Lawn Aeration in St. Louis
A beautiful, lush lawn does wonders for your home’s curb appeal. But growing a flawless lawn isn’t always easy. After all, there are huge factors that are completely out of your control. Like the weather. You’ll need to take steps to protect your lawn if you want it to look its best. Beyond maintaining a regular watering schedule and staying ahead of insects and lawn diseases, you need to keep your lawn aerated.
“Regular Lawn Aeration Will Keep Your Grass Healthy and Disease-Free.”
Whether you’re interested in trying your hand at renting an aerator and aerating your own lawn or gathering information before contacting Aerations Only, you’ve come to the right place. On this page, we’ll explain what Lawn aeration in St. Louis is.
A beautiful, lush lawn does wonders for your home’s curb appeal. But growing a flawless lawn isn’t always easy. After all, there are huge factors that are completely out of your control. Like the weather. You’ll need to take steps to protect your lawn if you want it to look its best. Beyond maintaining a regular watering schedule and staying ahead of insects and lawn diseases, you need to keep your lawn aerated.
“Regular Lawn Aeration Will Keep Your Grass Healthy and Disease-Free.”
Whether you’re interested in trying your hand at renting an aerator and aerating your own lawn or gathering information before contacting Aerations Only, you’ve come to the right place. On this page, we’ll explain what Lawn aeration in St. Louis is.
Let’s dive right in.
What Is Lawn Aeration?
Core aeration is the process of exposing your soil to the air by removing plugs of soil from the turf. It’s a common part of spring lawn maintenance.
The resulting hollows allow water and nutrients to move through the soil, increasing the quality and health of grass over time and resulting in stronger roots. Healthier roots can withstand the hotter temperatures and droughts that often accompany summer weather.
Benefits of Lawn Aeration in St. Louis
- Aeration is particularly useful for lawns that undergo a lot of foot traffic.
- Roots need oxygen from the air to grow and absorb water and nutrients.
- Due to the decreased flow of air within the soil, compaction can negatively affect root growth.
- This significantly reduces the spaces in the soil that would typically hold air.
How Can Aeration Services Improve My Lawn?
- Increases oxygen, water, and nutrient movement through the soil.
- Creates stronger roots.
- Helps develop a topsoil layer underneath the grass.
- Prevents fertilizer and pesticide runoff.
- Inhibits thatch accumulation.
Do I Need Lawn Aeration?
The only time it isn’t beneficial to aerate your lawn is after laying new sod. You should wait at least six months before aerating new sod and hold off aerating newly seeded lawns until the seedlings reach maturity
Additional Signs You Need Aeration
Your lawn regularly receives heavy use.
The thatch on your lawn is greater than one-half inch.
You have dense clay soil.
Your lawn regularly receives heavy use.
The thatch on your lawn is greater than one-half inch.
You have dense clay soil.
The only time it isn’t beneficial to aerate your lawn is after laying new sod. You should wait at least six months before aerating new sod and hold off aerating newly seeded lawns until the seedlings reach maturity
When Should I get me Lawn Aerated?
Aerate Twice a Year
If You Have Cool-Season Grass
Core Aerate in the Spring (April) before applying pesticides and in the Fall (September) before overseeding.
Not sure if you have cool-season grass?
If your lawn is made up of Kentucky Bluegrass or Fescue, you do.
Aerate Once a Year
If You Have Warm-Season Grass
You have warm-season grass if your lawn is made up of Bermuda or Zoysia.
What to do before and after my Lawn is Aerated?
How Aeration Improves Your Lawn
- Mow your lawn a half inch shorter than usual.
- Be sure to water your lawn two to three days before aeration. The tines on the aeration machine penetrate loose soil better than dry soil. If the soil is too dry, the tines will have trouble effectively piercing the ground.
- Mark Sprinkler Heads, Cables, Septic Lines, and any other obstacle that may be in the way while aerating.
What to Do After Aerating Your Lawn
Lawn care after aeration is important. Luckily, it’s relatively straightforward.
- Leave the soil plugs on the lawn to decompose and filter back into the holes left by the aeration machine. Your lawn mower will often break them up and help work them back into the soil within two to three weeks.
- Apply fertilizer immediately after aerating your lawn to put nutrients into your grass roots. This allows the grass to better prepare for summer heat. Growing a thick, healthy lawn is useful in preventing weeds as well.
- Reseed your lawn, especially in areas of the lawn where the grass is thin. The seeds mix with the soil plugs and have better access to non-compacted soil following aeration.
The Bottom Line
Lawn Aeration is an important part of keeping your lawn healthy and beautiful.
Keep in mind, all good things take time. That includes your lawn.
Lawn Aeration FAQS
All lawns will benefit from aeration, and a great lawn demands it. Lawns suffering from heavy foot traffic, excessive thatch, or growing on heavy soils will benefit the most.
Most lawns should be aerated once or twice a year, depending on the soil, grass type, and amount of use. A lawn experiencing heavy traffic, or any lawn with clay soil, should be aerated twice a year. A well-established lawn with little traffic. on the other hand, can be aerated once a year.
For best results, you should aerate twice a year. Aerating in the spring before applying a weed and feed allows for water, oxygen, and nutrients to penetrate the roots quicker, giving your lawn a boost in helping the grass to regenerate and grow stronger. Fall is the best time of the year to aerate and overseed your lawn. Warm soils, cool nights, and dying annual weeds make fall conditions the ideal time for aeration combined with overseeding. Not sure if you have a cool-season lawn? The most common types of cool-season grasses are Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Fine Fescue, and Tall Fescue.
The best time to aerate a warm-season grass, like zoysia, is in late spring or earlier summer when the lawn is in its growing stages. Aerating zoysia in the fall has no real beneficial value because it’s close to going dormant.
Depending on the time of year you should apply fertilizer immediately after aerating your lawn to put nutrients back into the soil. If are aerating your lawn in the spring, you should apply a weed and feed, but if you’re aerating in the fall, you should apply a starter fertilizer with some seed, especially in areas of the lawn where the grass is thin. Lastly, you should always leave the soil plugs on the lawn to decompose and filter back into the holes left by the aeration machine.
