerator (tip or core)
– Flag markings or alternatives
– Grass seed
– fertilizer
1. Choose your aerator — First you need to decide what you want to use to aerate your lawn. There are two types of aerators: spiked and cored aerators. Spiked aerators literally have long spikes that pierce the ground when you drive over them. Core aerators, on the other hand, pull up “cores” of soil as they work, leaving them on the surface.
You can find manual tools for each method so you can air by hand, but there are also attachments that you can hitch and tow behind a riding lawn mower. Alternatively, you can rent or buy electric scarifiers and aerators from most department stores, such as$429, the home depot (opens in new tab)).
Between the two methods, core aeration is generally more effective as it leaves a much larger gap for air to enter, but remember that it’s messier as “cores” will be scattered about your garden by the time you’re done.
2. Water Your Lawn – Be sure to water your lawn a day before you plan to aerate it. This will make the task much easier as the bottom will break apart more easily. You can always schedule the work after the next downpour if you want to save water. You want about an inch of water above your lawn.
3. Mark any necessary areas you want to avoid — Once you start aerating your lawn, you’ll be amazed at how determined you can become. So much so that it’s all too easy to run over an unsuspecting watering head.
Mark any areas that you must avoid when airing, such as: B. Irrigation systems or tree roots. You can really use whatever you want to do this with, but make sure whatever you use is visible and doesn’t slip. We recommend the ACE Supply Orange Marking Flags ($18.99, Amazon (opens in new tab)). Remember to keep your markers for next year as well.
4. Make sure the ground is soft – When the day comes when you need to aerate your garden, make sure the soil is soft enough to work with. If you are unsure, test your aerator on an inconspicuous area. If it’s too firm, it might need more water and a few days longer.
On the other hand, the soil can also be too wet. If the soil borders on mud, don’t bother to aerate it. Wait a few days for it to solidify. Then try again.
5. Aerate Lawn – Now comes the main event. Essentially, to aerate a lawn, you want to work your way up and down in one direction to cover the entire area, and then back and forth at a perpendicular angle across yourself. This means that you work the same soil twice.
If you are ventilating an area with particularly high traffic, e.g. B. Near a trail or across from a driveway, pass the aerator over that section a few more times to be thorough. This is necessary as this section of soil is likely to be more compacted than elsewhere.
6. Wait and See – If you used a core aerator it might look a bit messy when you’re done, but all the dirt on top is actually a good thing. If you let it dry on its own and break down naturally, it will better distribute nutrients throughout your garden.
It should only take a few days to a week for these cores to fully decompose. Don’t be tempted to rake them away in the meantime – you’re just removing the valuable nutrients your soil brings to your lawn.
7. Apply What’s Needed — Now that your lawn is fully aerated, it’s time to overseed and apply fertilizer to encourage growth.
Remember to water well and keep an eye on it. A freshly aerated lawn dries out much faster than a compacted lawn, so you’ll likely need to water it more frequently initially.
When should you aerate the lawn?
Most tend to aerate their lawns in late summer or early fall, largely due to the heavy wear and tear the soil has taken over the holidays. This gives the weed time to recover before the winter months arrive as well.
However, nothing speaks against airing in the spring. Just make sure you don’t do it in the height of summer when the weather is hot and dry – this could dry out your lawn and do more harm than good.
How often should you aerate the lawn?
This depends on the type of soil you have as well as the amount of traffic it receives. Heavily walked soils should be aerated annually, sandy soils only every 2-3 years.
For more lawn tips, tricks and how-to’s, check out our guides to planting grass seed, greening your lawn, striping your lawn, laying lawns, the 7 most common lawn care mistakes you’re probably making now and 7 ways to revive dead grass .