Aeration of a Lawn
Aerating your lawn does not require you to be a ranger. A variety of do-it-yourself methods make it possible to all skill levels. The first question to answer is whether you want to remove cores from the floor when aerating or simply drill holes in the floor. The removal of soil cores creates channels for air to enter the ground. The drill holes compact the already compacted soil.
You have two options through which you can aerate soil: These include manual or automated.
Let us discuss these in detail:
Manual aeration
Manual aerators are best suited for small lawns and produce results comparable to automated aerators. It submerges two or four hollow cylinders in the ground using the power of the feet to extract cores or drill holes. The pointed-toe shoes pierce the skin but do not lift the cores from the floor.
Automated aeration
Automated aerators have a circular drum in the front or back loaded with hollow cylinders or tips. When removing soil plugs with an aerator core, look for machines with deeper teeth and weight on the tines to sink into the ground.
What to think about while aerating the soil
Before aerating, use markers to mark the locations of sprinkler heads, shallow irrigation lines, septic lines, and buried utilities.
Aerate slightly compacted soil, sandy soil, or soil that has been aerated within the last 12 months in one step, using the typical cutting pattern of one cut following his model and the second cut at an angle to the first. Attempt to make 20 to 40 holes per square foot.
Leave the earth plugs in place after aerating to decompose. These nuclei contain microorganisms that digest grass straw. Running on them the next time you mow will break them, just like a light rake (after drying) or dragging an old carpet across the lawn.
After aerating, you can fertilize and seed the lawn. A thin layer of soil or composted manure is not required, but it is acceptable.
Aeration of the core transports weed seeds to the lowest soil levels. Plan to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to cold-season herbs in the spring after autumn aeration, and a warm-season lawn herbicide in the fall after aeration. When planting again, do not use a pre-emergent herbicide.
Water your lawn more after a few hours of aeration, especially if it is hot or dry.