Best Way To Aerate Your Lawn
Almost anyone is capable of aerating their own lawn, no matter the size of their property . If you do have a lawn that spans a few acres, there are still a couple of options for aerating your own lawn so long as you have access to a tractor, ATV or riding lawn mower.
Machine vs Manual Aerators
When it comes to aeration of your own lawn, youre going to need to pick your weapon of choice: manual vs machine aerators. Each has their own pros and cons and are used for different applications and purposes:
Manual Aerator Its just like it sounds, and its hard work. If youre willing to get a little sweaty and want to get that lawn knocked out for a low price, then consider checking out a manual, hand lawn aerator. While it may take you a little longer and make you work a little harder, its going to save a little bit in your pocket-book.
Pros:
- Great for a small lawn area
- Good overall cost saver
- Very labor intensive
- Difficult to use on hard soil
Machine Aerator Now were talkin! This is what the big boys use and its no wonder why: Not only is it gonna be a whole heck of a lot easier, but its going to get the job done faster. The drawback to using a machine lawn aerator is going to be the cost, but if you have a budget that can squeeze er in and ya know you are going to have to use it yearly, then doing so will save you in the long runtrust us!
Pros:
- Easier than dirt to use
- Youll get the job done fast
Cons:
- The initial upfront cost
What Should You Do After Aerating Your Lawn
Whenever possible, combine lawn aeration with other lawn care maintenance, such as fertilizing, adding soil amendments or overseeding. Water, fertilizer and grass seed all need to get through the lawn surface and into the soil to do their job. Creating a path for them to get there can be accomplished by core aerating. An application of fertilizer immediately after core aeration will also help restore your lawn.
How Often And When To Aerate Your Lawn
Soil texture has a lot to do with how often aeration should be performed. All soil is composed of small particles which vary in size, shape, and composition. There are three categories for soil particles: sand, loam, and clay, which are divided by size. Of the three, clay particles are the smallest, which means the soil packs very easily. That makes it challenging for the soil to get what it needs to thrive.
Due to the clay soil that is prevalent in the Lehigh Valley, we advise that a lawn aerating service is performed every year. The fall is the best time to aerate as this is also the time that we would overseed. It is best for the seeds to fall into the holes we create through aeration in order to get them into the soil.
Overseeding is best done in the fall because weather conditions are ideal for growth. While the soil is still warm, the air is cool. This provides the best possible growing conditions for seed germination which, in turns, improves the chance of new grass survival.
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Thatch And Compaction: 2 Problems You Can Fix
Over time, little bits and pieces of grass die and gather just above the soil. This is called thatch. A little bit of thatch can be beneficial. It’s organic material that is broken down by microbes in the soil. But sometimes, thatch builds up too fast for natural processes to break it down. It forms a barrier, keeping moisture and air from going where your grass needs it. A half-inch or more of thatch can weaken your lawn. You have 2 ways to remove it: dethatching and aerating.
Should I Aerate Or Dethatch My Lawn First
Both aerating and dethatching are important practices when it comes to proper lawn care. It helps with root penetration and easy flow of air, water, and nutrients in the core for better root growth. So, should you aerate or dethatch?
If your soil is healthy with enough microbial activity, you may only need to dethatch once a season and probably aerate once or twice a year depending on the type of soil you have.
If youre growing grass in sandy soil, youll need to aerate just once per season, but if it is clay soil, twice a season may be the best option for you.
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Best Time Of Year To Aerate Your Lawn
Whatever time you decide to aerate your lawn the one thing you have to be sure of is that it is within the growing season, this is because when you aerate your lawn it will damage the grass so it has to be growing so that it can repair itself.
I aerate my lawn as part of my spring lawn care routine as I feel it is better to carry out most maintenance during this time so that it has the whole season to repair itself and you get to see the benefits throughout the summer.
You do have to be aware of the type of grass you have on your lawn before you decide what time of year you want to aerate it.
If you have cool-season grass on your lawn then you can choose to aerate it either early spring or fall.
If you have warm-season grass on your lawn then the best time to aerate it would be during spring.
However, if you notice your lawn is in a condition that requires an aerating such as it has become compacted or it is not draining properly then you should definitely go ahead and aerate it.
What Is Lawn Aeration
According to Cambridges Dictionary, aeration refers to “a process that allows air to act on something. When it comes to gardening, aeration is the process of poking small, long holes into the ground in order to provide the soil with good air circulation and improve the grassroots water and nutrient consumption.
