Give your lawn a turbo boost with aeration.
Like you, your lawn needs to breathe. Aeration breaks up compacted soil, helping your lawn to open up, allowing water and fertilizer to permeate into the root zone. When timed right and done properly, almost any lawn can benefit from aeration.
FAQs
What is lawn aeration?
Lawn aeration is the process of puncturing the soil with small holes to help vital elements, like air, water, and nutrients, to enter the grassroots. This process helps the roots grow deeply, producing a stronger and more vibrant lawn. Lawn aeration can be done annually.
Why aerate?
The main reason for aerating is to alleviate soil compaction. Aeration penetrates built-up grass (or lawn thatch) ensuring nutrients can reach the soil beneath your grass. When grasses are deprived of their basic needs, they struggle in stressful situations like head and low rainfall, and they lose their healthy color. Grasses can thin and eventually die out, despite oxygen, water and nutrients available just inches away. Even just one aeration session can help a struggling lawn begin to turn around.
How do I know if my lawn needs aeration?
Every lawn can benefit from aeration as an annual maintenance practice. Though some lawns may be prone to struggle more than others. Lawns impacted by vehicles or small equipment driven on it, kids playing on it, frequent entertaining, or other compaction activities are prime candidates that would benefit from aeration.
What are signs my lawn needs help?
Indicators of a struggling lawn include stressed looking grass, soil that is hard to the touch, or rainwater that puddles up instead of being absorbed. You can test your lawn with a simple screwdriver test – stick it into your lawn’s soil by hand. It should slide in fairly easily. If you experience resistance, your soil is compacted and aeration can help.
When should I aerate my lawn?
It is best to aerate during or right before the time your grasses reach their peak time for natural growth. In the midwest, that is early fall or early spring. When lawns are experiencing active growth, the grasses recover quickly and fill in areas where aeration exposes soil.