What Period Of The Year Do You Need To Dethatch
Dethatching of lawn varies because of the difference in the weather conditions, the conditions of the soil, and the types of grass are what determine when to dethatch.
Personally, I prefer to dethatch my lawns during the springtime.
Because I normally carry out dethatching on my lawns before application of any treatment like fertilizer, lime, watering, and overseeding.
If you overseed or fertilize before dethatching, you will end up removing everything. Because this involves removing excess soil.
When To Aerate The Lawn
You might have noticed that all lawn care practices follow a fixed schedule. You add fertilizer to the soil before spring or winterize it before winter. Similarly, you need to aerate your lawn at a specific time as well. If you perform this procedure at the wrong time, you will damage the grass and that will lead to ugly brown patches in your lawn. Heres how you determine when you should aerate the lawn:
- Warm-Season Grass Warm-season grass experiences active growth during the summer months. You can aerate your lawn during late spring or early summer as the upcoming growth period will quickly fill the holes created by the process. If you follow this schedule, there will be no damage to the grass and the lawn. The new growth will be strong and your lawn will look healthy and green during the summer. Examples of warm-season grass are Bahia, Bermuda, Buffalo, Centipede, St. Augustine, and Zoysia grass.
- Cool-Season Grass Cool-season grass thrives during thecooler temperatures of fall. This variety of grass takes advantage of the slow weed growth during this season. You should aerate lawns with this type of grass four weeks before the frost sets in. This allows the new grass to grow and thrive before the winter. You should aerate lawns with Creeping bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rough bluegrass, and Ryegrass during fall.
What Is Lawn Aeration When And How To Do It
If you are a novice or seasoned gardener, or simply a homeowner who has an interest in understanding and knowing more about landscaping, you may have heard of lawn aeration even if you have little idea of what it is.
In this article, we will provide an in-depth explanation of what lawn aeration is, why & when you should do it, and provide tips that will help you with the actual process.
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Should You Put Topsoil On Top Of Grass Seed
When placing topsoil over newly planted seed it will actually suffocate the grass seedlings and ultimately they never have the chance to even get started. … Even though they can not be covered with topsoil or earthy materials they can not be let exposed either. Grass seed loves a warm niche in the soil with moisture.
Professional Lawn Aerator Services
Once you have completed the aeration process, you can enjoy a healthy lawn. Just be sure to continue your general lawn care practices. The Grounds Guys know how much time and energy this can take from your already busy schedulelet us help!
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Should You Aerate Your Lawn:
The most common question among homeowners is how to determine whether their lawn is a good candidate for aeration. Here are some tips.
- If your lawn get heavy use, such as children and pets routinely running around the yard. These activities contribute to soil compaction.
- If your lawn was created as part of a newly constructed home. Often, grass is established on subsoil and compacted by construction traffic, leaving the topsoil stripped or buried.
- If your lawn has a dried out and spongy feel to it. This is an indicator that you may have an excessive thatch problem. Use a shovel and remove a 4 inch slice of the lawn. If the thatch layer is greater than one-half inch, aeration is recommended.
- If your lawn was established using sod that leaves a soil layering of finer texture over the existing courser soil. This finer layer disrupts the drainage, leads to compacted conditions and causes poor root development. Aerating will break up the layering and allow water to flow more freely to reach the roots.
When Do You Need To Aerate Your Lawn
Ideally, the best time for lawn aeration in the UK is either in autumn or spring. This is when the soil is mostly likely to be naturally moist and it is suitable for the holes to be set effectively.
Ideally you would aerate in the spring when it is just coming into growing season for the grass, as this gives the grass the opportunity to heal properly. Keep in mind that the weather in the UK varies a great deal and aeration is very condition dependent. If it is too wet then the holes will not let water and air through as the sides of the holes will seal up. When it comes to frequency of lawn aeration it is dependent on the lawn.
New lawns should be aerated more often as they have a less matured root system and aerating helps this develop and grow. We would recommend you aerate a new lawn twice a year for non-established lawn. Those with hard or clay soil should be aerated once a year as they have more difficulty getting air and water to the roots. For all other types of soil and lawn you should aerate at least every 3 years, but more frequent if the grass is looking unhealthy or not growing well.
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When Should I Aerate
The best time to aerate warm season grasses, such as soft-leaf buffalo, couch, kikuyu and zoysia is during spring and summer while they are actively growing. You can aerate at any time of the year, but if you do so in the cooler months just keep in mind the grass wont cover over the aerated holes as it is dormant. Always try to aerate at the same time you are fertilising or performing any other major lawn care operation such as dethatching and top dressing. It is also a fantastic time for aeration after rainfall, as it will make this process much easier.
