When To Aerate The Lawn

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.

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Where To Find An Aerator:

To aerate your lawn, first determine what equipment you require. If youre working in a small area, or the problem isnt too significant, you can get a good rake from the local hardware store to remove thatch and then begin spiking.

Conduct spiking by plunging the teeth of the rake into moist, but not wet, soil every few inches to create holes in the lawn. This will expose the grasses root systems to air, water, and nutrients.

A more extensive project may require different equipment. Luckily, finding a power-operated or manual lawn aerator is a simple task that you can complete at your local hardware store.

Is Lawn Aeration Really Necessary

Aeration is good if you have compacted, poor or clay-heavy soil that has been impacted by heavy equipment or lots of foot traffic. Its also good to aerate if you are renovating a yard or installing a new one. But its not necessary to aerate your lawn every year, especially if your grass is healthy and thriving.13 Sept 2006

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What Is The Best Time To Aerate A Lawn

Late summer and fall is the optimum season. Why fall? Blame it on summer. Thats when many lawns become compacted from heightened activity, foot traffic and dry weather. Fall aeration alleviates the compaction, preparing the soil to grow healthy grass the following spring.

Spring aeration is an alternative, but if you aerate in the spring, you could unearth weed seeds and cause unnecessary weed growth. And if youre applying a crabgrass preventer in spring, punching holes in your lawn after treating with a pre-emergent herbicide can compromise the chemical barrier it creates to prevent crabgrass and other weeds.

The absolute worst time to aerate is during hot, dry weather, which could quickly dry out the grass, causing undue stress to your lawn.

Are You In Maryland Or Northern Virginia And Need Aeration & Seeding

If you are interested in improving the appearance and health of your lawn, Blades of Green can help with our aeration and overseeding services. Our highly trained professionals are prepared to ensure that your yard gets the maximum amount of coverage for optimum benefit. If you still have questions about aeration and seeding or how to choose a provider, the technicians at Blades of Green can point you in the right direction.

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Combine Aeration With Overseeding

Overseeding is a terrific way to address patches or other weak spots in your yard. The increased root growth of fall combined with aeration helps you get the most out of an overseeding treatment. Aerating the lawn creates a fertile bed where a new seed has the best chance of taking root. The combination of air, nutrients, space, and water allows a new seed to flourish and will help fill in a patch of grass. If you are already investing in seed and fertilizer, it makes sense to take the step of aeration to ensure the most accelerated and healthiest growth.

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

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Why Aerating Helps Lawns

Grass roots need air, water and nutrients to grow thick, deep and strong. When soil becomes compacted, even slightly, it inhibit the flow of the essentials that support thicker, healthier turf growth. A layer of compacted soil just 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick can make a significant difference in the health and beauty of your lawn.1 Aeration creates holes down into the soil to alleviate compaction so air, water and nutrients can reach grass roots.

Deprived of their basic needs by compacted soil, lawn grasses struggle in stressful situations, such as heat and low rainfall, and lose their healthy, rich color. Grasses gradually thin and eventually die out completely, for lack of the oxygen, water and nutrients available just inches away. Even a single aeration session can open the avenue for these essentials to reach their mark and put your lawn back on an upward trend.

Core aerators pull small plugs of soil to the surface.

When Is It Time For Aerating Your Lawn

You should aerate a lawn when soils are moist. Spring is a great time to aerate a lawn made of warm season grass. This is when the grass is actively growing and it will recover quickly from the process. The cooler season lawn is better aerated in fall.

If you are not sure if you need to aerate, simply dig a section of turf out that is at least 1 inch square. If the brownish layer under the green, growing grass is an inch or more, then it is time to aerate. You can also just stab a screwdriver into the sod. If it is difficult to bury the tool to the hilt, it is time to aerate.

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Need To Know Aeration Tips

• Do not aerate newly seeded or sodded grass for at least a year.
• Make sure that your fertilizer doesnt contain weed killer if you are seeding your grass. It will stunt seed growth.
• Longer tines of at least 4 inches are a good choice. This allows water and fertilizer to penetrate deeper into the soil.
• Make sure that when you aerate, it pulls the plugs out of your lawn vs spiking .

