Property owners take pride in a healthy lawn, and a key component in keeping their lawn vibrant is with aeration — the process of puncturing small holes in the ground to break up soil and grant water, oxygen, and nutrients access to grass roots. However, not all yards are created equal. There are a number of factors that influence how often you should aerate your lawn. Let’s take a closer look at what impacts recommended lawn aeration schedules.
Frequency of Lawn Aeration: Factors to Consider
Aeration should be carried out once a year for healthy lawns and twice annually for lawns with compacted soil or thatch buildup. The ideal time of year is just before the growing season, which, depending on the type of grass, varies.
While that’s more or less the short answer, there’s more to know about lawn aeration before calling on lawn aeration and overseeding services in Central MD. There are several variables when it comes to how often you should aerate your lawn — as well as the best time of year to aerate — including your soil, its compaction, and the type of grasses you have on your property.
Soil Type
For heavy clay soil, you’ll want to aerate your lawn once a year or once every other year, depending on how compacted the ground is. This type of soil holds in water but cannot circulate oxygen for plant health easily. Sandy and loam soils do not need regular core aeration, as they already have oxygen circulating through them. Aerating sandy or loamy soil too often, in fact, will weaken the soil.
If you tend to park vehicles on your grass or your yard is subject to lots of foot traffic, there’s a good chance you have compacted soil. If it’s rock-solid, your soil most likely needs aeration in the spring or fall. Compacted soil occurs most often in sports fields, playgrounds, and new construction lawns.
Health of Turfgrass
If you have thinning or bare turf on your lawn, you need to aerate your soil and reseed your yard. Aeration works to open up the soil to release carbon dioxide and take in oxygen, water, and nutrients. Additionally, core aeration prepares your soil to receive grass seed. The same principle applies to dethatching. If you’re utilizing smart lawn care techniques, you should only have to dethatch your lawn annually.
Time of Year and Grass Type
Fescues, Kentucky blue varieties, and other cool-season grasses will need to be aerated in the late summer or early fall. Warm-season grasses — including Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Bahia grasses — need aeration and reseeding in late spring or early summer.
Our team has the resources and expertise to transform drab patches of grass into vibrant, healthy lawns. For more information about our lawn aeration and overseeding services or lawn maintenance services in Central MD, contact us today!
