Aerating your lawn is the single most important process you can complete each year, and in fact, if you are looking to go organic in your lawn care, aeration is a must!

What Is Core Aeration?

Aerating your lawn entails using a core aerator to remove cores of soil from the lawn; about 10 plugs per square foot. Removing cores is obviously organic because there are no chemicals involved, it is all mechanical. You can rent the machines at the local tool rental shop for about $50 for a half day and it helps if you go in with your neighbors and rent one together. Just make sure you have a pickup truck on hand!

What Does Core Aeration Do?

Aeration has many many benefits, but the two best are thatch control and soil compaction reduction. Thatch in the lawn is the layer of dead grass, leaves and other debris that reside just above the soil line. Some thatch in the lawn is needed because it helps retain soil moisture, shades the root system, and prevent erosion. But too much thatch built up in lawn (more than 1/2 inch thick) can and will cause problems.

The biggest problem with having too much of a thatch layer in your lawn is the issue of root development. A thick lawn is only thick because it has a thick root system. A problem occurs, however, when your thatch layer is so thick that water can’t penetrate properly, especially in the summer. If water can’t soak in deep, grass roots turn upward to get that water, and they become shallow and will thin out over time. The more grass roots that die from shallow conditions, the thicker and thicker the thatch layer becomes. it’s a cycle that causes major damage. Every walk on a spongy lawn? That is almost always an indicator of a thatch issue.

By core aerating your lawn in the spring and fall, you are effectively punching enough holes in the thatch layer to keep it under control. In very extreme cases, the aerator may be taken over the lawn several times in order to ensure good thatch control.

I almost never recommend power raking because it rips up 100% of the thatch and as your remember, we do want some thatch in there.

As far as the compaction, that happens mainly in areas with clay-based soils. The constant freeze-thaw during winter makes the soil very hard, but also the drying out in the summer makes this condition worse. The harder and more compacted the soil, the more difficult it is for grass roots to compete and spread. If you aerate and remove cores, you allow the lawn’s roots to spread and relax in a sense. This also allows air, water and nutrients directly into the root zone.

If you are planning to use corn gluten meal as crab grass control, make sure you aerate BEFORE you spread it down. You also may want to spread a nice coating of milorganite over the lawn directly before the aeration. This will push the organic fertilizer down into the soil deep.

Wanna know what to put on your lawn all season from start to finish? Wanna use a program that works AND is easier on the environment? Get my lawn care schedule here.