When Is The Best Time To Aerate Your Lawn?

Let’s go straight to the most important question of “when?” Three criteria dictate the ideal time for lawn aeration:

• The type of grass your lawn is composed of
• Your area’s climate
• The amount of moisture received by your lawn prior to considering aeration

Generally speaking, and taking all of these factors into account, the best time to aerate your lawn is in the spring/early summer, or fall. However, the most important factor – moisture – must be met. In order for the tines of our aeration equipment to penetrate the soil, the lawn must be moist. So in an unusually dry spring, you may have to put off aerating until a decent rainfall occurs. Or, you can water the lawn yourself, but keep in mind that you’ll need to provide around a half-inch of water before we can aerate.

In certain instances, we might recommend lawn aeration in the spring and fall. Aerating in the spring allow for a nice ½-inch thatch layer to accumulate, so that come fall we can aerate a second time while simultaneously seeding the lawn and applying a crabgrass preventer if needed. Also notable is that a fall aeration requires less watering.

Why Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

The act of aerating – that is, making small holes in your lawn’s soil – makes it easier for your lawn’s roots to receive the water, air, and nutrients they need. The more of these things the roots get, the deeper the roots grow, and the better your lawn looks.

Over the course of time, a lawn’s soil will compact, and in so doing hamper the distribution of nutrients, air, and water below the soil. Another problem is the accumulation of organic debris and lawn thatch (cut grass left on top of the lawn), which prevent your lawn’s roots from getting what they need.

Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

While it may sound like lawn aeration is for every home, the truth is that some lawns don’t require it. Here are three key factors that help us determine whether a lawn will benefit from an aeration procedure:

• • Does the lawn dry out easily and have a spongy feel? This could be due to excessive thatch. If we find that your thatch layer is bigger than ½-inch, we’ll recommend aeration.
  • Is the lawn a popular hangout for kids and pets? The more feet a lawn is exposed to, the more compact the soil becomes.
  • Did you just move into a newly-constructed home? Often times the topsoil of a newly-constructed lawn is subpar, and the grass is more often than not compacted due to construction traffic.

Ready To Aerate? Contact Jay-Lan Lawn Care Today

For professional lawn aeration in and around Sioux City, trust Jay-Lan Lawn Care. Your home deserves a healthy green lawn, one you can be proud of year-round – and this is exactly what our lawn care experts provide.