There you have it. This is a complete guide to aerating your lawn. Use these steps to create a lush and healthy lawn, and dont forget to enjoy your healthy, green yard, of course! Our lawn care experts know Colorados soil, common lawn problems, and specialize in plant health care. Contact us today!

The Best Time To Overseed Lawn

Overseeding is the process of keeping lawns green as well as healthy that every homeowner prefers. This allows the seed cultivated directly. Plus, overseeding helps improve ground thickness, correct discolored quantities, fill in bald patches, and more.

To know the best time to overseed a lawn is the most meaningful message of a gorgeous lawn lover.

Ultimately, the time is to be sure of the categories of lawn and weather of your area. If you dwell in the northern locales of the U.S. the cool-season grass is the right choice for you. Alternatively, if you stay in the southern regions, the warm-season lawn is suitable for cultivating.

Here are the details of various grass types and locations.

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What To Do Right After Aeration

After you finish aerating your lawn, let the soil plugs dry where they fall. Theyll break down over time which can help fertilize the lawn. Dont pick them up, however raking them to break them down faster is fine if you dont like how they look.

Right after aeration I like to seed, water and fertilize. This helps nutrients penetrate into the freshly cut holes down to my roots. The seeds and nutrients will never have a better path right to the soil than after aeration. This really helps create and maintain a lush, healthy lawn.

Which Method Should You Choose

Aerators which remove plugs of soil are the most effective, according to most lawn care and turf experts.

This is definitely what I have found.

That said, the efficacy really depends on your lots type of soil. Also, consider the size of the lot youre going to be aerating when choosing a tool and method for lawn aeration.

Poking methods can be less effective due to causing additional compaction around where you place the holes.

I recommend that you use an aeration tool that pulls soil plugs at least 2-3 inches deep. These should also be no larger than 1 inch in diameter and no farther than 4 inches apart for best results.

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How Often Should You Aerate Your Lawn

For healthy lawns, aeration should be done once a year. If soil compaction and thatch buildup occur frequently on your lawn, it is best to aerate it twice a year.

Some home-owners recommend aerating lawns on an as-needed basis. For instance, if you notice signs such as thinning of grass or worn areas, or puddles, it is time to aerate your lawn.

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How To Dethatch

If you have a small patch of lawn and don’t mind a little exercise, you can use a convex rake. As you pull it through the grass, it lifts up and moves the thatch. Chances are, you’d prefer a power rake, which can be rented at some hardware stores or equipment rental centers. It combs your grass and kicks out a large amount of debris, which you’ll have to rake off afterwards. If you live in a warm climate, be sure to ask if the machine you’re renting is suitable for your type of grass.

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How Can I Do It

If you have a small lawn you can easily carry out this process with a garden fork. The key thing is to do lots of holes and try to make sure they are as deep as possible we recommend at least 125mm deep. If you are going to aerate with a machine then ideally use the services of a company such as Lawntech who will provide the service at a cost effective price, using the best professional machinery.

How To Aerate Your Yard

If you’re convinced that your lawn is in need of aeration, here are some lawn care tips on how to do it:

• Before you get started, make sure the soil is moist enough. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to aerate soil that is bone dry. Aerating the day after a rain shower or watering your lawn the day before is advised.

• Most aeration machines cover only a small percentage of soil surface per pass, so make multiple passes over the most compacted areas. Save resources by leaving unaffected areas alone

• The excavated soil plugs should be allowed to dry and then broken up to give your lawn a uniform, clean appearance. Break them up by running them over with a lawn mower or pounding them with the back of a rake.

• An aeration myth is that if you apply a pre-emergent herbicide on your lawn in the spring, aerating your lawn will destroy the herbicide “barrier.” This is not true research shows that aeration will not affect crabgrass control or weed prevention.

• After aerating, it’s important to continue basic lawn care practices such as proper fertilizing, mowing and watering.

Aeration is a beneficial practice toward achieving a beautiful lawn, but most people don’t realize it or understand the process. If your lawn is a candidate, make it an integral part of your lawn care regime. Your lawn will thank you for letting it breathe again.

