Over time the soil under your lawn becomes compacted. Soil compaction makes it harder for the grass roots to grow and reduces the absorption of water. Both of these problems cause a lawn to become stressed. When a lawn is under stress it tends to brown easily and is less resistant to disease.
In order to to reduce compaction, you must aerate the soil periodically. Aerating can be done by poking holes into the ground or by pulling plugs out of the ground. The latter method is preferred because it loosens the soil while poking holes actually packs the soil tighter. However, either method is beneficial. By making holes, you enable more water to soak in and you let fertilizer to reach the roots.
How to Aerate a Lawn
You can use a tractor with an aeration rig, but if you are like most people, you don't own a tractor. You can purchase shoes with long spikes or set of spikes on a handle. Both of these will take some time to cover your entire lawn. To make faster work of this task you can rent an aerator from a local tool center or you can hire someone to do it for you. Often the cost of a pro is little more than the cost to rent the tool, so do some checking first.
When to Aerate a Lawn
Ryegrass, bluegrass, bentgrass and fescue lawns should generally be aerated in the fall. Bermuda, Bahia, St. Augustine and other warm climate grasses should be aerated in the late spring.
After aerating your lawn, this may be a good time to apply seed, compost or fertilizer.
