How & Why You Should Aerate Your Yard In Texas

How & Why You Should Aerate Your Yard In Texas
February 28, 2021 handsomelawn
In Article

When it comes to having a stellar lawn—we’re talking lush, vibrant green as far as the eye can see—then the steps you take are relatively straightforward. Oftentimes, when people are dealing with an unsightly lawn, they forget the very basics that will help it grow. Air. Water. Nutrients. It can be as easy as that in terms of getting your lawn to where you want it to be. Today, we’re focusing on the “air” portion of things, or what lawn-enthusiasts like to call aeration. So, what exactly is aeration and why should you incorporate it into your yard routine? Here is the breakdown of how to aerate your yard in Texas and why it’s important.

What is aeration?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user lokate366.

First, let’s start at the beginning—what is aeration? Aeration is the process of perforating your lawn with small holes in order for air, water, and nutrients to get to the roots. Air becomes circulated through the lawn, mixes with or dissolves with the water, and then helps the roots to go stronger weeks later.

Why does aeration help your lawn?

Sometimes soil in a yard becomes compacted, from pets, humans, and even the lawnmower. Even when the soil is slightly compacted, it inhibits the flow of air, water, and nutrients, which can affect the growth of the grass. When the soil is aerated, it can help fix the compaction so that the nutrients can reach the roots. 

How do you know when your lawn needs aeration?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user allispossible.org.uk.

Over time, without aeration, your lawn can become weak. If your grass looks stressed, or your soil allows rainwater to pool up in puddles where it would once absorb, then you likely have problems with compaction. There is actually a test you can try with a screwdriver to see if your yard needs aeration. Take a basic screwdriver and stick it into your lawn. If it slides in with ease, then you have an adequate amount of aeration. If you have resistance with the screwdriver, then your soil is compacted.

Do you really need to aerate your lawn?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Oregon State University.

As with other big yard projects, there is a suggested schedule that you should follow in order to aerate your lawn. It’s best to aerate the lawn either during or right before the time grass reaches its peak natural growth. For Arlington, Texas, it’s suggested that lawns should be aerated during late spring or very early in summer. This way, when the aeration process is timed with active growth of the lawn, the grass can recover more quickly.

How do you aerate your lawn?

There are different ways you can aerate your lawn, starting with a basic handheld tool to a gas-powered machine. Depending on how big your yard is, you’ll want to choose the right tool accordingly. The aeration machines include three main types, spike aerators, slicing aerators, and core or plug aerators. Spike aerators poke a hole in the soil in a thin, solid line. Slicing aerators have rotating blades to slice through the grass and thatch. Meanwhile, core aerators use rows of hollow lines to remove soil plugs from the lawn. 

Here’s the good news, if aeration is not something you can fit into your schedule right now then we can help. At Handsome Lawn Service, we can aerate your yard in Texas for you, so that you don’t have to worry about the tools or the schedule. We have the machines to do that work to get your lawn looking sharp each and every season.