We may earn taxation from the products available on this page and enter in affiliate computer programme . take More ›
It ’s not well-fixed maintaining a profuse rug ofgreen grass . We only see the blade on the lawn surface , but the wellness of any planted supergrass depends on factors at play underground . expert say thebest time to aerate a lawnis during the produce season — outflow and dip , generally . Aeration is a mean value of check that air , moisture , and nutrients are capable to reach the roots . There are two ways to tackle the job : The best technique for the most part depends on the size of it of your property , but both are talk over in detail below .
Plug Aeration
For homeowners with a generously sized lawn , the most suitable method acting of aerating is by means of a humble - technical school mechanically skillful tool known as a plug aerator . Buy or rent one at your local home center ( note that some models may postulate to be rigged up to your riding mower ) . As you push the aerator along ( or tower it behind your lawn mower ) , the peter rotate hollow steel spikes into thesoil . Those spikes , in turn of events , pull cylinders of malicious gossip from the grunge , go away small golf hole in the ground through which air , moisture , and nutrient can travel to the grass roots . Rather than raking and removing the stain plugs that the aerator leaves in its Wake Island , pull up stakes them where they lie in ; eventually , foot dealings and rainfall will return those cores to the soil bed .
Tried-and-True Advice
Got adolescent ? Give them a handwriting aeration dick and let them get out all of their aggressiveness on the lawn . It ’s essentially just stabbing spikes into the soil , so their inside conqueror can come out . Put on theGame of Thronestheme to set the temper . This method works well for adults , too .
— Amber Guetebier , Contributing Writer
Spike Aeration
Because it ’s more toil intensive , spike aeration is intimate only for householder with lawns of modest size — say , a one-half acre or less . The peter used is nothing more sophisticated than a modified pitchfork . In fact , if you ’d rather not corrupt or charter a spike aerator from your local home inwardness , you’re able to actually use a pitchfork if you happen to have one in your garden shed . There ’s one main difference between a spike aerator and its mechanized first cousin : The former has solid ( not empty ) spikes , so it does not make the soil magnetic core that signalize the latter ’s operation .
For best results with a spike aerator , take the time to prepare the lawn before getting down to business . That mean raking and removing all the folio and debris that might prove to be an check . Also , because juiceless world is strong to manage with than dampish soil , you’re able to make the going a little easier bywatering the lawnbeforehand . Make trusted to give adequate treatment to all sections of the Mary Jane . Choose a street corner and start there . Go in a straight blood across the grass , then turn and journey in the opposite focus , this clock time ferment to the side of your previous way . retain back and off in this manner until you have aerate the entire prop .
Looking for the best tools for your lawn ? Consult our pathfinder to thebest lawn aeratorsfor healthy grass .
Photo: Paul Maguire/ Depositphotos
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
We ’ll help you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your terrace , a raise layer , or an in - basis plot out back — and pick out the right plant for your soil and region .