Aerate Your Lawn For Better Growth

One of our favorite things about spring is how everything suddenly becomes green. Have you noticed that? It seems like one day you'll notice small buds on the trees, and then a few days later, BAM - green everywhere!

And that includes lawns--doesn't a lush, green yard add a certain panache to your home? If your lawn could use a little more life, you might want to try aerating it.

Home Construction Improvement has an informative article about lawn aerating. One of the top tips? Consider a plug or core aerator as opposed to a spike aerator. If you own a John Deere tractor, you can buy a plug aerator that attaches to the tractor. If you don't want to shell out the money for one, though, you can also rent an aerator.

Before you aerate your lawn, make sure it has some moisture, which will help the aerator better penetrate the soil. Wait until after it rains, or give your lawn a once-over with the garden hose.

Why should you aerate your lawn? It helps sufficient oxygen reach your grass roots, which stimulates growth. If you live in an area where the soil is especially compacted, aeration is a great way to loosen the soil and help oxygen and nutrients reach the roots.

Have you aerated your lawn? What equipment did you use, and were you pleased with the results?

Photo: Flickr.com/photos/hummyhummy/2330061860/

Katy Ryan | Comments () |

Preston

I have those aerator shoes with spikes and did it the other night. It was a major workout, but fun and kind of felt good to make some progress on the lawn. It's an ugly lawn, so we'll see if it makes a difference.

chris

I arerated this spring, followed up with a fertilizer and an herbicide. I wasn't planning on it, but my neighbor was renting one and I decided I to pitch in with him. This is the best my yard has ever looked. We rented it for a day at Home depot, it was 75 bucks. We picked it up right before the store closed and my neighbor and I both were done with it by 9 am so you can definitely do a 1/2 day rental - my yard is 10,000 sq ft.

Charles & Hudson

That's a huge yard! Glad the aerator worked for you.