I think when we should aerate typically depends on the type of soil and grass we have.For clay soils, we should generally aerate twice a year. For sandy soil,we should typically aerate once a year. If we have warm season grasses,late-spring to early summer is in most cases the best time to aerate.
When to aerate the lawn?
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I think when we should aerate typically depends on the type of soil and grass we have.For clay soils, we should generally aerate twice a year. For sandy soil,we should typically aerate once a year. If we have warm season grasses,late-spring to early summer is in most cases the best time to aerate.
johnandrew
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You should aerate in the spring, when the ground is soft, that works well for me. Even though I sometimes have aerated the lawn when the earth was very hard and I could feel that sitting on the aerator... does no harm but its better to do it when the ground is soft. How do you please to aerate? I suggest a mechanical aerator which will make your life very easy, what I do is rent an aerator from the construction equipment rental company at home depot ... that save me a bit 
johnandrew
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You should aerate in the spring, when the ground is soft, that works well for me. Even though I sometimes have aerated the lawn when the earth was very hard and I could feel that sitting on the aerator... does no harm but its better to do it when the ground is soft. How do you please to aerate? I suggest a mechanical aerator which will make your life very easy, what I do is rent an aerator from the construction equipment rental company at home depot ... that save me a bit
JimmyTheGlove
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Hey Kenny!
Thanks for sharing this YouTube video. I must say, that is very clever. I am looking for a good project so I might give this a try! Some guys are so smart. Who would have thought a blower could become a power rake?
I thought That was a rather clever modification & it looks like he has improved on it a bit more...
There should be plenty of the small power shovel type blowers around to make these... and it looks like it works well... :smile:KennyV
There should be plenty of the small power shovel type blowers around to make these... and it looks like it works well... :smile:KennyV
Hey cubby, I'm going back to your post #4 where you talk about your grass not really growing like you think it should...and I'm not knocking aerating. I personally think spring is the best time.
I realize you said you fertilize, but I would recommend getting a soil sample analysis of the NPK and PH your soil has now. I have warm season bermuda grass. I used to just throw down 13-13-13 or 10-20-10 until I had a soil sample analysis done and was told that all I needed to do was put down 46-0-0. I had plenty of P and K already in my soil, but very little N. Also, my PH was too high and I needed to acidify my soil more.
Grasses have different needs of fertilizer. I don't know what kind of grass you have...but a soil analysis will give you a great insight into what component of fertilizer you need most. And PH is very important in order for your grass to absorb the different components in fertilizer.
Anyway, you may have already had this done...but if not, do it. Aerating will still be beneficial, but I think you will get a better result if you know what your soil PH is and the fertilizer your grass really needs.
I realize you said you fertilize, but I would recommend getting a soil sample analysis of the NPK and PH your soil has now. I have warm season bermuda grass. I used to just throw down 13-13-13 or 10-20-10 until I had a soil sample analysis done and was told that all I needed to do was put down 46-0-0. I had plenty of P and K already in my soil, but very little N. Also, my PH was too high and I needed to acidify my soil more.
Grasses have different needs of fertilizer. I don't know what kind of grass you have...but a soil analysis will give you a great insight into what component of fertilizer you need most. And PH is very important in order for your grass to absorb the different components in fertilizer.
Anyway, you may have already had this done...but if not, do it. Aerating will still be beneficial, but I think you will get a better result if you know what your soil PH is and the fertilizer your grass really needs.
Thanks mrficxit for the advice, mother nature has kinda aerated my lawn. Back in October we had
a freak snow storm that broke just about every tree on my property. The snow was heavy and wet.
A lot of the broken limbs ended up stuck into the ground. By the time I got it all cleaned up the lawn
was torn up pretty good. Now I'm getting ready to start all over for the spring so I'm going to throw
down some seed and fertilizer and hope for the best. Work for me has been so busy since that snow
storm that I don't get much time to do much these days except work and sleep.
As for the soil test It was and has been on my mind just one of those things I keep forgetting to do.
As soon as I get this place back in shape I will get this done thanks again...cubby
No so much a to when to aerate but what type. The star type aerators will open up the lawn with a slice that will allow oxygen to get to the roots but the only thing you've done is to push the soil slightly to the side, in essences, you've compacted the soil ever so slightly. The plug type will (of course) aerate but more importantly, the soil will not be compacted. Truth is, there's a use for both. I use a combination star type with a drop spreader on top. The slice allows the seed to enter. I do this in the fall. The plug type I don't own (yet) but will within the next few weeks. Both have their benefits but do different things.
I am in a pitched battle with my beloved lawn with Red Thread. I hired a landscaper to come in last fall with a Kubota and a 6 foot plug aerator. It did an okay job but at 6 feet wide, the high bumps in the lawn were hit well and the low areas were not touched. In this case, bigger is not better. I need to get a pull behind for the garden tractor that's 4 feet. It should do a much better job.
RickO
I am in a pitched battle with my beloved lawn with Red Thread. I hired a landscaper to come in last fall with a Kubota and a 6 foot plug aerator. It did an okay job but at 6 feet wide, the high bumps in the lawn were hit well and the low areas were not touched. In this case, bigger is not better. I need to get a pull behind for the garden tractor that's 4 feet. It should do a much better job.
RickO