LAWN AERATION

Why aerate your lawn?

Core aeration can help make your lawn healthier and reduce its maintenance requirements through these means:

• Improved air exchange between soil and atmosphere
• Enhanced soil water uptake
• Improved fertilizer uptake and use
• Reduced water runoff and puddling

• Stronger turfgrass roots
• Reduced soil compaction
• Enhanced heat & drought tolerance
• Enhanced thatch breakdown

How can I get the maximum benefit from aerating my lawn?

1. After aerating, be sure to overseed and fertilize your lawn.

   If you have a fescue lawn, this is especially important because fescue grasses do not regenerate and grow back into dead or bare spots. Overseeding fescue after aeration allows seed into the holes made by aeration, ensuring grass grows back in the all areas.

   It is not necessary to overseed warm weather grasses(Bermuda, etc) unless you have large bare areas. Bermuda regenerates itself and will fill in small bare spots. Overseed warm weather grasses in the Fall with rye to give your lawn some green when the warm weather grasses become dormant.

   Fertilize with a good Winter fertilizer, replenishing soil nutrients used up during the Summer. Right after aeration is the best time to fertilize, more goes directly to the grass roots and soil, less runs off into the sewer!

2. Aerate when soil is very moist (after rain or watering), this allows for a deeper aeration.

When is the best time to aerate?

1. For cool season grasses (like fescue), right after Labor Day until the end of October. This allows the roots to expand and the seeds to germinate in ideal conditions, becoming well established before winter approaches and the grass becomes dormant. Then, as we emerge from winter the next best time to do aerations/seeding will be in early Spring, usually the end of March or beginning of April. If you plan on Spring seeding, be sure we are past the last frost of the season so the seeds germinate.
2. For warm weather grasses(like Bermuda), never aerate while the grass is dormant. If you are overseeding with rye, then aerate in September and overseed. The next best time is usually in June, after the grass has come out of dormancy.

What is the best type of aeration?

There are two types of aeration - spike and coring. Coring is by far more effective. It pulls plugs out of the lawn, allowing for better root saturation and health. Spiking just puts small holes into the lawn, no plugs are removed.

We only use a core-type aerator and then only one of the best in that category. We use a Ryan Lawnaire V, powered by a powerful Briggs and Stratton 6 hp engine. This aerator produces up to 9 holes per square foot, has a 3/4 inch core diameter and up to 2 3/4 inch soil penetration, producing an optimum aeration.

Contact us now to ask any questions you might have about the aeration process.

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