When should you aerate your lawn??
The best time of the year to aerate your lawn with cool season grasses is in the fall. Fall aeration should take place from September to late October after temperatures have cooled down from the summer heat. Ground temperatures and conditions are perfect for new grass seed to germinate. Aerating in the fall preps your grass for the next spring as well as giving it a boost at the end of the growing season. Your lawn will grow greener and thicker after the fall aeration, and who doesn’t love that!
Why Do We Need To Aerate?
Lawn aeration is a treatment used when the soil in your lawn is compacted. A lawn can become easily compacted if a lot of action goes on in your yard. Parking cars on your lawn, animals running around, and kids playing on the lawn are just some common ways soil can become compacted. Compacted soils make it so water and air do not reach the roots of the grass in your lawn, leaving your lawn lacking the nutrients it needs to be healthy. If you live in an area with clay soils, your soil is more likely to become compacted than areas with sandy soils. The bonds in the clay soil are much closer together, making it difficult for water and air to penetrate to the roots.
How Does Core Aeration Work?
A core aerator machine pulls out plugs of soil in your lawn to leave pockets for air and water to get through and leave room for root growth. It is important to use core aeration methods because using spikes to just poke holes in the ground could cause further compaction. The plugs of soil that were taken out by the aerator will break down and give more nutrients to your lawn. The cost of aerating your lawn depends on the size of your lawn. If you want to DIY or hire a lawn care company, there are other treatments you want to do with aeration.
Overseeding
A great treatment to do along with your spring aerating is overseeding. Overseeding is when you put seed down on top of your existing grass. Putting down new grass seed will fill in bare spots and help your lawn grow thicker and stronger. When aeration is paired with overseeding, the new seeds will make contact with the soil easier.
Fertilizing
Another treatment that goes great with aeration and seeding is fertilizing. Fertilizer is used to give the grass nutrients that are not supplied naturally by the soil. The early spring is when you want to apply fertilizer to your lawn, just like with aeration, so why not do them together? Fertilizer can be used with fall aeration as well. It will feed your grass throughout the winter and give you a lush green lawn in the spring. To know what nutrients to use, your lawn company will take a sample of the soil in your lawn and see what level of nutrients occur naturally in your lawn. They will choose a fertilizer that will supplement the lacking nutrients in your soil.
Leave It To The Pros
Taking care of a yard and keeping your lawn healthy is no walk in the park. If you do not have time or simply do not want to work on your lawn, call a professional. A pro is going to know exactly when to aerate your lawn and they are going to be able to do it professionally. When comparing prices, you might find that hiring a lawn care company will cost you about the same as renting the equipment, buying seed and fertilizer, and spending your free time doing work. Professionals have the knowledge and the skills to give you a beautiful and healthy lawn that will thrive throughout the whole spring and summer.
