From March till November. When and how often to spike a lawn depending on its type Newer lawns need to be aerated a bit more often as their root system is not as mature and this will help them develop and grow.
Lawns with hard or clay soil have to be aerated at least once a year as they have a harder time getting fresh air and water to reach their roots. Of course, if you notice that the grass is looking unhealthy you might want to increase the frequency.
Need a professional? Book lawn aeration with us and save the hassle! Add a valid postcode e. SE1 2TH. How to aerate your lawn Aerating a lawn is not particularly hard, but in order to do it right you will need to follow the following steps: Before starting the aeration process make sure your soil is moist enough.
So try to aerate the lawn a day after it has rained or a day after watering it. Not all areas need aerating, so disregard the unaffected ones.
Mowing the lawn will help break the soil plugs up and slowly return them to the holes they came from. Aside from applying fertiliser you should continue to mow and water your lawn frequently after the aeration to help grow healthy grass in a short amount of time. Can a garden fork be used to aerate a lawn as well? How do you know if your lawn needs aeration? Soil compaction prevents the needed amount of air and water from reaching the soil.
Without a healthy microbe population, decay will cease to occur meaning that once older plants die, they will just keep building-up until they create a soggy thatch layer. Once this layer reaches a thickness of inches 2. Lawn Disease - If a lawn has become compacted it will become more susceptible to disease.
The most common lawn diseases are fusarium which occurs usually in autumn and winter, red thread in summer and rust in autumn. Grass Colour - Compacted patches of lawn usually have a dry appearance. Rapid Drying - A lawn with poor moisture-holding qualities will dry faster than other healthier lawns. Thatch is the layer of decomposing organic matter that forms right at the lawn surface, between soil and grass.
Aggressive spreading grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass in 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. It should slide in fairly easily. If you meet resistance, your soil is compacted, and aeration can help. As with most larger lawn projects, such as planting grass seed , it's best to aerate during or right before the time your grasses reach their peak time for natural growth.
Aeration is good for lawns, but it can stress grass if timed improperly. Never aerate dormant lawns. For cool-season grasses common in northern lawns, early fall or early spring are the best times for aerating. For warm-season grasses common to southern lawns, the best time for aerating is late spring or very early summer.
When aeration coincides with active growth, grasses recover quickly and fill in areas where aerator equipment exposes soil. 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. Aeration involves perforating the soil with small holes to allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate the grass roots.
This helps the roots grow deeply and produce a stronger, more vigorous lawn. The main reason for aerating is to alleviate soil compaction. Compacted soils have too many solid particles in a certain volume or space, which prevents proper circulation of air, water and nutrients within the soil.
Excess lawn thatch or heavy organic debris buried under the grass surface can also starve the roots from these essential elements. One of the most common questions from homeowners is how to determine if they should be aerating their lawn. Your lawn is probably a good candidate for aeration if it:.
The best time for aeration is during the growing season, when the grass can heal and fill in any open areas after soil plugs are removed. Ideally, aerate the lawn with cool season grass in the early spring or fall and those with warm season grass in the late spring.
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.
These machines can be rented from lawn and garden stores or home improvement centers. In Northern Virginia, spring lawn aeration can improve growing conditions for all types of lawns, as it benefits the soil that supports both cool and warm season grasses. Read more about grass types in Fairfax County. Generally, you should aerate your lawn annually , although this depends on the age and condition of your lawn and your soil type.
For example, a newly installed lawn or a lawn growing in naturally well-drained, organic soil may not compact as quickly as other soil types, and thatch may not be an issue. On the other hand, clay soils and playing fields tend to compact quickly and will benefit greatly from more frequent core aeration. You might have a larger issue with drainage , which is something we can help remedy.
Lawn aeration tools vary widely. If you have a small lawn, you can aerate it with a hand aerator. You step on the plate and, as with spiked shoes, use your own body weight to push the aerating prongs into the soil. These types of aerators allow you to cover large areas of lawn quickly and aerate in a uniform pattern. Homeowners may even be able to rent a lawn aerator from local rental companies.
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