Best time of year to aerate?

Barefoot James · Feb 5, 2009

What is the best time of year to aerate and why?

I have head and read Spring and Fall are good - and many use fall to aerate and seed - so the roots have room to grow in the newly created air space and water/nutrients/biology/food can get to the roots better.

That said what about summer aeration? Like July. Are there benefits to doing it in July on fescue grass?

Some say you can aerate anytime of year.

Please tell use your experiences with aeration and improvements you have seen based on when you did the aeration.

BCarlson · Feb 5, 2009

Your right, I've heard both spring and fall for aeration too. The general idea for a fall aeration and reseeding is that with fall seeding you get a deeper root system. I have heard the same for thatching too. Fall, spring or anytime.

Grassmechanic · Feb 5, 2009

In the golf course days, we aerated every 6 weeks. Our main concern was to alleviate compaction due to the heavy play of the course. On a home turf, spring or fall is best as it the time grass is growing the fastest, but summer aeration is OK as long as temps aren't too extreme.

1.2.3. green · Feb 5, 2009

AERATE any time if lawn needs it as long as your not in a long hot spell.Aerate, seed @ 4-6lbs per k, spray with liquid tea , watch it grow

DUSTYCEDAR · Feb 5, 2009

in july its too dry to do it here so i do it in the fall for the most part

DuallyVette · Feb 6, 2009

We aerate fescue grass in the Fall. I've had customers insist on aerating and seeding in the Spring, against my recommendation. If you seed, you can't apply a pre-emergent weed control. If you don't apply a pre-, you'll nothing but crabgrass. If you apply a pre,(no seed), and then aerate, you'll disturb the pre, and you'll have plenty of crab grass.

cmlandscapeconstruction · Feb 26, 2009

aerate not by calender but by necessity.
is soil compacted,are the roots so matted that new growth is beeing inhibited,are you alleviating a wet condition ,making soil ammendments,is the area not absorbing water.etc.

tombo82685 · Feb 26, 2009

I agree with cmlandscapeconstruction, aerate when need be, but the best times are during the spring or fall. The reason why spring or fall for cool season grasses is because during that timeframe the turf can recover quicker. In spring you aerate to build root system. In fall you aerate to relieve thatch and recover the root system that was lost during the summer. If your going to aerate in summer make sure its not on a hott day, and use a smaller tine if you want to pull cores like a needle tine. For cool season bunch type grass you should only aerate to relieve thatch every 2 years because bunch type grasses dont produce much thatch at all. If your lawn consists of bluegrass aerate or verticut 2 times a year spring and fall to relieve thatch. If your lawn consists of warm season grasses your fine to aerate whenever, because the hotter it is the faster they grow. After you do aerate this is the best time to apply fertilzers/seed/lime to have a direct impact on the plants root system and soil profile in terms of fertilizing and lime.

Barefoot James · Feb 26, 2009

tombo - whats your take on vibratory types of aeraters like the aerovator - no plugs! Ever used one?

tombo82685 · Feb 26, 2009

Barefoot James said:
tombo - whats your take on vibratory types of aeraters like the aerovator - no plugs! Ever used one?

no plugs, meaning it doesnt pull a core? or it just collects the cores?

tombo82685 · Feb 26, 2009

is it a type of device that depends on the weight of the machine to puncture through the soil creating a hole? It has like a roller base that is filled with solid tines/spikes?

lawn_enthusiast · Feb 26, 2009

I think any time of near is a good time to aerate, if your lawn needs it. Also, I would recommend definitely using a plug aerator because it actually removes soil instead of compacting it down (which, is not useful in my opinion) like those aerating shoes and other products to.

tombo82685 · Feb 26, 2009

lawn_enthusiast said:
I think any time of near is a good time to aerate, if your lawn needs it. Also, I would recommend definitely using a plug aerator because it actually removes soil instead of compacting it down (which, is not useful in my opinion) like those aerating shoes and other products to.

I agree, solid tinning is good because it does work oxygen into the profile, but its still compacting the soil not relieving it. Im not a huge fan of solid tine. If you do solid tine i wouldn,t say not to do it would just say make sure you do pull the core at some point during the season. Also when aerating make sure you do it at different depths so you dont create fragipans

greenskeeper44 · Feb 26, 2009

james

aeration in the summertime is wonderful thing it gives air to the roots during humid periods like we have in the summer and also helps water infiltrate more easily during the summer. The thing you have to be careful is to make sure you stay on top of the watering because with holes the soil profile will dry out faster than it would without the openings. during the summer on the golf course we would aerate dry (hot spots) so the water could penetrate easier and make it through the thatch which lead to quicker recovery.

Hows the flyers working out for you?

tombo82685 · Feb 26, 2009

greenskeeper44 said:
james

aeration in the summertime is wonderful thing it gives air to the roots during humid periods like we have in the summer and also helps water infiltrate more easily during the summer. The thing you have to be careful is to make sure you stay on top of the watering because with holes the soil profile will dry out faster than it would without the openings. during the summer on the golf course we would aerate dry (hot spots) so the water could penetrate easier and make it through the thatch which lead to quicker recovery.

Hows the flyers working out for you?

A great machine if you can rent one is a hydroject, aerates and establishes water into the profile. If you dont have that needle tinning is best or anythig that puts small holes in that can be healed quickly in a time of strees depending on what type of grass you have.

The Elements Group · Feb 26, 2009

be sure to put your pre-emerge down first ..... good luck

tombo82685 · Feb 27, 2009

james I really dont see the need to aerate a tall fescue lawn throughout the summer. Once a year at most is enough in my eyes With bunch type grasses, if your trying to rid of thatch. The clippings and stems of bunch type grasses are all succulent and consists of 70-80% water that breakdown quickly, thus resulting in not much thatch. If you have infiltration problems it is likely do to compaction or clay soil. This can be done in the summer to correct this problem, but don't attempt it during high stress periods, like hott or drought conditions, the wear and tear of the aeration process will do a number on the grass. In grasses like bent, bluegrass, and warm season grasses you do need to aerate often because the stolons and rhizomes consist of lignon which do not break down quick at all, thus creating a thatchy layer, which causes isolated dry spots that affect water infiltration and pest/disease problems.

Best time of year to aerate?

Barefoot James

BCarlson

Grassmechanic

1.2.3. green

DUSTYCEDAR

DuallyVette

cmlandscapeconstruction

tombo82685

Barefoot James

tombo82685

tombo82685

lawn_enthusiast

tombo82685

greenskeeper44

tombo82685

The Elements Group

tombo82685

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