For cool season lawns, such as fescue and rye grass, the same principle applies. With proper care and a lot of water, cool season lawns can grow all year so you can aerate all year round. Again, keep in mind the absolute best times are when you fertilise or perform any other lawn care and following rainfall, so soil moisture levels are high.
Aerating is often overlooked, but its importance in allowing air, water and nutrients to get into the soil cannot be overstated.
After aerating in spring is a perfect time to fertilise your lawn.
Difference Between Aerating And Dethatching
Some people tend to confuse aerating with dethatching. Invariably, theyre not the same at all, nor do they perform the same function on the lawn.
Aeration is a process of ensuring proper circulation of air, water and nutrients in the soil.
It involves using an Aerator to create holes on the earth with spikes, by removing at least 1 by 2 cores of the soil.
Aeration is very important because it helps to improve drainage and reduce soil compactness or density.
Aeration is the first step to take when preparing the ground for grass seeding. You can either aerate with a machine or manually.
While dethatching is a process of removing over dense thatch from the lawn, which includes the living and dead stems, roots, and weed.
Dethatching allows the lawn to absorb enough water, air, and nutrients that will make the lawn grow thicker and healthy.
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Should I Apply Fertilize On My Lawn After Dethatch
The best time to really apply fertilizer on your lawn is immediately after you dethatch.
Though, one of the best recommended fertilizer is the liquid one.
Dont apply the nitrogen to the grass until they are grown, and green up first.
Applying Nitrogen when your lawn is dominant, will only encourage the weeds to develop and possibly choke the grass.
Ensure the liquid fertilizer contains Phosphorus and Potassium without Nitrogen at all. Why? Its because Nitrogen will compound your lawn problem.
What To Do After Aerating Bermuda
Aerating the lawn has important benefits for the soil and the grass, and each time you do, it allows you to strengthen the lawn in other ways.
- Add fertilizer Spreading fertilizer after aerating in the spring will give a boost to the lawns growth, penetrating into the topsoil thanks to the open holes across the ground.
- Overseed When you aerate the lawn and expose the soil, its also a good time to sow new Bermuda seeds, or another warm-season grass, to fortify the existing property.
- Leave the soil cores The cores, or plugs, pulled from the ground by the core aerator should be left in place. Theyll break up and return to the topsoil, so no dirt is lost.
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How Do I Aerate My Lawn
Before getting out there and aerating, you need to be sure that the soil is relatively moist, so either water the lawn before or plan to aerate the day after it rains. Mowing the lawn beforehand doesnt hurt either.
Hand aerators are some of the cheapest aerating options available and are perfect for smaller lawns and gardens. Pitchforks can do the job, or you can use a hollow tine aerator, which removes a plug of soil as it goes which helps to prevent the hole from quickly closing again.
Machine aerators are very good at what they do, but they come at a premium price. The smaller ones work well for small and medium-sized lawns and gardens and are used similarly as old-time lawnmowers. The bigger machines are truly massive, as they must be pulled by a tractor to take care of enormous lawns and fields.
When doing the actual aerating, its important to focus your attention on the areas of your lawn with the most issues theres no point in wasting your time and energy going over healthy grass several times. Problem areas, on the other hand, need to be gone over several times with the aerator. Be sure to do your aerating in an organised manner as well, similar to how you mow the lawn.
After youve finished aerating, consider applying your fertiliser to accelerate the turfs recovery into a thick and healthy lawn.
What To Do After Aeration
After you finish aerating your lawn, let soil plugs or extra soil dry where they fall. They’ll break down in rain or crumble the next time you mow, adding beneficial soil and organic matter to your lawn surface.
Right after aeration is a perfect time to overseed with premium Pennington Smart Seed and fertilize your lawn or do simple lawn repairs. Seeds and nutrients have direct contact with soil through the openings your aerator created and roots have fresh pathways for the things they need. The combination can help put your lawn on the fast track for quick seed establishment and thicker, lusher growth.
By adding aeration to your annual task list or doing regular compaction tests to check for need, you help ensure your lawn can reach its full potential for thickness, health and beauty. Pennington is committed to providing you with the finest in grass seed and lawn care products to help you achieve your lawn goals.
Pennington and Smart Seed are trademarks of Pennington Seed, Inc.
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When Is The Best Time Of Year To Aerate
Timing is everything when it comes to aeration. If you get aeration-happy at the wrong time, you could end up severely harming your lawn instead of helping it grow. To time it properly, you need to consider both the season and the weather conditions.
