Rejuvenate Your Lawn with Aeration

Winter is the perfect time to start prepping the lawn for the coming spring. The grass lies dormant soaking in nutrients and preparing for the spring growth. Core aeration helps provide the roots of your grass with the nutrients and oxygen it needs to thrive.

Aerator Types

You can aerate your lawn with a manual device or a machine. Both have their perks depending on the size of your lawn. Most hand aerators require you to walk behind and push to dig the hollow teeth in the ground. Plugs of grass are extracted measuring about two to four inches long. The half-inch diameter plugs help create an environment for the grass to thrive. Machine aerators tend to be more expensive but can make short work of a large lawn. You can choose to purchase or rent these machines. Smaller lawns may only need the hand aerator since it is not something used regularly.

Lawn Benefits

Lawn renewal is the main reason people choose to do core aeration. The small plugs of grass taken from the grass go deep enough to allow nutrients and oxygen to penetrate the soil and reach the roots. Over time, the grass can develop thatch where the roots deeply intertwine with each other. Thatch includes both dead and live plants but makes it difficult for anything to get past. This can result in dead patches or parts of the lawn suffering from poor nutrients. Having the lawn aerated every few years breaks up the thatch allowing all that fertilizer and water you put out to actually rejuvenate the lawn.

Renew your lawn with core aeration. You can choose to do it yourself before fertilizing or pay a professional to help bring your lawn back to life. Recommendations range from twice a year to once every three years. Your lawn professional can recommend a time frame specific to the health of your lawn.