About Lawn Aerators, Lawn Aeration And Great Information

 Why Should I aerate my lawn?

Regular aerating with lawn aerators helps keep your lawn green and healthy. It allows water direct access to the roots system and encourages deeper root growth and thicker turf. As the roots grow deeper, lawns can stay green even if they are not watered as regularly. Aerating makes soils less compacted creating healthier roots, which are more resistant to drought, disease, traffic, and high temperatures.

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When to aerate?
Having aerated lawns in four different states, I have found that in most cases, the best Time to aerate is in the Spring and in the Fall. About 70% of lawns are aerated were between March and June. Typically, February aeration is to cold, (unless you live in Southern California.) July and August are so hot, that often the ground to to hard for the aerating to do a hole lot of good. September and October are great months to aerate and you can often reseed and have the grass grow in before it gets to cold.

How often should I aerate?

If you haven’t aerated in a while, you should aerated every years for the first few years. Once your lawn has a healthy established turf, you may only need to aerate once every 3 years. Generally speaking, lawns that are near mountains, or hilly will need to be aerated more often. You should also consider doing it more often if you soil is especially bad or it gets really hard.

What are the best types of lawn aerators to use?

Although most forms of lawn aeration work to some degree, the type that works best is aerating with a core aerator. The holes a core aerator makes, allows the soil room for expansion. Core holes last a lot longer then those made by spikes. They also help to soften the soil. In addition, the holes help out with overseeding and fertilizing the cores on the surface mix with the soil on the surface also thickening the turf.

Should I do it myself or high a professional?

It is often easier to higher a professional to do the job for you. Costs very between $40 and $100 to have your lawn aerated. While finishing college and then graduate school I aerated 6,000 lawns for $40 each. If I needed to aerate my lawn today, I would hire some to do it, because often the cost of renting an aerator starts at $40. You could still save money, if you and a neighbor split the cost of the aerator and then do both yards at the same time. For more in formation on Aerator Rentals, I added this link.

What do I do after I aerate my lawn?

After you aerate your lawn it the perfect time to fertilize and overseed. When I offered this service to my client, I used a mix of high quality seeds and starter fertilizer. In the Fall, I discovered that shade seed was a lot better to use because come in fin even when the days get shorter. By the way you should also mow prior to aerating, but you don’t need to mow the lawn short because that negatively effect the grass roots and make the lawn more susceptible to weeds.

Should I worry about my sprinklers?

Yes, if you have a service come and aerate for you it is a good idea to mark your sprinklers. But, if you don’t get around to it, there is only a very slim chance that they will get hit. (1 in 100 or less) Plus for the most parts, replacing heads is easy.

Five Benefits of Lawn Aeration

Lawn aerators are great tools for helping your lawn stay green and healthy throughout the year. A lot of people aerate their lawns  in an effort to thicken the turf and improve the soil. 5 of the most common benefits of using lawn aerator to aerate your lawn are as follows:

Lawn aerating helps to rejuvenate the root system of your lawn. It is a great way to help you renew and thicken your turf. When aerating holes are made in the soil it makes it easier for the water to sink into clay soils. As a result of deeper water penetration, the roots will also grow down in search of that water.When you aerate your lawn, it reduces soil compaction in two ways, first, pulling the core out of the lawn give clay soils room for expansion as they warm up. Second, as the soils hold more moisture, this encourages root development which also breaks down compacted soil.

Another plus of aerating your lawn is that it also oxygen better access to the surface of the soil. This is important because it aides aerobic bacteria (needing oxygen) to break down the thatch layer in the soil if there is one. (For sever thatch problem you may also need to use a thatching machine.)

Another positive is that is can reduce soil runoff. You no longer need to pay to water the street or the neighbors lawn. Runoff is reduce because water is more readily absorbed. In place where water is expensive, this can save homeowners a lot of money.

Regular use of a lawn aerator can also increase the effectiveness of lawn fertilizers, allowing them to gain better access to the root system. In addition, when lawn aeration is done in the Spring, Summer, or Fall, can also be combined with overseeding to dramatically improve the overall look of your lawn.

Another use of a lawn aerator is to help loossen.  If you are laying sod for a new lawn, it is recommended that you aerate your lawn to the rate of 30 to 40 aerating hole sper square foot.   This means that you will probably want to go over your lawn 3 to 4 times with the aerator prior to laying down and sod. Lawn aerators can also be used to help out with lawn repair.  For instance, if you are planning on over seeding your lawn, it is recommended that you go over it with an aerator before hand, so you can get a better germination rate with your new seed.

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