Just when you thought time spent working on your landscape was coming to an end as we approach the cooler season, along come the experts.
The period from late summer and early fall, they claim, is the best time of year to do one last lawn-care maintenance task: aeration.
Now, there are caveats, of course, and not all lawn-care specialists agree on when to aerate a lawn.
If your lawn is composed of cool-season grass, now is the ideal time to aerate. If, on the other hand, you grow warm-season grass, they claim, is best aerated in late spring.
Many homeowners don’t understand that there is a difference between dethatching a lawn and aerating it.
While both are critical to the health of the turf, they are two different processes, requiring different tools.
“… aeration results in the breakdown of compacted soil whereas dethatching removes layers of thatch, or dead grass and other debris, from the top of the soil,” according to the pros at sodsolutions.com.
In a nutshell, aeration involves punching holes in the turf to allow air, nutrients and water to penetrate the soil.
Think back to any spring and summer rains you experienced. Was the lawn covered in puddles of rainwater?
That’s because the soil under the grass is compacted and the water has nowhere to go.
Sure, you can leave the standing water; it will drain eventually, right?
In the meantime, however, it may provide a breeding spot for mosquitos. Standing water also prevents grass from growing “… properly, … leaving the area vulnerable to moss growth,” according to landscaping expert David Beaulieu, at thespruce.com.
“Excess water can even lead to problems with your home’s foundation,” he concludes.
We lightly touched on a few of the benefits of lawn aeration, but here’s the “official” list from the experts at trugreen.com:
While many homeowners hire a landscaping company to aerate the lawn, it is an easy DIY project.
You’ll need a aerator, of course, and they’re available to rent at big home improvement stores such as Lowe’s and Home Depot. Ensure that you understand exactly how to use the tool and all the safety information the store can supply.
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