At Lawntech, we know the key to a healthy lawn is healthy soil. Over time, through use, your lawn will become compacted. It’s important to treat your soil to an aeration each year to relieve this compaction so that your lawn can absorb the vital oxygen, water, and nutrients it needs to allow it to breathe. This mechanical treatment is an important part of a lawn care plan and often gets over-looked. We recommend all lawns are aerated at least once per year if possible.
Hare are is our handy Aeration answers your most frequently asked questions:
Q. How often should I aerate my lawn?
A. Lawntech recommends that all lawns are aerated every year for best results, because it relieves compaction, root prunes to promote growth and allows access for water and nutrient to get straight to the roots. This is why professional greenkeepers and groundsmen aerate multiple times per year to keep sports turf in top condition.
At Lawntech, our team of professionals use a mechanical machine to make small holes in the soil deep enough to allow the key nutrients to penetrate.
Q. When is the best time to aerate my lawn?
A. Aeration can be carried out at any time of year providing the lawn is not frozen, water-logged, or suffering from drought. Spring and late autumn are the optimum times to carry out lawn aeration.
Q. Does my lawn need scarification as well as aeration?
A. Lawns that have built up excessive thatch or are in poor condition will benefit from our autumn renovation package of scarification, aeration, and over-seeding, rather than just aeration. Our technicians will advise the best course of action.
Q. How long will my lawn take to recover from aeration?
A. Our preferred method of aeration is hollowtine aeration which leaves small cores on the surface of the lawn. These cores take a couple of weeks to melt back into the sward, but you can carry on mowing as normal. On heavy clay ground we might choose to use spike aeration rather than cores to reduce inconvenience.
Q. Is over-seeding needed after aeration?
A. Healthy lawns with a thick sward do not need over-seeding after aeration but those lawns that have become thin or bare will benefit from additional over-seeding to help thicken up the sward. Our technicians will advise.
A lawn aeration every year will relieve compaction in your soil, to allow the vital air, water, and nutrients the lawn needs to survive.
Q. Should I water my lawn after hollowtine aeration?
A. It is not essential to water the lawn after aeration but doing so can help to break down cores left on the surface if there is no rain.
Q. How soon can I mow after aeration?
A. We recommend leaving the lawn about a week for the cores to dry out or wash in prior to mowing.
Q. Should I aerate more than once per year?
A. Absolutely yes, if possible, aerating regularly will benefit your lawn.
FIND OUT MORE
To find out more about how we do it at Lawntech, our director Jim Hewlett explains more in this useful video. But how do you know if your lawn is compacted? See our useful blog post here which highlights the key signs you need to look out for.
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