When to aerate the lawn?

[cubby]

Maybe I'm confused but I remember folks aerating their lawns in the fall. Now I read about doing
it now in the spring, Which is better?

Also is it easier to aerate when the ground is damp or moist like after a spring thaw,
or dry and hard.

I have a few bare spots that seem to get worse every year, so should I aerate now or wait
until the fall......cubby

 

[noma]

Hay Cubby


I planed to aerate this spring when the ground is soft that works the best for me . I think it's a lot harder to get the aerate to penetrate when the ground is hard in the fall unless you do it after a good rain then it will work pretty good.:biggrin:

 

[KennyV]

should I aerate now or wait
until the fall......cubby

If it's been a long time, (or never), since you have aerated... do it this spring, use a core aerator if you can, and incorporate some fresh seeds in the bare spots.
Your soil will benefit from the spring rains and a bit of oxygen that the roots will get...
You don't want to over do it and thus always have the ground 'worked up'...

The only BAD time that I am aware of for aeration is going into a dry time, as it would further dry out your soil... But if there is a good chance of rain, it will keep things happy... :smile:KennyV

 

[cubby]

If it's been a long time, (or never), since you have aerated... do it this spring, use a core aerator if you can, and incorporate some fresh seeds in the bare spots.
Your soil will benefit from the spring rains and a bit of oxygen that the roots will get...
You don't want to over do it and thus always have the ground 'worked up'...

The only BAD time that I am aware of for aeration is going into a dry time, as it would further dry out your soil... But if there is a good chance of rain, it will keep things happy... :smile:KennyV

I admit as long as I have been cutting grass that I've never have aerated my lawn, my next question
is once I aerate do I or should I do it every year? Or only when I start seeing problems.

I do rake by hand in the spring and fall and I notice that I drag out all the dead grass at both times.
I also notice that my lawn is not as thick and lush as it use to be. I reseeded a couple of times over
the years but never got any good results. I'm always fertilize too. So I'm hoping aerating will do
some good.

Thanks Kenny and to noma also for your help.....cubby

 

[stuckinnj]

Core aerating is the only way to go. I usually do the lawn and pastures in the fall, but have aerated the lawn in the Spring. Ground moisture is key to the coring process. Too wet and the core posts will tear up your lawn. Too dry and you will not get deep penetration. Get it right and you値l pull good 3-4 plugs which will break down nicely over the next couple of weeks.
I mow my lawn high (about 4?, I dethatch 3 x/year, use pre-emergent at the end of March, after the snow is melted and then straight fert in June. Lawn is green, thick and feels like walking on carpet. Pastures are a different story. Wife & daughter have horses. They tend to take care of the fertilizer and keeping the grass in check. Usually mow 2-3x/year. The core aeration does seem to help the health of the grass. Gives me more time to ride my Iron Horse?.

 

[cubby]

Core aerating is the only way to go. I usually do the lawn and pastures in the fall, but have aerated the lawn in the Spring. Ground moisture is key to the coring process. Too wet and the core posts will tear up your lawn. Too dry and you will not get deep penetration. Get it right and you値l pull good 3-4 plugs which will break down nicely over the next couple of weeks.
I mow my lawn high (about 4?, I dethatch 3 x/year, use pre-emergent at the end of March, after the snow is melted and then straight fert in June. Lawn is green, thick and feels like walking on carpet. Pastures are a different story. Wife & daughter have horses. They tend to take care of the fertilizer and keeping the grass in check. Usually mow 2-3x/year. The core aeration does seem to help the health of the grass. Gives me more time to ride my Iron Horse?.

Thanks for the good info, when I rake and all the dead grass comes up would that be considered
dethatching or should I get a machine and dethatch also?

As you know the winter was pretty nasty this year here, so I got a lot of raking to do.
Can't wait to get started but still have some snow still hanging around.

Thanks again.....cubby

 

[KennyV]

...
when I rake and all the dead grass comes up would that be considered
dethatching or should I get a machine and dethatch also?

Dethatching with a rake can be a LOT of work... get a power rake.. OR do like this guy did in this youtube clip, he made a modification to his snow blower to make it a light weight power rake... quite clever, & effective...
YouTube - converted snowblower to power rake, scarifier
:smile:KennyV

 

[cubby]

Dethatching with a rake can be a LOT of work... get a power rake.. OR do like this guy did in this youtube clip, he made a modification to his snow blower to make it a light weight power rake... quite clever, & effective...
YouTube - converted snowblower to power rake, scarifier
:smile:KennyV

Kenny thats how I get my exercise by raking, the snow rake is a cool idea....cubby

 

[abeja_reina_1989]

I've heard people debating this before and honestly, I think if you're unsure then doing it right in the middle of those times is probably your best bet. This way, it will probably work out. I've never had any trouble at all so I think either time is fine.

 

[Honey]

I don't have much of a lawn anymore, it is mostly gardens, I can't remember the last time I aerated it. It has been quite a number of years.