By Spencer Beckwith
From the October 2024 Issue
While many individuals prep their lawns in the spring to enjoy throughout the summer months, lawn care professionals and turf enthusiasts are putting in the work with aeration this fall to ensure optimum growth. Regular watering and mowing practices will always be important factors that contribute to thriving turf; however, understanding the benefits of aeration and overseeding can improve your turf’s long-term health. Let’s take a closer look at aeration basics and what landscape professionals and homeowners alike can expect when it comes to fostering high-quality, optimum growth.
What Is Aeration?
Over time, the soil beneath your lawn gets compacted as it is used. If your yard has not been aerated within the last year, it likely needs aerating. Core aeration is a lawn maintenance practice that removes soil plugs from the turf to open passageways through compacted soil and thatch and into the soil. This promotes a healthy exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide and helps your lawn “breathe.” The passageways also give water and fertilizer a pathway to your lawn’s root zone where roots can soak them up more efficiently. This practice encourages root growth by reducing soil compaction.
Additionally, core aeration pulls up microbes that help with the break-down of thatch: a layer of living and dead plant matter that can affect turf grass health by stealing water from the plant and being a breeding ground for pests and diseases.
Lawns that are not aerated may look weak and can be susceptible to weeds, thatch and disease. This makes lawns harder to maintain. In addition to aeration, proper watering, fertilization, mowing and pest control are crucial maintenance practices.
When To Aerate
For proper aeration, it all comes down to timing. Lawn aeration is best performed when the turf grass is at its peak growth. For cool-season grasses, this falls under spring or fall. Fall aeration is best for cold season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass. Late spring or early summer aeration is best for warm-season grasses.
Make sure your soil is at preferred moisture levels in order to reap the benefits of the practice. If you aerate when it’s too wet, you’ll actually complicate the problem by creating more compaction as the soil will be too muddy to pull a plug. Additionally, if you aerate when the soil is too dry, this will prevent you from pulling a decent sized plug as the soil penetration of the tine will be limited.
To achieve proper moisture levels, you should water between one and three days before the aeration process. This moisture will help the aerator penetrate the soil. At a minimum, you should aerate your lawn at least once a year. Heavily used lawns, or those growing on heavy clay or subsoil, may need aerating more frequently.
Ready To Aerate
Before aeration, it’s important to prepare your turf. Clear the lawn of any debris such as branches, leaves or lawn clippings. Mark obstacles including sprinkler heads, invisible fences, irrigation pipes and other objects just below the ground. This is an important step as aerators can pull soil cores from depths of 2 to 5 inches beneath the ground surface.
When it comes to rejuvenating your landscape, selecting the right turf equipment can make all the difference. Professionals and homeowners can choose between tow-behind, stand-on or walk-behind aerators that are engineered to withstand the rigors of demanding conditions.
Typically, homeowners and professionals that work in residential settings opt for compact models that can fit through gates. If you’re looking for equipment to assist with larger-scale, expansive landscapes then larger, more robust equipment is likely the way to go.
Post Aeration Best Practices
Aftercare for a newly aerated lawn is critical to ensure the success of the turf. Property owners should leave aeration plugs alone to ensure micronutrients release back into the soil. These plugs will break down after a few weeks. Additionally, it’s important to keep foot traffic to a minimum and keep the soil moist by watering. Sticking to these tips for the first few weeks will stimulate growth and help you keep fungal diseases in the grass at bay.
Leave It To The Professionals
For the best results with aeration, homeowners should consider working with a lawncare professional. Seasoned experts who understand the best practices and techniques will make sure that these intricate tasks are done correctly for maximum benefit. However, homeowners interested in managing this yardwork themselves can investigate rental options for the appropriate equipment.
Aeration is important to maintain healthy, thriving turf. For lawn care professionals and property owners alike, the results of an effective aeration routine speak for itself.
Spencer Beckwith is a product specialist within the grounds maintenance equipment area at Bobcat Company. In his role, Spencer supports the product development and promotional support of the company’s grounds maintenance equipment.
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