Air circulation is very important as it lets stale carbon dioxide out, in turn, making room for fresh new oxygen to go in.
Lawn aeration also helps break through piled-up thatch in high maintenance lawns and reduces lawn compaction, which is the main cause of moss.
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Is It Better To Dethatch Or Aerate
Dethatching and aerating seem to do the same thing, but theres time for each. So should you dethatch or aerate? Core aerating not only breaks up thatch buildup but also relieves compacted soil.
Dethatching mostly loosens the top layer of soil and also removes the layer of debris from the soil. Dethatching can really help when overseeding your lawn.
The Best Time To Aerate Your Lawn
For the best results when overseeding, our lawn aeration service advises you aerate before planting. The purpose of aeration is to break up the soil and allow it to breathe. That way new grass roots can penetrate deeper into the soil and have access to more nutrients. When should you aerate cool-season grasses and warm-season grasses?
The trick is to aerate right before overseeding. The best time to have lawn care services aerate your lawn in Midwest locations is usually around August or September. In warmer states, aerate in late spring or early summer.
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Aeration: Why How & When To Aerate Your Lawn
In order to achieve and maintain a beautiful lawn, you should employ basic lawn care practices such as properly mowing, fertilizing and watering. It is also important to ensure that nutrients can reach the soil beneath your grass. Aeration can be an extremely vital element to a healthy lawn because it allows air and water to penetrate built-up grass or lawn thatch.
Get rid of thatch and make way for a beautiful lawn with this quick guide to aeration. Youll learn why, how and when to aerate your lawn for the best results.
How Long Does It Take To Aerate Your Lawn
When you decide to aerate your lawn the process should only take a couple of hours maximum, this is another reason why people should carry out this process in a quest for lawn perfection.
It depends on which method you use to aerate your lawn on how long it will take.
If you use a motorized lawn aerator then it should take no longer than the time it takes to run your mower over your lawn. If you use the fork method it will take longer as you have to stick the fork deep into the ground for every hole you make and this can take some effort for every hole, depending on the condition of your soil.
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The Different Types Of Lawn Aerator Tools
The primary consideration when it comes to choosing lawn aerator tools is probably your lawn size. If the area is significantly large, an aerator tool attached to a riding mower would be a better pick. If you have a smaller piece of land, the manual options might be more fulfilling.
Lawn aerators come in different styles and are used in different ways.
Types of lawn aerators based on function:
Plug or Core Aerators
Plug or core aerators use rows of hollow tines to remove plugs, place them on top, and break them. You can have a variety of hole sizes depending on the machine you use.
Slicing Aerators
Slicing aerators use rotating blades to cut and slice through the hatch down to the soil. Though the dirt remains in the ground, these tools leave pathways for air and water.
Spike Aerators
Spike aerators simply boreholes into the soil. You can get spike aerators in the form of shoes and walk around your yard as you trim your fence or mow the lawn.
Different Aerator Tool Types:
Aside from the three aeration tool functions above, some people break them down into different types of tools based on how humans actually use them.
Manual Aerator Tools
Electric and Gas Aerators
Electric and gas aerator tools are more automatic. Both work with fuel , and you can use them as long as the power remains adequate. They are efficient and easy to use, plus they could help save time and energy. You can rent them at HomeDepot or other local rental shops.
Lawn Mower Attachments
What Would Happen If You Aerated A Warm
In most cases, nothing bad. The roots of the turfgrass will probably not grow any faster. But there is still the benefit of helping to reduce compaction. When a lawn is aerated, a certain amount of soil is lifted from the lawn and left back on the lawn.
As these cores are broken apart by mowing or melt into the lawn through rain fall or irrigation, the soil will intermingle with the current thatch layer and start feeding on it to naturally break it down. The only concern would be if abnormally cold temperatures were to occur and the ground were to freeze. This may cause some roots to die that are close to the edge of the core holes.
Fall may be the best time to aerate a cool-season lawn, but in some cases, aeration in spring and fall may also be recommended. If the thatch layer has been built up above a half of an inch over a period of time, spring and fall aeration may be the best choice. Many people like to seed after aeration, but we dont recommend seeding a lawn in the spring, since we cannot apply a crabgrass preventer and the lawn will require more watering than it will in the fall.
