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If you want to have a beautiful lawn, aerating is one of the basic lawn care practices you need to do. Aerating is done by poking the soil to create small holes so nutrients, water and air can penetrate deep into the roots of grass. With the poking done, what do you do after aerating lawn?
Poking or perforation reduces the compaction of the soil. Soil is compacted when there are excess solid particles (lawn latch) buried within the spaces of the soil. This further prevents the soil from getting the essential elements it needs.
Aerating the soil therefore reduces soil compaction to allow the roots to grow deep and strong so you can have a healthy lawn.
Aerating is done by a lawn aerator to rid the lawn with soil plugs. The aerating pattern usually gets rid of plugs in ½ inch diameters for every every 2-5 inches of grass in the lawn.
A soil plug is usually between 1-5 inches long depending on how compacted the soil is and they type of soil.
Aerating is best done during the growing season or during the fall. This is the best time for new grass to grow filling the open areas that have been unclogged with solid particles. Also, it is advisable to do aeration after a rain or your watering your land. With aeration done, what needs to be done next?
After being aerated, your lawn needs to be properly maintained for proper germination. Whether you do aerating yourself or ask for a professional’s help, just check out the information below to have an overview about the simple maintenance.
After aerating there will be small holes or core plugs all over your lawn. This holes will eventually disappear within a few weeks as they begin to be filled up with the roots of new grass.
Apply fertilizer to immediately feed the roots of the grass with nutrients. This will allow grass to prepare for the coming heat of summer. A healthy and thick lawn also prevents the growing of weeds.
Do heavy watering. Infrequent and heavy watering encourages grass to growth deeper roots. This will allow you to have a lawn that is tolerant to drought and stronger.
Reseed your lawn with thinning or bare grass. The seeds will come into contact with the soil plugs and will go to the non-compacted soil. You should do over-seeding immediately after completing aeration.
Lumps of dirt and sod will be on your lawn after the aerating process. These holes and dirt are actually sea beds that will disappear and dissolve over time.
On the first month after reseeding, it is recommender to keep off the grass to allow the seeds to properly germinate and enhance new growth.
After the first month the new grass should be about 2 inches tall. Limit your watering to only once a day.
The goal is to make your lawn look tall. Cut the grass only if it is higher than 3.5 inches tall. This is the right height that will help propel the roots deeper and quickly establish.
Make to check if the soil’s core is dry before you start mowing. Make sure to also detach the catcher of the mower as it will break the soil’s core and bring it back to the lawn as a top dress. Change the direction of your week every week and cut only less than one third of the leaf of the grass.
Lawn aerating is a simple process but it is important to keep your lawn healthy and happy. Aerating will fix compacted soil so water, air and nutrients can get to the plants. There are some maintenance processes you need to do after aeration to ensure new grass will grow healthy and strong.
Do you have any more suggestions on what to do after aerating lawn? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section.
