Aerating Your Lawn By Hand

The grass is starting to change color or look unhealthy.

Aerating your lawn by hand.

Spiking is not nearly as effective as core aerating but it s better than nothing. You are required to hold the handle using both hands so that you can drive it into the soil. Your soil type is clay. This soil type needs aeration as it tends to.

Although aerating your lawn in the spring certainly isn t wrong it would have to take a close second compared to aerating in the fall. Thoroughly water your lawn a day or two before you begin the aeration process. With a spike aerator you simply use the tool to poke holes into the ground with a solid tine or fork. This will help with the number of weeds growing in the springtime.

Dethatching and aerating are two different tasks but they often go hand in hand. For lightly compacted soil go over your entire lawn once with the aerator making sure to follow directions for use. In areas where the soil is too compacted the foot bar offers extra leverage. The most effective type of aerating is with a gas powered machine called a core aerator that pulls out small cores of grass and soil.

Once you aerate the lawn in the fall you can apply weed killers so the open holes are protected from weeds. Things needed hand aerifier with tube hollows 1 4 to 1 2 inch in diameter or spading fork lawn watering device optional tape measure or ruler lawn rake optional wheelbarrow or basket optional. Make sure to mark any sprinkler heads or shallow irrigation septic or utility lines so that you won t accidentally run them over. Plug aerators remove a core or plug of grass and soil from the lawn.

If you live where heavy clay soil is the norm annual aeration is probably needed to keep your lawn from becoming thin and weak. Thatch is the layer of decomposing organic matter that forms right at the lawn surface between soil and grass. A lawn care professional explains how and why to aerate a lawn including what tools can be used for the job and how to properly use t. Two main aerating tools exist a spike aerator and a plug aerator.

The day before aerating your lawn apply 1 inch of water to the lawn to soften the soil. Other aerators use short spikes to punch holes in the turf. Apply at least one inch of water. Aerating is the process of punching small holes all over your lawn.

For the best results use an aerating tool or machine that actually removes plugs of soil. You fail to push a screwdriver through the moist soil. It is difficult for water to sip below the surface when watering.