Lawn Aeration 101: A Guide to a Healthy Lawn

Aeration is one of the many maintenance methods that can help you achieve a greener, healthier lawn. Backyard Reflections, one of the top outdoor living contractors in the area, discusses what it is, why and when you need it, and how it is done.

What Is Lawn Aeration and Why Do You Need It?

Lawn aeration is a procedure used to loosen compacted soil on your lawn. Soil compaction happens when soil particles are pressed together, reducing the space between pores. It is a result of many different activities, including parking automobiles, animals running around, and children playing on the lawn. Sometimes, the weather is a contributing factor, including heavy rain and snow accumulation.

Since compacted soil has fewer pores than a healthy one, water, air and nutrients can’t reach your plants’ root systems, depriving them of the nourishment necessary for them to thrive. Through lawn aeration, you allow your yard’s underlying soil to breathe.

The Best Time of Year to Aerate Your Lawn

While lawn aeration can be done at any point during the growing season, it’s best done in the early spring or fall. This is recommended for cool-season grasses that are common in Minnesota. Spring lawn aeration allows grass plants to thrive and achieve a healthier, greener look at a faster rate. Fall lawn aeration, meanwhile, strengthens the root systems of plants while providing a great bed for overseeding. A landscape services specialist can inspect your lawn and determine when it needs aerating and suggest when – or how many times – it needs to be aerated.

How Aeration Is Done

Lawn aeration makes use of equipment ranging from small manual versions to larger tractor-like or pull-behind machinery. A spike aerator, for instance, pokes a hole down into the soil. A slicing aerator has rotating blades that cut or slice through grass and thatch and down into the soil to create openings. A core or plug aerator has rows of hollow tines that remove plugs of soil from your lawn and deposit them on top where they break down.

At Backyard Reflections, you can count on our team of highly skilled experts who will help maintain your lawn, plant beds, and other outdoor features. Count on us to provide lighting design landscape services as well. Call us at (320) 274-6336 if you live in Annandale or (218) 454-1065 if you live in Pequot Lakes. You may also fill out our online form to schedule your no-obligation consultation.