How Often Should One Aerate a Lawn?
Lawn aeration refers to making thousands of small holes in the surface of your lawn. The object is to let water, oxygen, sunlight and nutrients get down to the roots of your grass and improve the health of your lawn. Aeration also enables the roots to reach deeper into the ground to make the lawn more resistant to drought and disease. Does this Spark an idea?
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Technique
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Most lawn aeration is performed with the use of motorized aerators that you rent and push along your lawn like a mower. For larger areas like a sports field or golf course, riding machines are available. Aerators typically come in a spike form, which slides narrow rods into the ground or a core form, which uses hollow spoons to pull out small plugs of earth. A core aerator allows more nutrients and oxygen to penetrate into the lawn. Push your aerator in a criss-cross pattern over the lawn and ensure that each square foot has about 12 holes.
Frequency
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For most lawns, aerating twice per year is enough to keep it healthy. If your lawn has sandy soil, once every couple of years will suffice. If you lay sod or grass seed, don't aerate the lawn for at least 12 months. Add fertilizer to your lawn immediately after aeration.
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Optimum Times
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Beneficial times to aerate your lawn are anytime the ground is not frozen, but not when it is very hot or dry. In the spring and early fall when the grass is in a growth stage are good times, as are times you notice water puddling in any one area or worn down areas due to heavy traffic. Water your lawn well the day before you plan to aerate, so the plugs of earth will come out smoothly.
Benefits
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Aerating your lawn offers several benefits to the overall health of the grass. Aerating reduces water runoff and improves the ability of the grass to take in fertilizer. Soil compaction, which is a major symptom of an unhealthy lawn, is greatly reduced by timely aeration.
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References
- Photo Credit lawn image by Sergey from Fotolia.com
