Most people have the basics down when it comes to taking care of their lawn. They know how to water it, when and how to mow it etc. But, there is one element that can be quite helpful for the overall health of your lawn that many do not do – aeration. Throughout this article, we will help you understand all the ins and outs of this procedure that will help your lawn grow, be healthy, and much more resistant to the weather and pests.
What is lawn aeration?
Lawn aeration is a process that creates holes in the lawn. This is designed to help the lawn absorb as much air, nutrients, and water as it is possible. This will solve the tendency of the lawn to become too compact. The compactness causes some parts of the lawn to not get enough air, nutrients, and water.
Should I DIY or pay a professional?
You can easily hire an aeration machine from Homedepot and do it yourself, but for all the time and effort, it’s going to work out to be about the same price as getting a professional in. It will cost you about $17 per 1000 sq ft. for a professional or about $85 to hire the equipment.
What do you do after you aerate your lawn?
After the aeration of the lawn, you should leave the soil plugs in the ground and let them decompose by themselves. You need to make the ground as fertile as possible as soon as possible, which means you have to apply fertilizer to the ground right after aeration. Following that, you should reseed your lawn, paying close attention to the areas of your lawn that have the last amount of grass left.
How often should you aerate your lawn?
It all depends on the ground on which you have seeded your lawn. If your ground is more of the sandy type then you should probably do it once a year. If it is more clay-like, between once and twice should be enough. And if you live in a climate that is more harsh and cold for plants be sure to aerate the lawn at least twice a year to ensure optimal growth.
Does aeration help level lawn?
It does help level the soil in the sense that you perforate it. And it will help you figure out where you need to reseed the lawn as well. So over time, aeration will help make your lawn more healthy, symmetrical, and beautiful.
Do I need to aerate my lawn?
There aren’t any absolute answers. It all depends on the current condition of your lawn and the aforementioned weather and soil conditions. If your lawn is looking as healthy and as green, as it can be then it would be advisable to skip the aeration for at least half a year, or until you notice the health of your lawn degrading.
Can you walk on the lawn after aeration?
It isn’t advisable. The lawn should be reseeded after aeration. Following that, to ensure it grows well, you need to water it for about two weeks straight. Walking on the aerated lawn would just damage the new seeds as well as compress the recently decompressed soil.
Should I roll my lawn after aerating?
Yes, in most cases. After you have covered the lawn with topsoil and sew your seeds, with your hands or any other way. You should roll your lawn. After you do that you should keep the lawn watered well for about two weeks’ time. Just be careful when you are rolling the lawn not to compress it too much. If you do that you will just negate all the good work you have done for your lawn during the aeration process.
What month Should I aerate my lawn?
Since the majority of plants suffer heavily during cooler months of the year, the late fall and early winter, the best time to aerate the lawn would be in early spring. That means if you think that your lawn needs aeration should mark a date on your calendar in late September or early October. But if you live in an area where the winters are more friendly to the plants and the summers are scorching hot, then it would be best to do it just before the summer starts, around the end of May. And if your lawn seems to have problems growing as fast as it does in your neighborhood, you can always aerate it just before springtime by the end of March.
How do I know if my lawn needs aeration?
There are a few clear signs that will obviously tell you that your lawn isn’t growing as it should be and that it needs more help to thrive. The first and most obvious sign is the thinning of the lawn itself. Do not rush and just reseed those parts of the lawn. It is the most likely case that those parts of the lawn are the most compressed and they urgently need aeration. The second sign is that the lawn has started to lose that healthy green look and has become much more yellow or plainly pale. This happens when the areas of the lawn do not get enough nutrition and start to suffer. Again, easily solved with aeration. The third sign is that the lawn leaves puddles when you water it. Healthy soil with the right amount of seeds, air, and nutrients makes the lawn absorb the water as effectively as possible. When that isn’t the case it probably makes that the lawn is experiencing compressed soil. The worst thing about this third sign is that if you try and water a part of the lawn that has been reseeded but not aerated, it will just wash away your new seeds, without giving them the time and opportunity to grow.
Should I pick up plugs after aerating?
Plugs should be left to decompose naturally, with time. Sure your lawn might look quite messy at the beginning. But do not worry. It is only a temporary look before your lawn shines that spectacular green color that you have always wished it would. If you are more impatient. You can use a rake and remove them but the slow and gentle. Do not remove too much all the once, this will only injury your chances of a beautiful lawn. Raking the plugs will make your lawn look better in the short term, but it might risk its long-term health and prospects. To ensure that the lawn has enough nutrients even as the plugs have been removed, add compost to the soil. Compost will fill the holes left in the lawn after aeration, giving your soil and new seeds enough nutrients to grow.
Should I roll or aerate my lawn first?
It would be advisable to aerate the lawn first, and after you are done aerating, you should roll the lawn. This will help with the compactness of the soil. It would be ideal if you do it two or three weeks after the aeration process. The soil should be well watered when you roll it. Never wait long enough for the soil to dry up. waiting too long will only decrease the effects of the rolling in the first place. If done right, the grass should be much easier to take care off and especially it would be more easy to cut it and take care of it during the whole year.
Is rolling your lawn good or bad?
In most cases, it can be a bad thing. If overdone rolling the lawn can lead to the problem you wanted to fix with aeration, a solid that is a way to compact for the lawn to grow. When the ground gets too compact, the water and the nutrients won’t be delivered to the seeds, leaving them helpless and without much chance to grow. But many people still do it today, mostly to get rid of the bumpy parts in their lawn. IF you have rolled your lawn in the past, but haven’t gotten the lawn to grow as you hoped it will, you can try and sub the rolling with a plain lawn topdressing after you have aerated it. This will hopefully level the lawn enough, and give it that wide, horizontal green look that everyone desires.
Can you aerate too much?
Of course, you can. Anything you do can be overdone. That also goes for aeration. But the good news is that you have to really overdo it for it to have some serious negative effects on your lawn. Some people do it every 2 or 3 months. But you have to be careful. It is always the best way to stick to the basics. Know what type of lawn you want. Know what soil you have. And act accordingly. But also be like water. If there is something wrong with the lawn, if it displays some of the symptoms we have talked about above, consider your options and perhaps do the aeration again, if it seems like the proper way to go about fixing the issue that you are experiencing.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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