The more stress a lawn is subjected to, the more the turf becomes compacted. Over time, air no longer reaches the grass roots, waterlogging occurs, moss sprouts and the greenery suffocates. Now targeted aeration helps. You can find out how ventilation works here.
When and how should you aerate the lawn?
Lawn aerating improves aeration of compacted lawns by creating 10cm deep holes 15-20cm apart. This can be done manually or mechanically and should be done in spring (March-April) and autumn (September-October).
When does it make sense to aerate the lawn?
If regular scarifying and fertilizing no longer results in the desired lush green grass area, the lawn needs a more intensive freshening treatment. Instead of scratching the turf a little with the scarifier's blades, the compaction is tackled with soil nails up to 10 centimeters long. There are two times a year when it makes sense to aerate the lawn to give the grass air:
- Aerate the lawn in spring between March and April
- Aerate the lawn again in the fall from September to October
- Treat stressed playing and soccer turf every 2 months from March to October
Instructions for manually aerating a grassy area
For lawns up to 200 square meters, specialist retailers offer inexpensive devices for manual aeration (€29.00 at Amazon). There are conically shaped, hollow soil nails on a rail with a handy handle. Punch holes in the compacted lawn at a distance of 15 to 20 centimeters. The earth cones that are pushed upwards are collected in a tray and later disposed of. How to do it correctly:
- Mow the lawn deeply, scarify and remove all combed out plant parts
- Aerate the green area at a density of 200 holes per square meter
- Spread a thin layer of fine-grained, washed sand and sweep in
The dosage of sand should not exceed half a bucket per square meter. After aerating and sanding, the lawn is watered extensively.
Aerating lawns with mechanical help – this is how it works
Aerating the lawn with muscle power is not recommended for larger areas. For this purpose, the machine rental company offers compact aerators for private use. These are equipped with a variety of hollow spoons to gently break up the compaction in the sod. How to handle the device skillfully:
- After mowing and scarifying, set up the aerator so that work begins along a straight edge
- Confirm the lever to activate the spikes and immediately move forward slowly
- Do not tamp down the earth cones that come out again
Don't stand still when aerating the lawn mechanically. The hammering spikes could perforate the green too much. In the last step, sand and water the lawn, as after manual aeration.
Tips & Tricks
You can only aerate the lawn successfully if professional aftercare takes place. Depending on the intensity of the ventilation, bare spots will appear, which will quickly close if you fertilize the lawn organically or mineral-organically after sanding. Ideally, you can repair larger gaps with reseeding.