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Powered Types Of Aerators

For larger lawns, or if you prefer to spare your back, gas-powered aerators make the job relatively quick and easy. These heavy-duty aerators usually remove plugs of soil and grass, which is the best method of lawn aeration. Lawn aerator rental is available at many garden centers or home improvement stores.

• Pull-behind aerators look like manual drum aerators, but instead of muscling the aerating tool, a riding lawn mower does the work. This means that pull-behind aerators like the Agri-Fab Tow Plug Aerator can be heavier and spikier than manual lawn aerators, thus they can also be more effective.
• Gas-powered aerators look like lawnmowers, but instead of spinning blades that cut grass, they have spinning spikes that aerate the soil. Some multi-functional models like the VonHaus 2 in 1 Lawn Dethatcher Scarifier and Aerator contain an additional dethatcher drum for added convenience.

When To Aerate Lawns In Colorados Front Range

With Colorado weather changing every other day it can be a little confusing when the best time aerate your lawn is. Thats why Erbert Lawns has created a guide about when to aerate lawns in Colorado, more specifically the front range.

But first, lets talk about why its important to aerate your lawns. Over time you will notice your lawn will grow thin and shorter. Your lawns soil will get compacted from activities, rain, and even snow! This compacted soil doesnt allow for your lawn to soak up nutrients and breathe properly.

The key to proper lawn aeration is knowing when is the best time to aerate. A good rule of thumb is that aeration should be done in the cooler seasons like Spring or Fall. However, living in Colorado, you probably get a little confused when those seasons really start or end. Here are our tips and tricks for aerating your lawns in Colorado during these seasons.

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Why You Should Aerate

Aeration is the antidote to the heavily compacted soil, which may be present on a lawn that gets very heavy foot traffic, or which is planted on a soil base that is heavy in clay content. It rarely is necessary where soils are on the sandy side. Core aeration is sometimes advertised as a solution to problems with thatch however, it does not do much to relieve that problem if thatch is already present. Where thatch is a genuine problem, a true dethatching operation is a better solution. However, dethatching is a fairly violent action to a lawn, and an annual core aeration may well prevent thatch problems in the first place.

If you have the type of soil and conditions that require lawn aeration, you can do it once each year. It does not hurt your lawn, and in fact, will make it healthier and more attractive. Some people dislike the look of the small plugs of soil and turf that are pulled up and scattered over the lawn, and if so, you can rake them up. Left on the lawn, though, they will quickly break up and decompose.

Aerating Tools: Plug Aerator Vs Spike Aerator

Two main aerating tools exist a spike aerator and a plug aerator. With a spike aerator, you simply use the tool to poke holes into the ground with a solid tine, or fork. Plug aerators remove a core or plug of grass and soil from the lawn. For the best results, use an aerating tool or machine that actually removes plugs of soil. Poking holes is less effective and can actually cause additional compaction in the areas around the holes.

Look for an aerating tool or machine that removes soil plugs approximately 2 3 inches deep and 0.5 0.75 inches in diameter, and about 2 3 inches apart. These machines can be rented from lawn and garden stores or home improvement centers. Always follow the directions provided by the store. You may want to consider sharing the rental cost with a neighbor who is interested in aerating the lawn.

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Signs I Need To Aerate

What are some signs that I need to aerate my lawn? Not all lawn care problems are solved with aeration, but knowing the signs of grass that needs some help will allow you to determine if aerating will solve your turf issues. Signs that you may need to aerate are:

• Spots in your lawn with stunted growth
• High traffic on the lawn
• Standing water, water pools or excessive water runoff

Best Ways To Aerate Your Lawn

If you have decided that you are going to aerate your lawn, its important to do it properly.

First make sure that the soil has enough water. It will be very difficult to aerate soil that is dry. Either try to aerate right after it has rained, or water your lawn the day before you begin.

There are plenty of aeration machines that only cover a small part of your lawn are once, so try to make multiple passes over the same area, and move the machine in different directions .

If there are areas that do not need to be aerated, there is no reason to do so. Save your energy for the areas which need it the most.

In order to keep a cohesive lawn, you will want to allow any soil plugs that have been excavated, to dry and then break them up. You can break them up by running over the lawn and plugs with a lawn mower, but I use the back of a leaf rake once theyre dry.

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