Using A Lawn Aerator – When and How?
Lawn aeration is a sometimes controversial aspect of Spring (or sometimes Summer) . Generally, most of the argumentation deals with periodicity than anything else. Should I aerate every year? When, if not, should I be aware of the need? Let’s address what “aeration” is first -
Aeration is the process of mechanically removing small plugs of soil and thatch from the lawn to improve soil aeration. Lawn thatch is the layer of dead turfgrass between the green vegetation and the soil surface that must be removed to maintain the lawn health.
The “when” can occur almost any season, outside of the obvious cold weather seasons. The “why” is this:
Thatch is the issue here, as much as anything, although soil types, such as heavy clays, might need oxygenating by virtue of taking plugs of actual dirt from the layer below the grass and upgrading that, essentially replacing the soil over a period of time.
Thatch itself becomes worse over time as organic material gets tangled up in the grass. It can be from the lateral growth of grass itself or from clippings and remainders from mowing of any type. A thin layer of thatch is actually quite desirable because it helps insulate the grass from extreme heat and cold. The cushioning effect also helps the lawn deal with heavy traffic, thus the notion of using materials which are softer than clay.
There have been some newer methods of aerating which I am not particularly fond of myself. I subscribe to the “plug” theory, personally, whereby we take an aerating machine over the lawn to be addressed and literally remove parts of the soil underneath by inserting “plug removing tines” such as the picture above illustrates. There are newer technologies that use spikes which poke holes in the ground without removing soil. What has bothered me most about this process is the “compaction” issue in dealing with harder soils. I would prefer to remove the offending material completely for a far better result, rather than pushing soil aside in an even denser pattern.
Golf courses, for example, aerate by the “plug” method, raking up the small chunks of dirt removed, then replacing the dirt with a light loam or a sand by raking crossways and thereby refilling the holes with lighter material.
In any case, the obvious advantages are many, almost no matter what item you choose to use – there is more oxygen now available to the root; fertilizers can easier make their way to the necessary level; less penetrable soils can be lightened and even sweetened; the ravages of foot and lawnmower traffic are lessened.
