Should I Be Aerating My Lawn?

When you drive by a house, what’s something you instantly notice that can make or break its curb appeal?

The lawn.

A discolored, dead-looking lawn can make the nicest of homes and landscapes look unattractive. While a well-maintained, green lawn can make you fall in love with a property at first glance.

In order to achieve a green lawn like this, you need to keep up with fertilizing, watering, mowing, and the all too forgotten — aerating of the lawn.

What Does Aerating Do?

The soil beneath grass can easily become compacted, making it difficult for water, air, and nutrients to break through the surface of the lawn. This is where aeration comes into play.

For those who don’t know, the process of aerating the lawn involves puncturing small holes throughout the landscape in order to allow water, air, and the proper nutrients to access the roots of your grass.

This will allow roots to grow deeper and become stronger, thus producing a healthier and greener lawn. Lawn aeration should ideally be completed during the growing season — early spring for Connecticut homeowners with cool season grass.

Is My Lawn a Candidate for Aeration?

Ideally, every lawn should be aerated at some point — especially if it has never been aerated in the past. However, if you want to know if you should be calling the landscaper tomorrow because your lawn is in dire need, then this is what you need to look for:

• Playground – Do you have children and/or pets that use the yard as a playground? The constant running and playing in the yard can contribute to the soil becoming impacted. It’s okay to play on the lawn, but you’ll need to invest more time in its upkeep.
• New Home – Was your home built within the last few years? Or did you just have an addition (home extension, new patio, swimming pool) put in? Construction equipment can easily compact soil, preventing the lawn from ever growing properly.
• Always Dry – Does your lawn always feel dry, even after watering it earlier in the day? Maybe it has a slightly spongy feel to it? The roots below might not be receiving enough of the water you’re feeding to it. Aerate the lawn, while also possibly dethatching it a bit.

If you had trouble getting your lawn to be green, thick, and healthy last year — your lawn is most likely a candidate for aeration.

Don’t worry!

You don’t have to go out and buy an aerator for something you do once or twice per year. Just give us a call and our pros can take care of this very important piece of spring lawn care for you!