Give Your Lawn Some 'Air'

A neighbor of mine recently hired a guy to aerate his lawn. It's not such a bad idea to perk up a sulking lawn or keep a good one thriving. If you haven't had your lawn aerated in the past two or three years -- or worse, never had it done -- now is the time.

Aerating your lawn is one of the "goodies" you can do. First and foremost, aeration provides air to the roots of your lawn. Not too many people remember that lawns need air to breathe just as much as they need water, sunlight and fertilizer. Air allows soil microorganisms to thrive, thus making nutrients available to roots. Aeration also allows fertilizer to reach the root zone faster without washing away. Thatch will be reduced, too, as the soil from the cores filter into the thatch layer to accelerate microbial activity and thatch decomposition.

Aeration is a method in which a coring machine pulls up small plugs of soil/grass from your lawn. If you're a golfer, you're probably familiar with aeration at the golf course. Golf course superintendents tend to aerate fairways at least once a year, and those little soil plugs will make golf balls take some funny bounces.

You can rent mechanical aerators or hire the work out. Whatever you decide, make sure the aerator will remove plugs at least a couple inches long. Plugs that are four inches long or longer do the best job. Types of aerators that simply push tines into the soil without removing a plug are not as effective because they cause compaction around the holes when they displace the soil.

After aeration is completed, spread a thin layer of peat moss or some other type of organic compost across the top of the lawn to help further reduce compaction and improve the soil. Don't worry about the soil/grass plugs that sit on top of the lawn. They'll dissolve in a matter of time.

If your lawn is in good shape, you won't need aeration to help get water and fertilizer to the roots. Remember that lawns do better with soakings instead of sprinklings to encourage deep roots. Of course, this time of year, hopefully Mother Nature will help with the irrigation needs. If she doesn't, keep on deep watering at least once or twice a week.

As for fertilizer, any type of balanced lawn fertilizer will do. Once the cold weather sets in for good, and grass blades begin to turn a little yellow, you can fertilize with sulphate of ammonia to green things up. Come January or February, remember to use a so-called "weed-and-feed" product if broad leaf weeds are a problem in spring and summer. These preventive products will kill weed seeds and prevent them from germinating in the spring. However, timing is the key and it must be applied in January or February in our area.

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