Your season will be determined by the type of grass you have: you want to aerate at the beginning of the peak growing season. This will help your lawn quickly recover from the temporary damage aeration causes and promote maximum growth of the root system. If the grass is still completely brown, it is not the time to aerate! The grass should be greening first. For cool season turf like fescue, bluegrasses, and ryegrass, aerate in the fall. Much of the turf in Colorado Springs is cool season. For warm-season turf like Bermuda, Buffalo, and St. Augustine, the time to aerate is in late spring or early summer.
Weather conditions also must be right for aeration. Aeration does cause some root damage, so you need to avoid dry periods, heat waves, and cold snaps to avoid further stressing your lawn. While the soil should be moist, aeration also should not be done when it is overly soaked, or the soil will clump together and not be aerated properly.
When Lawns Need Aeration
It may not seem your lawn could get compacted, but it happens easier than you may think. Vehicles or small equipment driven on lawns are more obvious offenders, but even outdoor entertaining or yard play by kids and pets can leave all or part of your lawn compacted. If you live where heavy clay soil is the norm, annual aeration is probably needed to keep your lawn from becoming thin and weak.
Dethatching and aerating are two different tasks, but they often go hand in hand. Thatch is the layer of decomposing organic matter that forms right at the lawn surface, between soil and grass. When thatch gets more than 1/2 inch thick, it works like compaction to prevent the flow of air, water and nutrients grasses need. Aggressive spreading grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrassin northern lawns and Bermudagrass down south, form more thatch than many other grass types. Aeration helps penetrate and reduce thatch buildup or prep it for removal through dethatching.
If your grass often looks stressed and your soil is hard to the touch or rainwater puddles up where it used to be absorbed, you may have compaction problems. Confirm your suspicions with a simple “screwdriver test.” Take a regular screwdriver and stick it into your lawn’s soil by hand. It should slide in fairly easily. If you meet resistance, your soil is compacted, and aeration can help.
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Do I Need To Have My Lawn Aerated
Asked by: Federico Greenfelder DVM
No, it’s not necessary to aerate your lawn every year, especially if your grass is healthy and thriving. Aeration is good if you’ve got compacted, poor or clay-heavy soil that’s been impacted by heavy equipment or lots of foot traffic. It’s also good to aerate if you are renovating a yard or installing a new one.
Additional Signs You Need Aeration
- Your lawn regularly receives heavy use.
- The thatch on your lawn is greater than one-half inch.
- You have dense clay soil.
If your lawn is not prone to soil compaction, then it will likely grow normally without the need for aeration.
Natural factors such as earthworm activity and winter freeze-thaw cycles often loosen compacted soil. Do not aerate your lawn during the first year your lawn is newly seeded or sodded.
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Will Grass Seed Grow If I Dont Aerate
Germination can be poor in lawns with a thick layer of thatch. … To provide an excellent seed germination environment when overseeding without aerating, the soil must be exposed. Hard raking to remove thatch after mowing low will help loosen up the topsoil, making it great for grass seed to germinate upon.
When Is The Best Time To Aerate Your Lawn
Regardless of where you live and what type of turf grass youre working with, aeration can help your lawn be healthier and more beautiful. The trick is knowing when its best to aerate, what equipment to use, and what else you can do to encourage the vigor of your grass. Additionally, aerating can also assist in limiting weeds ability to gain a foothold in the lawn.
According to Josh Friell, Ph. D, of The Toro Companys Center for Advanced Turf Technology, aeration introduces temporary stress to the turf. Recovery time is closely linked to growing conditions and annual growth cycles. As a result, its important to keep those considerations in mind when determining an annual aerification plan.
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How Often Should You Aerate Bermuda Grass
Bermuda grass should be aerated at least once a year in the early spring but can be aerated up to three times throughout the spring and summer. This is done by golf courses to keep the greens in top shape. Aeration conditions the soil and encourages root growth for dense coverage.
You can model this professional maintenance schedule for your own lawn care calendar and get golf-course quality turf at home.
Spike Aerators For Your Lawn
Spike aerators put holes into the soil with an actual spike.
Some people use special aeration shoes that have spikes on the bottom to aerate their lawns. While cheap, these arent the best tool for the job. If possible, it is better to use actual spike aeration machinery.
Others just use a pitchfork or manure fork to push some holes into the ground. This can be a quick and easy way to aerate a section of your lawn that is particularly high-traffic. I will sometimes do this on areas near my front walkway where kids and visitors frequently take a shortcut across my lawn.
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