Your Guide to Lawn Aeration: When and How to Aerate Your Lawn

Is your lawn looking thin and sparse? Is it building up thatch or feeling heavily compacted under foot? If so then your lawn may benefit from aeration. In this blog, our experts at My Lawn give you top tips on when to aerate your lawn for a UK climate, how to aerate it effectively and what to do after your lawn has been aerated.

So, when is the best time to aerate my lawn? In the UK, spring is the perfect time for aerating your lawn as that’s when the lawn is in its growing stage. Alternatively, autumn is another great time as the soil is likely softer making the job more effective.

Read on to find out the answers to some frequently asked questions related to lawn aeration. However, if you need further advice, don’t hesitate to get in touch for a free lawn analysis.

When Should I Aerate My Lawn?

Spring and autumn are generally the best time for aerating your lawn. The soil tends to be wet during the spring and autumn months in the UK, so this makes the aeration process easier to complete.

My Lawn’s Top Tip: avoid aerating your lawn when the soil is extremely wet or too hard.

Aerating Your Lawn in Spring

If you aerate your lawn between March-May, you’ll give your grass an extra boost as that’s when it’s starting to grow.

With aeration, you’ll improve water drainage and air circulation within your lawn. It will also make it easier to absorb any extra nutrients if you have a treatment applied to it. When we complete our seasonal lawn treatments, for example, we always recommend having your lawn aerated to achieve the best results.

Aeration done in spring will prevent your lawn from thinning out and dying, which can be caused by a lack of oxygen.

Aerating Your Lawn in Autumn

October and November can also be a good time for aerating your lawn.

However, our advice is to be extremely careful with autumn aerations because the weather can be unpredictable. If cold temperatures and frost are in the forecast, then avoid aeration at all costs!

That’s because cold temperatures can cause surface sealing which can prevent water and air from entering the roots. The problem? You run the risk of having moss and disease spread on your lawn. 

So, whenever aerating your lawn in the autumn, make sure it has enough time to recover and freezing temperatures are not forecast.

Is There a Best Month to Aerate My Lawn?

No, there isn’t one specific month to aerate your lawn, because the weather in the UK is so unpredictable. For example, March one year can have temperatures of 30°C with barely any rain and another year -10°C with heavy rain nearly every day.

So, choose a time between March and November in which the weather is warm (not too hot or cold) and the soil is moist (not too wet or dry).

How Often Should I Aerate My Lawn?

How often you aerate your lawn will depend on multiple factors including, your soil type. If the soil is hard or clay, aerating twice a year is recommended to allow for better drainage and nutrient absorption.

Otherwise, aerating your lawn once a year is usually enough to keep your lawn in optimum health. However, remember that overseeding, scarification and other treatments all work hand in hand to keep your lawn fresh and healthy.

How Do I Aerate My Lawn?

There are multiple methods of aerating your lawn, some of which are more effective than others. You first need to decide whether you’d rather do the aeration yourself or have a professional do it for you. 

Professional Lawn Aeration

For larger gardens, it’s often more time effective to have a lawn expert come and do it for you. It’s also less likely for anything to go wrong as they know when it’s a good time to do it and how to avoid hurting the soil and lawn by inviting mosses or fungus into the ecosystem.

In most cases, lawn experts would use a machine aerator, which looks like a lawn mower. The machine is designed to create the holes at the right frequency and depth, so they’re usually the most effective way of aerating your lawn.

Non-Professional Lawn Aeration

If you have a small garden and/or would rather aerate your lawn by yourself, then you can opt for the following equipment:

• A garden fork
• A hand held hollow tine aerator
• Lawn aerator shoes

Even though they can’t often achieve the same results as machine aerators, these items can still help improve the aeration of your lawn when done at the right time.

Why Should I Aerate My Lawn? 

Aeration can help your lawn stay healthy while also looking fresh. Even if your lawn is getting additional treatments and you take ‌good care of it, it might struggle to absorb light, water and nutrients well if the air isn’t able to circulate through the soil. 

That’s what aeration is here to help with.

Signs That Your Lawn Needs Aeration

• It has a thick thatch layer. This layer, made of dead turf material, makes it harder for your lawn to absorb the nutrients it needs, so it hurts your lawn’s health.
• Your lawn dries quickly. Of course, this is normal in hot weather. However, if your lawn dries a lot quicker than your neighbours’ and also has dry patches, this might be a sign of it needing aeration.
• You’ve got hard or clay soil in the garden. This type of soil makes it more difficult for water and air to reach the roots, so it makes it difficult for your lawn to stay healthy.
• There are puddles in your lawn. This is a sign of poor drainage, which aeration helps with. The better the circulation of air in the soil, the easier it will be for your lawn to drain properly.
• Compacted soil in areas that are often walked over. If you and/or your pets and family often walk over a specific area of your lawn, this can make it difficult for water to reach the roots of the grass. 

Do any of those apply to your lawn? Get in touch and we’ll check your lawn for free! If it does need aerating, we’ll discuss with you the different options.

Need Help with Caring for Your Lawn?

No problem, we’re here to help. From dry weather treatment to lawn renovation, our experts can help bring life to your lawn. Browse our website to learn more about the services we provide or have a look at our store where we have handy products to keep your lawn looking at its best.