What Is Aeration?
The process of creating small holes in your lawn to allow for water and oxygen to penetrate into the lawns roots by loosening compacted soil and allows vital air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots. This guide will give the insight on “how to aerate my lawn.”
How to Aerate Your Lawn
- The day before aerating your lawn, water to the lawn to soften the soil to 1 inch of saturated soil.
- Avoid accidentally running over any sprinkler heads or shallow irrigation, septic, or utility lines.
- If you’ve never aerated it before or your soil is heavily compacted, go over the entire lawn twice. The second pass perpendicular to the first pass.
- Leave the plugs of soils on the lawn so they can break down and add nutrients back into the aerated soil.
- Once completed aerating, water the lawn very well.
Do not let your lawn dry out, therefore water your newly aerated lawn every 2-3 days during the next couple of weeks.
When to Aerate Your Lawn
Lawn thatch is sure sign of compacted soil. Aerate If you have heavily compacted soil due to high traffic areas or heavy clay soil every year. If you have sandy soil or your lawn is growing well, you can aerate every 2-3 years. Aerate your lawn when your grass is in its peak growing season so it can recover, therefore early spring or the fall for cool-season grasses is ideal. For warm seasonal grasses, late spring through early summer is recommended.
One thought on “How To Aerate My Lawn”
Are there any tools you’d recommend for aerating your lawn? I don’t want to maul my lawn, but at the same time, I want to ensure I aerate it properly. Also, any idea how much it would cost for a lawn service to aerate for me? While I enjoy gardening, I don’t know how I feel about aerating. I might leave it to the pros and save myself the hassle and the possible harm to my lawn if I am heavy-handed.