How to aerate your lawn

Introduction:

In the spring, we all want our yards to be looking their best. One of the most important things you can do for your lawn is aerate it. But what does that mean and how do you do it? We'll answer all of your questions in this post, so you can have the perfect yard this season.

How do you know if your lawn needs aerating?

The best way to figure out if you need to aerate your lawn is to do a little digging. Literally. Take a spade or garden trowel and start poking around in the soil. If it’s dry and dense, and it bounces back when you try to press down on it, then your lawn could use a good aerating. You can also look out for other signs of soil compaction, such as footprints that remain visible for a long time after you’ve walked on the grass, or water puddling on the surface of the lawn. When the soil is compacted, it becomes much harder for air, water and nutrients to penetrate, which can cause problems for your lawn such as drought stress, patchy growth and that unsightly yellowing.

If your lawn meets any of the following criteria, it’s likely a good candidate for some aeration:

If your lawn is one of the many that meets any of the following criteria, it’s likely a good candidate for some aeration:
-Your lawn gets heavy use, such as children riding their bikes or playing on it, or from pets bounding around all over it regularly.
-You want to be aerating your lawn long before severe soil compaction sets in. How do you know if your lawn even needs it though? A simple way to test is to take a screwdriver and stick it into your lawn’s soil. If you can slide it in easily then the soil is fine, but if you have to work at getting it in, then the soil is compacted and could use some help.

When to aerate your lawn for the best results

The best time to aerate your lawn is during its peak growing period. This is usually in the late spring or early summer, when the grass is growing the fastest. You may also want to aerate in the fall, especially if you have a lot of weeds or if you’re trying to prevent them from sprouting up. That’s because early spring is when weed seeds are looking to germinate and the open holes that aeration adds to the soil provides those seeds with the perfect home.

Choosing the best aerating tools for the job

If you’re looking to aerate your lawn, it’s best to do so when your grass is in its peak growing period. This will help your lawn recover quickly. There are a few factors to consider when choosing the best time to aerate your lawn. For cool-season grass, aeration should be done in early spring before the grass starts to grow rapidly. If you’re trying to get rid of lawn weeds or want to prevent them from sprouting up, aeration is a great way to do so. The open holes that aeration adds to the soil provides those weed seeds with the perfect home to germinate, leading to a weed-free lawn.

How to aerate your lawn: Step by step

To aerate your lawn, you can use one of several different tools: a garden fork, plug aerator, spike aerator or power aerator. If you don’t have any of those tools, you could also use a shovel or a screwdriver. However, while you could just grab one of the above tools and start poking at your lawn, a little bit of preparation work and following some specific steps can help ensure your lawn gets the most out of aeration. With that in mind, here’s how to aerate your lawn for maximum benefits.

Step 1

Step one in the aerating process is to mow your lawn low. You'll want to cut it down to about 1.5-2 inches above the ground. This will make the aerating process much easier, since you'll be able to poke holes more easily into the soil.

Step 2

Step 2 is arguably the most important: getting the soil nice and wet. If the days before you plan to aerate have been dry, water the ground thoroughly after you’ve mowed it. This will help the soil loosen up a bit and make it easier for the aerator to penetrate. Another thing to keep in mind: Apply at least an inch of water as you’ll get better and deeper aeration in soft soil, not to mention the fact that it will make the job easier for you. So aim to water your lawn a couple of times before you aerate it.

Step 3

Now it's time to start aerating! Use your aerator to poke little holes all over your lawn. Be sure to cover the entire surface, but take care around any areas that have irrigation flags sticking out. These flags mark any areas of your lawn that might have hidden objects, such as tree stumps, as this will prevent you from running over them and causing further damage.

Step 4

For lightly compacted soil, go over your lawn once with your chosen aerator tool and then go back over it in a perpendicular motion. This helps to create more holes and loosen the soil. For deeply compacted soil or if you’ve never aerated before, you’ll want to do a few more steps. Follow the same pattern as above, but make two or three passes across your lawn. Additionally, you can use a metal rake, shovel or pitchfork to help break up the soil after aerating. Finally, Congratulations, as the hardest part is now behind you. What follows are just a few final tips and tricks we want to share to help your lawn thrive in the immediate months following aeration.

What to do after aeration

After you've aerated your lawn, it's important to give it some TLC. The best way to follow up your lawn aeration is to give it plenty of water and fertilizer, as this will help add lots of nutrients back into the soil. The fertilizer will help promote healthy grass growth, and the water will help the soil absorb the fertilizer. These nutrients will then decompose and work their way back into the holes that you made. And there you have it: a well-aerated lawn that's ready for spring. If you're feeling ambitious, now might be a good time to start on your summer gardening projects!

Today's best Draper Lawn Aerator

Conclusion:

Aerating your lawn is a great way to keep it healthy and looking great. It's easy to do, and only takes a little bit of time. Make sure to aerate your lawn at least once a year for the best results.