Is it worth renting an aerator?
Renting a lawn aerator means you pay only when you need it. You save money and avoid the hassle of maintenance. Renting also lets you try different models before deciding on one. However, renting might be less convenient if you have a large yard. They are easy to use and transport, environmentally friendly, and we offer a range of sizes tailored to commercial or residential use. Rent pruners and blowers to keep your lawn the envy of the neighborhood and consider an aerator rental for seasonal lawn care.
What are the drawbacks of aeration?
Other problems that arise from core aeration Obviously, core aeration is stressful to your turfgrass, since you’re cutting through its roots and then exposing them. Aeration also penetrates the thatch layer, negating the effectiveness of pre-emergent herbicides that create a chemical barrier in the thatch. Core aeration is an important step in leveling a bumpy lawn by reducing compaction. The core aeration process removes small plugs from your lawn and relieves compaction by opening up the soil profile. Before core aerating, ensure your grass is actively growing. Spring and fall are ideal times of year to core aerate.The best method of manually aerating your lawn is using a manual core aerator. This is a tool designed with a handle and a foot bar. You are required to hold the handle using both hands so you can drive it into the soil. In areas where the soil is too compacted, the foot bar offers extra leverage.You want to aerate the lawn when your grass is in its peak growing period so it can recover quickly—think early spring or fall for cool-season grasses, and late spring through early summer for warm-season grasses. If you have high-traffic areas or heavy clay soil, you will want to aerate every year.For best results, aerate lawns when the soil is moist. Avoid aeration when soils are dry or wet. The tubes or tines will not be able to penetrate deeply when the soil is dry. The tubes or tines may get plugged with soil when the soil is wet.
What not to do after aeration?
Hold off on heavy mowing right away. About a week after aeration and seeding, you can knock the grass down another inch or so. Make sure that your mower blades are sharp so that they don’t tear the grass. The summer heat is the most stressful point of the year for these grasses, so you will not want to aerate and add even more stress during that time. The best time to aerate cool-season grasses is fall – they’re at their strongest going into cool weather and have enough time to recover before the winter months.The best time to aerate is just before you reseed your lawn. This could be anytime from September 1 to mid-October, depending on how warm your climate is. New grass needs at least six weeks to get established before the first frost.Ideally, you should mow your grass to a height of about 2 inches before aerating.The best lawn care after aeration is to avoid walking on the lawn immediately after core aeration and overseeding, as it can disturb the new seed and plugs of soil. Wait until the new grass has grown to a height of 3-4 inches before walking on it.For small lawns, a normal garden fork will be all right to aerate your lawn. Just push it in between four or five inches deep and pull back, so the grass lifts a little.
Is there a downside to aerating?
On the other hand, one drawback of core aeration is that it can be invasive for your lawn. Because professionals mechanically pull up plugs of soil during this process, it can leave behind holes in the ground where those plugs were removed. As a result, it can stress it out. Core aeration is the method of choice for lawn pros because it effectively loosens the soil, giving root systems access to nutrients and keeping soil more nutrient-rich in the long term. Core aeration will leave your yard freckled with little holes, but they’ll fill in with denser, healthier grass.It’s too late to aerate and overseed your cool-season lawn as the season transitions from late fall into early winter. In many regions across the US, this could be around November. If you live in a frosty area, be sure to aerate and overseed at least 45 days before the first frost. What is this?Is late October too late to aerate? It can be, depending on the weather and your grass type. Aeration should be done while grass is still actively growing and before the ground cools too much. If frost is approaching or the grass has gone dormant, you’ve missed the perfect conditions for recovery.If the soil is wet, you won’t want to aerate it, as it can get quite muddy. However, you also want to make sure the soil isn’t too dry either. It is typically suggested that you water a dry lawn between two days before and the evening before you aerate to ensure that the soil isn’t rock hard.You want to aerate the lawn when your grass is in its peak growing period so it can recover quickly—think early spring or fall for cool-season grasses, and late spring through early summer for warm-season grasses.