The most important condition that can affect the quality of aerating a lawn is the amount of moisture that is in the soil. The lawn has to be moist for the tines to penetrate into the ground. Be sure to either wait until after a good rain fall or provide about a half inch of water to the lawn before trying to aerate it.
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Can You Aerate Your Lawn After It Rains
You should be aerating your lawn when the soil is moist and not when its wet. Aeration shouldnt create mud.
This is very important, as if the soil is soaking then youre going to have all kinds of problems with it clogging up the tines of the aerator.
Your soil plugs are going to be a muddy mess and it will potentially look like a quagmire.
So, after heavy rainfall, you should wait a day or two for it to dry out a little before getting to work.
And if your soil is bone dry, make sure you water it to the equivalent of around one to two centimeters of rainfall for prime aerating conditions.
Dethatch Or Aerate Before Overseeding
Both aerating and dethatching are recommended before overseeding because they improve grass-to-soil contact for proper germination. In most cases, youll only need to dethatch to remove the debris that is covering the soil and preventing grass seed from germinating properly.
However, if you have compacted soil in your lawn, you may want to aerate the core to allow deeper penetration of water into the soil. Deeply and well-watered soil promotes healthy and deeper root development of the new grass seed.
After overseeding, topdress the area with about 1 yard of compost per 1000 square feet to increase the rate of grass seed germination in your lawn.
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Why Should You Aerate The Lawn
Aeration is an essential step in lawn maintenance. Unfortunately, many property owners dont realize this and try to cut corners by skipping it. Some assume that just adding water to the soil is enough to keep it loose and aerated. Here are some reasons why you shouldnt skip aeration:
As you can see, aeration is an important aspect of lawn care and will ensure it remains healthy. Proper and thorough aeration should be performed every year in order to maintain your lawns health. We recommend you call professionals to handle the task as they will have the right tools, skills, and knowledge.
Why You Should Aerate Your Lawn
I do aerate my lawn as part of my annual routine and I find it helps to keep my lawn in tip-top condition.
If you are looking to achieve lawn perfection then the simple process of aerating your lawn is a task that you simply just have to carry out, its really is not that difficult and you will see massive benefits.
Some reasons why you should aerate your lawn include:
- It will alleviate soil compaction, soil compaction happens over time especially if your lawn suffers from heavy use like from children playing on it.
- Regular lawn aeration will result in a healthier lawn as it promotes healthy root growth and this is the key to a healthy lawn.
- Aeration will dramatically improve the drainage on your lawn, this is a benefit both in the summer when it is dry and also the winter when it is rainy.
That is four good reasons why you should aerate your lawn and that is why i aerate my lawn every year, some people do it more, some do it less but if you want a healthy lawn then you do need to start doing this simple process on your lawn.
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The Best Time To Overseed Grass
Overseeding means planting new grass to fill in any bare orworn patches. This is helpful for having a gorgeous lawn that looks thick andhealthy all year long. The best time to overseed depends on two factors: whereyou live and what kind of grass you prefer.
Many homeowners in northern states choose cool-seasongrasses, and southern areas often select warm-season grasses. Each type ofgrass has distinctive growth patterns and needs, so make sure to speak with ourlawn professionals if youre not sure what variety to choose. Here are theoptimal overseeding times for several locations and grass types:
- PacificNorthwest : Plant new grasses about six weeks beforethe first projected snowfall. These are generally cool-season grasses.
- SouthwestU.S. : Early spring is the best time foroverseeding in these areas.
- Southernstates : April, May and June are good times tooverseed in this huge area. The best time may vary each year depending on soiltemperatures. You want warm-season grass to have a cozy environment togerminate in.
- Northeaststates : Due to the cold temperatures prevalent in theseareas, its best to start planting grass seeds in August or September to givethem some time to grow before winter hits.
- MidwestU.S. : Weather conditions vary quite abit depending on how far north you live, but a safe bet is to overseed lawns bythe end of August or early September at the latest.
Should I Cut My Grass Before I Aerate
Yes. Its a very good idea to mow your lawn before you aerate as it will allow the aerator to get as close as possible to the lawn for the best results.
Try using one of these awesome budget lawnmowers if you dont have a good one already.
You dont have to take it down too low if you dont want to so scalping it isnt necessary but just make sure its a nice, close trim so the aerator can get to work.
At the same time, you might want to take a good commercial weed eater around any difficult to reach areas, just to finish off the trimming job and give your lawn the treatment it deserves.
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