Lawn aeration

[Thump]

How often do you people do it and do you overseed after?

I've heard before if you can't stick a screwdriver about 3 inches into the ground that you need to aerate but if you can, it's not necessary.

Lived in my house for 3 years and have never aerated my yard.

 

[iambrutus]

i've never done it. my dad has been at his current place for 10 years and has done it once, about 4-5 years ago.

 

[martinss01]

im trying to kill my yard.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Nature's unique "environmentally friendly" method of lawn aeration: groundhogs.

 

[gregorylee]

twice a year, early spring and late fall. I only overseed if it needs it or just in the spots it needs it. I also have the benefit of my own aerator, but when I was renting it was usually just in the spring. It really helps if you have an area of the yard that just doesn't want to grow grass.

 

[osugrad21]

How often do you people do it and do you overseed after?

I've heard before if you can't stick a screwdriver about 3 inches into the ground that you need to aerate but if you can, it's not necessary.

Lived in my house for 3 years and have never aerated my yard.

CoastalBuck is the man for this thread...he will have your lawn looking like a putting green

 

[scooter1369]

With all of the bodies buried in my yard, aeration isn't really an issue.

 

[Dryden]

Switch to field turf.

No sowing. No weeding. No mowing.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Ive' lived in my house for 32 years and never have had it done. We have one of those spray fertilizer companys come around during the summer. Lawn looks great, grows toooo fast. We just have to water it if needed.
hey I think I just posted my inane thread post for the day!:tongue2:

 

[WyoBuck]

How often do you people do it and do you overseed after?

I've heard before if you can't stick a screwdriver about 3 inches into the ground that you need to aerate but if you can, it's not necessary.

Lived in my house for 3 years and have never aerated my yard.

I suppose answering a question with a question, might be necessary here. Does your yard even need it? Unless you have heavily compacted soil where root growth is less than a few inches deep, or a heavy layer of thatch, then probably not. If you want to know your root depth, cut a 6 inch deep plug out of your yard in a questionable area that is somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 x 12 inches square.

If your lawn suffers from any of this, what aerating will do is loosen the soil making deeper root growth possible, deeper and more even penetration of water and greater nutrient uptake.

Chances are, if you lawn already looks good, and you have less than a 1/2 inch of thatch, you are alright. If you live someplace that is a heavy clay soil, or if you have a high traffic yard, it might be a more common consideration.

It is not too expensive to rent an aerator or dethatcher for a day if you want to do it. One way to look at it is it probably wont hurt your yard, but unless it needs it, it wont help it either.

 

[coastalbuck]

Wyobuck is spot on with every point. One additional question, what kind of grass do you have? Some turfgrasses are heavy thatch producers and some aren't. There's also a key distinction to make here, overseeding vs. interseeding. When you sow a different type of grass over an area it is overseeding, when you cultivate the turfgrass and sow the same seed, (usually bluegrass or ryegrass) it's interseeding. Interseeding is almost always a good thing, overseeding, not so much..

 

[Thump]

Wyobuck is spot on with every point. One additional question, what kind of grass do you have? Some turfgrasses are heavy thatch producers and some aren't. There's also a key distinction to make here, overseeding vs. interseeding. When you sow a different type of grass over an area it is overseeding, when you cultivate the turfgrass and sow the same seed, (usually bluegrass or ryegrass) it's interseeding. Interseeding is almost always a good thing, overseeding, not so much..

Bluegrass with some fescue mixed in some shady spots. What's thatch, just the brown dead layer of grass at the soil level?

 

[coastalbuck]

What's thatch, just the brown dead layer of grass at the soil level?

Bingo. Don't want more than an inch, 1/2 probably better. Any more and you need to remove some.

 

[BuckeyeRyn]

and aeration removes that thatch?

 

[coastalbuck]

and aeration removes that thatch?

It does, but it also relieves compaction. If thatch is the only problem, verticutting wil reduce the thatch. There also are thatch rakes out there that will remove it too, takes some work though.