Last Updated on February 15, 2022 by Real Men Sow
Are you ready to get serious with your lawn management? Lawn aeration is a critical step to ensure your garden to thrive! Timing and methods are an important part of this equation, which this post will dive into in a lot more detail.
What’s Lawn Aeration?
Lawn aeration ensures proper air circulation and improves grassroots water and nutrient consumption. To do that, we have to poke small and long holes into the ground with either rotavators or tillers.
Why’s Aerating Lawn is Important?
As simple as it sounds, aerating your soil is crucial to help plant roots to access oxygen and nutrients. The aerating process helps the soil ecosystem and the soil microorganisms to naturally break down thatch.
By poking many small holes in your lawn, you can also avoid soil drainage, which also helps your plants to breathe and grow.
When Is The Best Time To Aerate Lawn In The UK?
March to November
You can spike (2″ to 6-inch) with your lawn aerator sandals or rolling lawn aerator. This can be done anytime between March and November. It’s extremely beneficial and you can do it as many times as you wish. Avoid soil that is very moist or when frost is imminent.
Shallow spiking, or pricking, is only for dry months. The spikes won’t penetrate as much normally prior to fertilising, seeding or watering. This will allow the soil to absorb even the smallest of raindrops.
Spring and Autumn
If you have the right equipment or can ride on the mower attachment, you can add slitting and chisel-tining to your spiking. Spring or autumn are great if you have a slitter. The ‘pruning effect’ of late autumn and October to November are also great times for root development during the cooler months. Pay attention to when it gets colder, warmer, or both. The slits may become very wide during frosty weather or dry weather.
Autumn
The more invasive procedure of coring with a hollow tine aerator is recommended. This, along with other invasive procedures, should be performed only after a good recovery. Because the weather is likely to get wetter than dry, I recommend September to mid-November.
An aerator can improve soil drainage and temperature, which is ideal for this time of the year. However, if you do not aerate your lawn in spring, it could lead to problems with the soil’s drainage and drying effects.
Watch out for cold temperatures as any freezing that occurs soon after hollow tining could cause your lawn to heave!
