What if one easy trick could give you the most beautiful lawn in the neighborhood?
Lawn aeration can provide you with that beautiful lawn you’ve wanted. However, the trick is to know exactly when you should aerate.
Keep reading for our guide to the best time for lawn aeration.
What Is Lawn Aeration?
When you aerate a lawn, you perforate the soil with a series of small holes. This makes it easier for air to get through the roots of the grass. Water and nutrients will also have an easier time getting through.
If you have compacted soil, then lawn aeration is a particularly good idea. That is because the solid particles in compacted soils make it particularly difficult for air, nutrients, and water to circulate.
When Is the Best Time to Aerate a Lawn?
Lawn aeration is not a good idea for every season. If you’re not careful, you could end up making things worse for your lawn instead of better.
The ideal season for lawn aeration is fall. This is because you get a perfect combination of factors: the weather is nice and cool (making things easier for you) and there is low weed pressure. And, of course, the grass is still growing during this time.
Spring is typically a bad time to aerate the lawn because the aeration holes could lead to germinating weed seeds. Such weeds germinate in the spring, and aerating just makes things easier for them.
In the event of highly compacted soil, you can aerate in the spring to break the soil up. It’s best to wait for late spring, though, if you do this: weeds will be out, but this gives you a chance to aerate before they flower and then go to seed.
These general guidelines should help you decide when is the best time to aerate a lawn.
How to Aerate a Lawn
Now that you know when to aerate a lawn, there’s a natural follow-up question: How do you do it? It depends on whether you want to use a plug or spike aerator.
The spike aerator is really simple, letting you use a fork or tine to just poke the holes directly into the ground. Plug aerators are designed to cut and remove plugs of soil.
Generally speaking, the plug aerator will give you better results than the spike aerator. However, the spike is easier to use, so some try this method out first.
Alternately, you can hire professionals to do it for you since they already have the equipment and know how. Lawn care professionals are also better equipped to recognize any issues your lawn is having.
Best Timing to Aerate a Lawn
While you may know the best season for lawn aeration, that doesn’t mean every day is good for it. You’ll get best results if you aerate the day after it has rained. That way you benefit from the moist soil without having to water.
If no rain is in the forecast, then you can also just water your lawn the day before. Overall, the goal is just making sure the soil isn’t too dry for aeration!
The Bottom Line
Now you know the secrets about lawn aeration. But do you have pros who can handle your lawn best?
For local experts in lawn maintenance and care, contact us today. Central Services has been caring for local lawns and landscapes throughout Milwaukee and Waukesha since 1971.
