Aerating

[Lawnthrower]

Is it a good idea to aerate in the spring and fall or just one time a year? I've been told both ways.

 

[Carscw]

Is it a good idea to aerate in the spring and fall or just one time a year? I've been told both ways.

Most people only aerate in the fall if their going to over seed.

I aerate after the leaves fall ( I do not remove the leaves from my grass )
And over seed

Then in the spring I aerate and top dress with sand

 

[briggs]

Is it a good idea to aerate in the spring and fall or just one time a year? I've been told both ways.

It never did anything for me i found it a waste of money to be honest ....I let the earth worms do it and i mulch my lawn and it looks great nice and green and thick too

 

[chobbs1957]

Is it a good idea to aerate in the spring and fall or just one time a year? I've been told both ways.

If you have cool season grasses, (fescue, bluegrass, etc.) fall is good, spring may be better. If you overseed, it's good. However, if you have warm season grasses (centipede, bermuda, zoysia, St Augustine) I honestly think spring is the best time and would not do it in the fall. I am a row crop agronomist by trade, not necessarily a turf specialist, but feel that aerating before cold weather conceivably could make the root systems of the warm season grasses more vulnerable to cold and freeze damage, my $0.02.

 

[Carscw]

If you have cool season grasses, (fescue, bluegrass, etc.) fall is good, spring may be better. If you overseed, it's good. However, if you have warm season grasses (centipede, bermuda, zoysia, St Augustine) I honestly think spring is the best time and would not do it in the fall. I am a row crop agronomist by trade, not necessarily a turf specialist, but feel that aerating before cold weather conceivably could make the root systems of the warm season grasses more vulnerable to cold and freeze damage, my $0.02.

I have Bermuda and aerate and over seed with rye every fall. That way I have green grass in the winter. The rye dies off in the spring

 

[possum]

I doubt Georgia gets cold enough to do much harm to Bermuda grass anyway. About half the Bermuda grass here is near shade so it does a bit poorly. Gets very stemmy. It is not uncommon for this type of yard to be bare by April. It comes back anyways. In fact it comes back much faster than the much better Bermuda that has great cover on it. Many times I see sewer lines dug up in winter that the Bermuda is just gone. By mid May it has new sprouts all over it and it is coming back. Trucks slide off the road and get stuck in yards. The grass is just destroyed. Come spring a Bobcat will smooth it up a bit and it greens right up with Bermuda. The local car wash dug a ditch about 20 feet wide and about 2 feet deep sloped to the road for drainage improvements. All the dirt he just spread out on the Bermuda grass lot. He claims it will be fine by July. He is betting a C note on it. I am going to be watching it.

 

[Carscw]

Bermuda is is a vine it will cover walkways climb a fence just goes crazy if not kept up. Farmers call it a weed

 

[djdicetn]

I have Bermuda and aerate and over seed with rye every fall. That way I have green grass in the winter. The rye dies off in the spring

Same family of plants as Kudzu, huh????:0)

Sorry...I meant to quote Carscw's reply of:

"Bermuda is is a vine it will cover walkways climb a fence just goes crazy if not kept up. Farmers call it a weed".

 

[Carscw]

Same family of plants as Kudzu, huh????:0) Sorry...I meant to quote Carscw's reply of: "Bermuda is is a vine it will cover walkways climb a fence just goes crazy if not kept up. Farmers call it a weed".[/QUOTE

And just as hard to kill.
If you take a slab of Bermuda sod and lay it in a driveway and water it it will grow and root threw any crack it can find
Grows best in sand. With all the rain we had this year I had to let mine get up to a inch and a half.

At one time it was listed as a weed.
Also makes the best hay