Have you ever walked by a yard that had lots of little plugs of dirt scattered around? And then you noticed hundreds of little holes around the yard that the dirt plugs came from. What is that, and why do people do it?
That’s exactly what we’re going to answer in this post.
What is aeration and how does it work?
Lawn aeration is when you perforate the soil of your lawn with many small, shallow holes to allow air, water, and other nutrients to get down to the grass’ roots.
But why do you need to do this? There are a couple of reasons for aerating your lawn. First, over time, the soil in your yard becomes compacted, making it difficult for water and nutrients to soak down to the roots. The second main reason for aerating is because of the build up of thatch. Thatch is a tangled layer of dead and living grass that acts like a sponge, soaking up water and keeping it from reaching the roots.
Both of these issues prevent your grass from getting the air, water, and nutrients needed to grow thick and strong. By aerating your lawn, you’re breaking up the hard soil and thatch to allow more nutrients into your lawn, which will result in a healthier, fuller lawn.
Why should you aerate your lawn?
There are a few reasons why you might want to aerate your lawn. If you notice that your lawn has a lot of dead brown spots, that could be thatch that’s preventing the surrounding area from getting proper nutrition. If you notice your dried or compacted, aeration can help, as well.
Another reason to aerate is if your lawn was installed with sod. Often, sod contains finer soil, and when that soil doesn’t mix with the previous soil, you get soil layering. When that happens, water has a hard time getting through the fine soil and into the coarser soil where your grass’ roots are.
How and when to properly aerate your lawn
If you’re planning to aerate your lawn, you can either do it yourself or hire a lawn care professional such as Advanced Quality Lawn that offers an aeration service. If you have the option, have your lawn aerated with a plug aerator, not a spike aerator. A plug aerator takes small plugs of dirt out of your lawn, which you can later break up with a lawn mower or leaf rake. Plug aerators or better than spike aerators which only poke holes in the lawn and can actually compact the soil even more.
Another important factor to consider is timing. It’s best to aerate during the growing season in spring and fall. If you aerate in early spring or late fall, then you can aerate with cool season grass. If you aerate in the warmer months, use warm season grass.