Have questions about lawn aeration, here are answers to common questions.
What is aeration?: Lawn aeration helps loosen soil for better root growth by allowing water, air and nutrient to get below the surface of the ground and be absorbed by the root system. Over time the soil becomes compacted from a normal walking path through the lawn or even mowing the lawn the same pattern, different soil types compact differently, unusual situations of having objects roll over or sit on the lawn create compaction. The lawn becomes lumpy and bumpy walking on it and pushing the mower while mowing, (rolled ankles suck), holding on to a lawnmower that is bouncing around or pushing it through the low spots of the yard makes it frustrating. Aeration won’t smooth out the lawn surface immediately, loosening hard spots do slowly smooth out the lawns surface. To really smooth out a lawn is more involved. Hard soil surface will absorb some water but have more water run off the lawn surface, aeration allows water to flow into and fill the holes made and slow down water running off. Water run off also washes away granular fertilizer that hasn’t been absorbed, then the lawn misses out on nutrient and wasting money on fertilizer that didn’t get absorbed.
Signs of needing aeration?: Unlike thatching where you can see the debris in the lawn, aerating the lawn can be overlooked or skipped with poor seeding results to follow. Now soil types and grass type are a factor. Heavy clay soils need more aeration then sandy lose soils, some grass types can grow well in compacted soil (especially if the soil has good nutrient).
One sign is seeing water from rainfall or irrigation puddled on top or running through the grass blades, like water runs off concrete or pavement surfaces.
A thinning lawn even when you fertilize, water and overseed without seeing any improvement.
If you overseed a lawn and during watering or rainfall the seed washes away.
These are some situations I have come across.
When I look at a lawn whether it’s for just aeration or overseeding, I will pull a plug of just soil or soil with grass to check how hard the soil is to pull a plug, the type of soil below the surface and see how strong and deep the roots of the grass are. This is the best way to figure out if you need to aerate your lawn.
When to aerate?: Commonly people are told and advertise late summer early fall is the time to aerate the lawn along with overseeding, for cool season lawns. Different grass types and parts of the country have different times for best results. Aerating in the spring isn’t a bad idea to get spring rain to absorb into the soil drawing fertilizer into the soil and filling in the holes before the heat of the summer.
One major thing not to do is aerate in hot dry weather, (I aerated my lawn when heavy rain was predicted and storm clouds approaching and the storm broke up and no rain for 8 weeks), will dry out the soil and lawn.
If your soil is heavy clay or the grass has bad roots, aerating multiple times a year can be done.
If you are planning to overseed a lawn aeration is a good practice to loosen the soil and have holes for grass seed to wash into instead of washing away or easily picked by birds or other yard animals.
Things to do after Aeration: Overseeding is well known, through advertising and somewhat tradition. Other actions to do with aeration is topdressing (your choice of material), which will help with nutrient, drainage, leveling and/or firm up the soil. Applying fertilizer, either to revive a dormant lawn in the spring or early fall. Of course, watering the lawn either in reviving from summer heat or deep watering to get better root growth.
Aeration Equipment: Solid or spike aeration usually mounted on a tow behind drum or a 3-point hitch attachment on cam drive system (which are driving the hollow spikes straight up and down into the soil instead of on a rotating shaft). Either have a pointed end or a solid rod and are pressed or driven into the soil creating the aeration hole. On some golf courses and sports fields this helps surface water go deeper and reach underground field drainage. Leaves no mess after your done depending on the machine this can be the deepest way to aerate, depth can be set by a gauge or by how much weight is in or on the drum. Some say the pressure of the spikes going into the soil create compaction in the area around the spike hole, but then water filling the holes does soften as water is absorbed. Works on any soil type.
Hollow (core) spikes (spoons) most common type of aeration style, self-propelled machines, ride-on, tow behind, 3-point attachment or cam driven machines (which are driving the hollow spikes straight up and down into the soil instead of on a rotating shaft). Some also have a mountable seed hopper. Hollow formed tubes all have a sharpened edge and are driven into the ground, then remove a small piece of grass or soil which is pushed out of the spike the next rotation into the ground. Depth can be set by gauge or the weight of the machine, add more weight for more depth in heavily compacted soils. Leaves behind the cores that were pulled out of the ground, you can use these plugs to see what type of soil you have, do you have a thatch layer on top of the soil, and the roots of the grass (root mass thickness and depth the roots reach). Works on any soil type.
Flat blades shaped like large shark teeth (Slicing). Self-propelled machines, 3-point attachments and tow behind units. Number of blades vary by size and capability of the machine. Rotating from a center shaft the blades are pushed into the soil leaving a thin slice in the soil. Depth is set by gauge or weight of the machine, add more weight for more depth or heavy compacted soil. The teeth can reach up to four inches. No mess left behind, by slicing your cutting the roots of the grass to help create a thicker root mass where each cut of roots you get at least two more roots from the cut is one benefit, less soil movement with it being a slice not a hole. Smaller space for water air and nutrient to get into, but creating a thicker root mass has benefits as well. If the soil is compacted and other aeration tools can’t be driven into the soil, these thin blades maybe what you need to start loosening the soil. Works on any soil type, used more on sport fields and golf courses.
Aera-vators are made with solid spike tines that vibrate creating a hole and loosen the soil in the root zone. Becoming more popular usually available mounted on certain machines, 3-point PTO driven attachments and tow behind attachments. Some come with a mountable seed hopper and you can in one pass aerate loosen soil and seed at the same time. This is a good option if you are trying to bring a lawn back to life with the least amount of passes and big impact. Depth is set by gauge and the machines are heavy and wide so soft spots in the yard will be found and sharp grade changes in your yard may not get the same depth across the width. No cores to clean up just soft soil, if used on bare soil the end result looks like you tilled the soil. Highest level of reducing soil compaction and areas created for water, air, nutrients, and grass seed to reach the root zone. Works on any type of soil.
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