Why, When and How to Aerate Your Lawn

If you’re the owner of a beautiful stretch of lawn, lawn care will probably be high on your list of priorities. Lawn aeration is one of the most important ways of caring for your lawn, helping the soil to remain in the best condition possible for the grass plants to thrive.

Here we provide a complete guide to aeration, answering questions such as “when should I aerate my lawn”, detailing the process, and also listing the benefits of aerating your yard.

What do you do When you Aerate Your Lawn?

When you aerate your yard, you’ll be making lots of tiny holes in your lawn, using a lawn aerator. For small lawns, this may be as simple as a pair of boots with aeration spikes on the bottom. People with larger lawns may wish to invest in a manual aerator (these can be hired pretty cheaply if required), or buy a mechanical aerator.

Aerators may be spiked (which means they have spikes that push into your lawn), or they may be a plug aerator. Plug aerators actually remove small plugs of soil from the lawn.

Why you Need to Aerate Your Lawn

In answer to the question should I aerate my lawn, the answer is a resounding yes!

Over the winter months, the soil becomes compacted and dense. Grass thatch may also have built up during the year. The combination of denser soil and thatch limits the ability of the soil to absorb air, water, and nutrients. This leads to poor lawn growth.

In some cases, poor water absorption may lead to the lawn becoming water-logged, which could increase the risk of rot, mildew, mold, fungi, or pests proliferating in your lawn.

The Advantages of Yard Aeration

• Better supply of nutrients to your grass plants.
• Better drainage.
• Reduces compaction and breaks up the thatch that develops under your lawn if it’s left undisturbed.
• Improved gas exchange.
• Reduced risk of waterlogging or the growth of biological contaminants that could harm your lawn.

When and how Often to Aerate

Ideally, you should aerate twice a year, when the grass is in its active growth phase. We recommend aerating once in early summer (usually in May), and once in early Fall (sometime before mid-October, but after Labor Day).

If you have heavier, clay soil under your lawn, you’ll probably need to aerate every year. Lawns on sandy soils may only need to be aerated every couple of years or so.

We can Aerate Your Lawn, Quickly and Properly

For people who don’t have the time, tools, or inclination to aerate their lawn, why not let the professionals get the job done? ES Landscape offers a complete lawn care service. Our experienced landscapers and gardeners can keep your lawn looking amazing, all year around. 

To find out more about our lawn care services, or to book our team, please get in touch.