Lawn Aeration is a process that perforates the soil with small holes that allow water, air, and fertilizer through to get closer to the roots. This enables the roots to grow deeply, producing a healthier more vigorous lawn. Your lawn shows signs of stress and the need for aeration if it doesn’t turn green after fertilizing, or there is a presence of many worn areas throughout your lawn. Lawns only need to be aerated about once a year, and some, if they are only receiving moderate maintenance, need aeration about every two years. If your lawn has a problem with thatch (the composting grass from past mowing), it may be necessary to aerate a couple times a year instead of once as required by most lawns.

Thatch eventually forms a layer that acts as a barrier over the soil. Using a lawn aeration device to break through the thatch is much easier and less drastic than dethatching the entire lawn. An aeration device consists of a special tool that removes plugs from the soil. They’re available in motorized or manual tools, however, unless you’re aerating a small area, the manual tool is not recommended. These can usually be rented from landscaping companies or a tool rental store at a reasonable rate. There are two types of tools that are marketed as lawn aerators. One will simply punch holes in the soil, but will not remove plugs. This will only compact the soil around the holes and the holes will probably fill back in quickly. It’s recommended that you use the type that will actually remove the soil plugs, instead of poking holes in the soil.

An effective tool should produce holes at least three quarters of an inch in diameter and penetrate three inches deep. Also, the plugs should be no more than three inches apart. Aerate on a day that the ground is moist, but not soppy. If you aerate soil that’s too wet, or too dry, the aerating device will not penetrate the soil fully. The plugs that are left behind with aerating can be disposed of a couple ways. The best is probably just leaving them on the surface to dry for a day, and then mowing them to provide a beneficial top layer to your lawn. Other ways of disposing are raking them to break them up after they’re fully dried, or leaving them in your lawn to break down naturally. However, leaving them can make your lawn unsightly for a couple weeks, while the plugs are breaking down.
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• Aeration: A core aerator will pull 2-3″ plugs of soil from your turf.  Most all of the aerators that GRS Rents carries will space the holes about 3-4″ apart and deposit the plugs on top of the surface.  It is recommended by Horticulturists that “[t]urf soil should be aerated at least once a year on heavy compacted or clay soils.”¹ Early spring, when the soil is moist, is a great time to aerate.  Using a rental aerator on your lawn allows air, moisture, and nutrients to penetrate deep into the root zone of the lawn.

• De Thatching (Lawn Combing): Plan to dethach your lawn in the spring as well.  Excessive thatch in a lawn can cause stress on your lawns root system, leading to more problems in the summer time.  Lawn dethatchers come in one basic size, ~20″ deck, that pull the thatch to the surface.  Some models that GRS Rents carry have bagging units attached to them, other models allow you to simply rake up the thatch when you’re done.

• Mowing: It may seem obvious, but you should cut your grass once it exceeds 2.5″ in height.  This practice will keep the lawn from stressing and will help avoid disease. If the grass does get too tall, consider using a bag-style mower to avoid excessive thatch buildup in the lawn.  Experts reccomend mower blades be sharpened a couple times a year to ensure a clean cut.  Conveniently, GRS Rents offers mower blade sharpening at all of our locations.

• Edging & Trimming: Take the time in the Spring, before growth takes off, to trim out of control bushes or trees.  It is also an easy time to edge sidewalks, flower beds, and driveways.  We carry an assortment of tools like sidewalk edgers, bed edgers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, chippers, and more to help you make these jobs a piece of cake.

While these are just a few tips to Spring Lawn care, they should give you a great start to enjoying a beautiful lawn all summer long!  If you have questions about your upcoming projects, give GRS Rents a call at 888-477-7687.  Our helpful staff would love to help you get the most out of your spring projects!

¹ Robson, David. “Spring LawnCare Guide.” <http://web.extension.illinois.edu/regions/lawnandgarden/SpringLawnCareGuide05.pdf>.