Lawns for You

A guide to lawn care, lawn mowing and creating the perfect green lawn.

When is the Best Time for Aerating Your Lawn or Bowling Green.

Lawn Aeration in progress - a close-up of a Lawn Aerator at work
Lawn Aeration in progress – a close-up of a Lawn Aerator at work, hollow coring in this instance.

One of the most common questions I get asked in my landscaping business is when and how to aerate your turf. People want to know the exact optimal times to carry out aeration.

Some people think June is too late, while others think March is too early. Many think Autumn is better than spring.

I say, after forty plus years in turf maintenance, that there are very few times throughout the year that are bad times to aerate.

There are some conditions that are certainly best avoided. These would include waterlogged ground, frosted ground, and also the other extreme, drought. In most areas that turf is grown, it is suitable for carrying out aeration over a large part of the year.

What to Use to Aerate Your Lawn?

There are many types and makes of aeration tools and machines available. Hand tools would include the common garden fork, and a three to five pronged paul fork. Find examples here. There are even spiked shoes which can be very useful. Find here. Also pushed roller spikers. Find here.

Powered aeration is certainly the best option for anything other than a small domestic lawn. All forms of aeration are good, but to me the main benefits come from spiking with knife tines, and scarifying. Depending on the budget there is a big range available, and remember you can hire as well. See aeration machines here. For professional use here.

How Often to Aerate Your Lawn?

When aerating lawns for other people I often hear the question, “how often do I need to aerate my lawn.” Knowing when to carry out your aeration is very important as doing it too soon after a previous time can damage the lawn.

I think it depends a lot on the lawn. Newly established lawns should be aerated twice a year. Hard or clay-like soils should be aerated as often as once per month every year to prevent/relieve soil compaction. Another reason to aerate more often is if you have not aerated in a while.

A few evenly spaced aerations can help strengthen the root system. A stronger root system leads to thicker and healthier turf. This type of turf attracts more organic material, along with all the beneficial bacteria and fungi that are essential to a healthy turf.

A healthy root zone also makes your lawn more resistant to high temperatures, so you can save on water bills by not having to water it as often. A healthy lawn also requires less fertiliser, again saving substantially on the budget.

There are many articles elsewhere on this site that will help you to produce a lawn that will be suitable for your requirements.

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Colin has worked with his father, Duncan, on Lawns For You for around 2 years now, and forms the technical side of the company, looking after the website, the online shop and the marketing of the company. He has a keen interest in gardening too, though, and is learning from Duncan all the time. More about Colin Gray or find him on Google+.

16 COMMENTS

  1. I have been mowing lawns since I was 15 (now 31) and while I know Mowing, I don’t know Aeration. Just moved into a house with a new lawn (sod) on some nice clay soil, would it be best to aerate twice this year since I missed the first year? I was told to wait, but your blog has me rethinking… What do you say?

    • Hi Brian,
      It really depends how much wear your lawn receives, but as a general rule I would advise aerating at least twice a year, generally in Spring and Autumn, especially on a clay soil.
      Duncan.

  2. Thanks for the information on lawn care. My lawn has had trouble in the past with staying green all summer long. I want to have the best lawn on my street. Thanks for mentioning that you should aerate your lawn regularly, about twice a year for a new lawn. I will have to make sure to have that done this year.

  3. I think one of the best benefits of aerating your lawn is not having to water it as often. What you save on your water bill every month will pay for the aeration service several times over. Thanks for the great information!

  4. I have a terribly maintained lawn that I would like to restore . I have clay soil a nd some areas have moss. I was planning to aerate and overseed but don’t want to be wasting time and material. I’ve been bagging so there really is not very much thatch .Will it be ok to aerate and overseed as is ?

    • Hi Sean, thanks for getting in touch.

      It`s getting to the ideal time for starting the Spring treatment. Clay soil is never easy to work on, but aeration is one of the main weapons to help produce a more productive root zone. Slitting with knife blades, and spiking with solid chisel or round tines are all very effective in helping to produce a good root growth, which in turn starts to break down the heavy clay. These can be carried out any time throughout Autumn and Winter very effectively.

      Seaweed meal is a soil conditioner that is particularly effective at breaking down heavy soil. You can apply 50 gram per square meter two to three times per year. The aeration will then carry some of it down into the soil profile where it becomes so effective.

      I would suggest applying a low nitrogen/high iron fertiliser any time now, late February, to kill moss, and slightly boost the grass. Late March, apply the main Spring fertiliser, a high nitrogen/high iron formulae, for example our Angus 9.0.0.11%fe, to get the lawn started into full growth.

      The final stage in the Spring renovation would be to scarify around two weeks after the fertiliser application. This removes the dead moss, and encourages the grass to spread into the resulting gaps. Apply a little lawn seed to any particularly bare areas, before then top dressing with washed sand at a rate of around 2 kilo per square meter. Ensure this is evenly brushed into the sward to avoid any smothering.

      If you follow these steps you will very quickly transform your lawn.

      I am happy to answer any questions you have. Duncan.

  5. I find myself regularly coming to this site for questions and issues with my lawn and garden. Always get the answers. Thank you for the informative post again!

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