Aerating your lawn seems like a waste of time, right? Consider the wear and tear that your lawn is put through during the summer months. If you live in a dry region, the ground can become hard and crack so that moisture simply runs right off, leaving your lawn thirsting for nutrients. Aerating your lawn will allow those nutrients to penetrate the surface of the ground and allow moisture to get to the root systems.
Remove All Fallen Leaves
Before you begin aerating your lawn, remove all of the fallen leaves. You can do this by raking with a lawn rake or using a leaf blower/vacuum. Either method works well but the blower/vacuum is actually less work and easier to perform. You don’t have to remove all of the leaves and clippings from the summer. A thin layer of this material works as a barrier between the damaging sun and the crown of your grass. It can also work to help retain moisture to the root systems.
Examine your Lawn
After you have removed all the leaves, examine your lawn for damage and compacted areas. Our lawn takes a beating during the summer with children, heat and lack of moisture. It gets compacted in areas which prevent your lawn from breathing and soaking up nutrients from the ground. Find the areas that are most compacted and appear damaged and make them with small stakes and twine. This lets you know where the most damage is occurring and the locations that need the most TLC.
Deciding on your Method of Aerating
You will learn that some areas are more compacted than others. This occurs in areas around patios, walkways and around trees and flower beds due to high traffic. In arid regions the lack of rainfall can cause the ground to dry and crack, creating compact root systems for your grass. Aerating the ground can be done several different ways. You can hire a lawn care company to come in and aerate it for about a hundred dollars, rent an aerator for about the same money or use a pitchfork which is much cheaper but is a lot of work. If you have a lot of time on your hands and a limited amount of resources, the pitchfork is the smart way to aerate. If time is tight and money is no object, one of the other two methods should be chosen.
Pitchfork Aerating
Let’s say you opted for aerating your lawn with a pitchfork. First water the lawn and allow the moisture to soak into the ground. This will make it easier to thrust the pitchfork into the ground. Begin at the most compacted areas and thrust the pitchfork into the ground about two inches. Gently move the pitchfork back and forth so that when you remove it, there are small holes left in its wake. You don’t want to tear the soil up, simply puncture some holes which will allow moisture and nutrients to penetrate the hard surface. Continue until all areas have been aerated.
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