Make your lawn healthy by poking holes in it

Is your lawn frustrating you with yellow patches or bare patches? If so, you may need to air it out. Unfortunately, many homeowners incorrectly attribute lawn problems to insects or lack of water, unaware of the damage that compacted soil can do to lawns. Fortunately, you can help your lawn inexpensively by breaking up this soil.

Soil compaction is a description of soil that has become so dense that nutrients, oxygen, and water cannot adequately penetrate the roots. Aeration is the process of breaking up compacted soil by making holes in it. Once your lawn is aerated, your lawn will become more resilient as the resulting looser soil will allow it to grow and develop a more robust root system.

To determine if your lawn needs aeration, water your lawn and then stick a screwdriver into the lawn. Your floor is in good condition if the screwdriver penetrates easily. Difficult insertion indicates soil compaction and the need to take action and start drilling holes now.

There are two methods of creating these holes: pinning or coring. The skewers simply make a hole in the ground without removing any of the soil. Coring is the process of driving a cylinder into the ground that removes a plug from the ground and deposits it on the surface. The removed plugs are approximately 2″ to 3″ long. Coring is the preferred method as it does a better job of breaking up the soil.

Both of these aeration methods can be done with hand tools, although it can be quite cumbersome to complete a job manually if you have a large area. In both cases, you simply stick the selected tool into the ground and remove it. Space the holes about 3″ apart. For larger areas, it’s a good idea to get a motorized aerator that can be rented from tool rental stores and some home improvement stores. However, keep in mind that these machines they can be a bit unwieldy until you get the hang of it. Start on a flat, open surface to give yourself time to adjust to the aerator.

To maximize results, aerate the lawn by running the mower back and forth. Once you are done, aerate the lawn again but run the aerator perpendicular to your first direction. Keep in mind that a central aerated lawn looks terrible for a week or two. All the cores that sit on the surface make the lawn look uneven and bumpy. Don’t despair as they will spoil and your lawn will be back to normal. For best results, aerate in early spring or late fall.

Some caveats are also in order. First, if you have a gate to a section of your garden, make sure the aerator you rent can fit through the gate! Second, be sure to avoid sprinkler heads or shallow buried water lines by marking them before you begin. An energy aerator will absolutely destroy any of these items that hits them. Finally, check any fenceless dog containment systems. These systems typically work with a cable buried a few inches below ground at the perimeter of your lawn. If the aerator comes in contact with a wire, it will quickly pull it out and wrap it around the machine.

If you spend an afternoon and just a small amount of money, you can greatly improve the health of your lawn. Alternatively, spend a little more money, hire a landscaper, and go golfing.