Once you’ve concluded you should your lawn should be aerated, here are the steps to go through in order to know when and how to accomplish it.
Prep the Lawn to be Aerated
The lawn should be watered thoroughly one or two days before aeration takes place. This will help the aerator to penetrate through the soil and pull out soil cores more effectively. Sprinkler heads and other hidden objects should be flagged so that the aerator can be steered to avoid them.
Aerate the Lawn
Mechanical core aerators are best to use to aerate lawns. Their tines are hollow inside and are more effective at pulling soil cores from the earth. Spike aerators don’t work quite as well for all lawns and could further compact the soil. A lawn care specialist can advise you on which type of aerator you need and how often your particular lawn should be aerated. During the process, run the aerator over the lawn in a pattern that only covers each area once.
Run the core aerator over the lawn in a pattern that covers the area only once.
Administer Compost
The cores pulled from the soil by the aerator can be left on the lawn and allowed to decompose. You can opt to rake them up, but it isn’t necessary as they will naturally break down into around two to four weeks. Compost (sand or peat moss may be used instead) should be sprinkled over the lawn to fill in the holes.
This is also a great time to consider adding a fertilizer. Your lawn care specialist can advise you on if this is necessary and what type is best for your lawn.
If you’re thinking of having your lawn aerated, call our offices in Grove, Okla., or Joplin, Mo., to schedule a consultation.