The Biggest Benefit Of Aerating Your Lawn In Fall For More Lush, Greener Grass

Aerating is one of the most straightforward ways to improve your lawn in the long run. It offers numerous benefits, including grass that grows greener and fuller each year, as well as benefits that extend beyond aesthetic appeal. Depending on the type of soil and grass in your garden, aerating may actually be essential for the health of your lawn, relieving compacted soil to allow the roots to reach water, oxygen, and nutrients beneath the surface.

If you live in the northern states, your lawn should follow a maintenance schedule tailored to cool-season grasses. This means it should be aerated in the early fall when the grass is actively growing, allowing the lawn to fill in the aeration holes and recover in no time. Aerating when the lawn is dormant (not growing) is one of the most common mistakes people make when aerating their lawn. With fall around the corner, you're just in time to get started on the job for a gorgeous lawn next spring.

Lawns in the northern United States primarily grow cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass. These grasses experience their peak growth in the fall, spreading their roots as far as the soil permits. This is why early fall is the best time to aerate your lawn; you want to ensure that the soil is not compacted during this time of year, as compacted soil will trap air, water, and nutrients, preventing the roots from accessing them. Aerating this season also allows the grass to recover before the arrival of winter frost.

It's beneficial to aerate a few days after it has rained or you have watered the lawn, as dry soil doesn't respond well to aeration. However, you don't want the lawn to be excessively moist either, which is another reason to wait a few days after rainfall before bringing out the aerating equipment. Don't over-aerate your lawn, and if it experiences high traffic, such as from children playing, aerate every one or two years. Otherwise, every two to four years is plenty.

If it's your first time aerating your lawn, you may be torn between various aerating methods and types of equipment. You can definitely aerate your lawn without heavy equipment, using tools already in your garage. However, core aeration tends to yield the best results compared to other methods, such as spike aeration, which can occasionally exacerbate compaction.