Skip to main content

It might be time to aerate.

Are there tracks in the lawn?  Are there tons of weeds despite a good fertilizer with weed prevention?  Are pests becoming a problem?  Is water pooling in the lawn after heavy rains?  Are there bare spots that you haven’t been able to help?  The soil might have compacted, and it might just take a little aerating to make the lawn thrive.  If the lawn is primarily clay soil or it’s a dry area, you’ll need to aerate more frequently.  There’s a simple and pretty unscientific way to tell when it’s time to aerate.  Grab a stick.  If the soil is difficult to penetrate with the stick, you should aerate.

 

Make your lawn beautiful easilyYou should choose a nice, clear day to aerate.  If the soil is wet, you will have a huge mess and a lot of explaining to do as to how your lawn repair caused more damage.  You’re also going to get compacted soil much more quickly if it’s wet.  If it’s too dry, you won’t be able to penetrate the soil with an aerator.  Pay attention to the weather.  You should have nice weather for as long as possible (a week at least) after you aerate for maximum benefits.

 

If you don’t yet have an aerator attachment for your mowers, you can rent one.  It is recommended that you should rent them before you buy one anyway.  There are different types of aerators with different features, and the best way to determine which you prefer is to try them out.  Aerators with spreaders allow the plugs (or cores) of soil to be spread throughout the lawn.  It’s fine to leave them, but they should be raked to make the lawn look better right away.  If you have a clay soil yard or live in a dry area, you want longer spikes on your aerator.  You also want more spikes to play the odds.  The more spikes you have, the more likely at least some will penetrate harder, dryer soils.  In particularly dry areas, it’s a good idea to water a day or two before aeration, just to promote penetration.  Then simply mow in the same pattern you were going to mow anyway, with the aerator attached.

Thatching your lawn before aerating is useful for building a healthy lawn, check out this post to learn more about dethatching the lawn.

 

Aerating a lawn allows air, water, and nutrients to get to the roots of the grass.  It allows earthworms to move about.  Other good little organisms that take care of pests and naturally fertilize the lawn will thrive.  You’ll also break through some weed roots, and the healthier lawn will have a better fighting chance against the weeds.  You’ll have fewer problems with flooding, and the lawn will be more drought-tolerant.  Bare spots will fill in much better.

 

Right after aerating is the perfect time to overseed if you are trying to repair bare spots or filling in during fall for a green winter lawn.  By core aerating the lawn, you’ve perfectly prepared the soil to thrive on the seeds.  This should be done as soon as possible after aerating, and it’s best to remove the pulled plugs from the lawn if you’re going to seed.  It’s also a great time for water to get deep into the soil in dry areas, so watering after aeration is preferable.  If it’s fertilization time, it’s also a good idea to aerate first if it’s needed.

 

mechanical core aeration is quickIn hot, dry climates, you might need to aerate in summer, fall, and at the beginning of spring, depending on how dry the winter was.  Cooler weather grasses are better aerated early in fall.  They are too fragile and will recover more slowly if aerated in the summer, and fall is the perfect time to prepare them for winter.  If the soil is heavy with clay, you might need to aerate more often.  It’s a good idea to keep your stick (knife, screwdriver, etc) handy to check if the soil has compacted.

 

Aerating will save you time and money watering in the summer as your lawn will be better able to withstand drought, and you will be thrilled with your healthier, fuller lawns.  It’s well worth investing in a good aerator.

The post It might be time to aerate. appeared first on All around the house.



from All around the house http://allaroundthe.house/might-time-aerate/
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 DIY Winter Home Repairs

The winter months can become very hard on your home. Problems always arise during the winter months, and always seem more expensive. Start at the first sign of winter, so you will have fewer repairs to make yourself through them cold winter months. Doing this yourself can save you a lot of money in the long run. Tip #1- Clean Gutters / Fix Cracks You should make sure all debris are cleaned from your gutters right before winter starts and then once in the middle of winter. I have found the easiest way to clean these if with a small set of garden tools. Use the shovel to scrape the leaves out of there. Then use the small rake they give you to help. Once you have removed it all, take a garden hose and spray it off, making sure the water drains correctly. If you have cracks in your gutters then purchase some putty to fill in these cracks. Water damage can cost a lot of money. When it snows, that water needs a place to go. If your water has no place to go, then its going to sit on your h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chives – Allium schoenoprasum

Known as common garden chives, Allium schoenoprasum, can be grown indoors and out. Chives are rich in vitamins A and C, potassium, and calcium. They are grown for the flavour of their leaves, which is reminiscent of onion, although much milder. Both the stems and light purple flowers are used in cooking and the snipped leaves are an addition to many dishes. Chives lose their flavour with long cooking so it is best to add them to dishes at the last minute. For chopping stems, a pair of scissors is the best tool. Chives can be frozen or dried. They are less flavourful when dried rather that frozen, so they are best used when fresh and snipped, or snipped and frozen. In both cases sort them carefully, removing any yellowing leaves and shoots, and keep only the plump green ones. It is possible to place chives in non-iodized salt, keep them there for several weeks, remove the leaves, and then bottle the ‘chive salt’ for use in flavouring. Chives are a perennial in the garden and grow app...
Post a Comment
Read more

Build Great Garden Soil the Easy No Dig Way

Whether you are installing ground covers or planting a new flower garden, soil preparation is often a major hurdle. Not only do you have to eliminate weeds and/or lawn grass, but you also need to spread organic matter over the site and dig it in along with other soil amendments. Spreading compost and digging it into the soil is a major workout, and is great exercise, but it can be very bad for your back. By planning ahead and waiting a few months between preparing and planting, it’s possible to eliminate most of the back-breaking work. No-dig Supplies and Scheduling At the very least, you’ll need a pile of newspapers and a pile of mulch such as shredded bark or bark chips to use this method. If your soil is extremely clayey, compacted, sandy, or poor, add a generous supply of compost and even some topsoil to the list. Watch the weather, too. You are going to be spreading newspaper, so select a day when it isn’t too windy. Use this smothering method any time, but you’ll need to plan...
Post a Comment
Read more