Now that spring is upon us, I need to stress to you guys the importance of aerating your lawn in the spring.

For some reason, many of you have been trained to aerate only in the fall. That would be fine in most cases, but organic lawns need a little bit more TLC earlier in the year to ensure they get off to a healthy start.

Here is why spring aeration is so important for your organically treated lawn:

1. Aeration removes soil cores from the lawn. We don’t aerate because we want to punch holes… we need to be sure to actually “core” the lawn and pull out soil. This removal of cores will stir the microbial action in the soil sooner rather than later. These microbes are what help release the nutrients in the organic fertilizer you are going to apply.
2. The holes left after cores are removed serve to suck in your fertilizer. Organics don’t break down from being “watered in” like synthetics do. Organics need heat and microbes to release their goodies. When we do get rain in the spring, the hope is that much of your organic fert will be washed into the holes you punched during your aeration. This puts the “good stuff” right in the root zone.
3. Aeration also helps a lawn thatch problem. After all the heavy snow this season, lawns are super matted and thatch will be a problem. Punching holes in that matted lawn will help it perk back up.
4. Aeration helps air circulate and dry out snow mold. There are a lot of moldy patches in lawns right now, and getting some air in there will help your lawn grow through it quicker.
5. If you use corn gluten as your crab grass pre-emergent, aerating first will help the gluten get into the soil line faster where it can do its job. Just be sure you are aerating VERY early and applying the corn gluten right afterward.

These are all great reasons to be sure and aerate your organic lawn this spring. If you need more info, read my article on making organic lawn treatments work better.

We are getting close to fall, and that means you need to think about helping your lawn thicken up while recovering from the hot summer. Since we want to do our best to stay organic with our yard care, aeration becomes the number one priority for the fall time period.

In other words guys, you gotta aerate your lawn this fall.. ya gotta!

Core Aerating Your Lawn – Benefits

1) core aeration removes actual cores from the lawn. This allows air, water and fertilizer nutrients direct access into the root structure of the turf. In addition, grass roots can spread out into the holes, making the lawn thicker overall. It is best to do aeration in the fall because that is when grass spreads its roots anyway

2) core aeration breaks down thatch. We have talked about your lawn’s thatch layer before. We want some, but not too much and aeration punches holes in this layer… these holes are enough to keep it managed properly

3) core aeration spreads out soil organisms. There are all kinds of neat organisms in your lawn’s soil, especially if you are organic with it. Aerating the lawn brings these organisms up and out and allows them to spread to new areas of the lawn. That is healthy.

Core aeration is a mechanical process – no chemicals, and that is cool too! Simple!

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.