If your lawn is medium to large, a gas-powered aerator, whether it’s one designed to be pulled behind a riding lawn mower or one that pushes across the turf like a lawn mower is your best bet. There’s no getting around it: aerating a lawn manually can be quite a workout. Construction compacting the soil in new housing developmentsįeatures Powered vs.Driving on the lawn with a vehicle or riding lawn mower, especially when the grass is wet.Heavy foot traffic or children playing on the grass, especially when it’s wet.While heavy, clayey soil naturally compresses over time, there are several other factors that lead to excessive compaction that can damage your lawn: Patches of weeds that are very hard to control.Thin areas where grass struggles to grow.Dried, brown patches of grass despite regular watering.Water puddling on the lawn surface rather than soaking in.Spongy feeling when you press on the grass.Symptoms of a lawn suffering from compaction include the following: Foot traffic, mowing, heavy rainfall, and poor drainage all contribute to packing the soil down firmly, making it too hard for small grass roots to penetrate easily, and reducing the ability of water, fertilizer, and oxygen to circulate around the lawn’s root bed. Over time, the soil beneath your lawn tends to become hard and compacted, particularly in areas with heavy or clayey soil. When looking at a stretch of green, it’s easy to forget that there’s soil underneath, and that soil’s condition is crucial to the health of your lawn. Many home gardeners, however, aren’t familiar with that last task.Īt the most basic level, aeration means poking holes into the soil beneath your lawn so that water, nutrients, and oxygen can easily reach the roots. There are quite a few tasks required to maintain a healthy lawn, including watering, fertilizing, weeding, mowing, disease and pest control, and aerating. While most homeowners value a healthy, green lawn, the unfortunate fact is that most varieties of turf grass tend to be prima donnas, and keeping your lawn looking its best takes time, elbow grease, and even a bit of luck. Key considerations Why does a lawn need aeration? Aeration helps restore the good health of your grass. There are a few different types of manual aerators available, so we’ve done the research for you and provided this handy guide to choosing and using the best manual lawn aerator for your needs, including some we think stand out from the crowd.Ĭompacted soil leads to a patchy, weak lawn. That results in a patchy, unhealthy lawn, even though you’re otherwise providing good turf care. Grass roots need to “breathe” for optimum health, but when soil becomes compacted, turf roots struggle to take in the nutrients, water, and oxygen required to support healthy, green grass. And if your patch of grass isn’t too large, a manual aerator is enough to get the job done. Luckily, aerating your lawn isn’t difficult. If this scenario strikes a chord, the reason might well be a failure to aerate. Yet despite all your care, your neighbor’s turf looks greener and healthier than yours. You pull pesky weeds as soon as you spot them, and you routinely mow the grass once it’s a third above the desired height. You make sure your lawn gets the right amount of water weekly, whether from rain, a hose, or your sprinkler system. Buying guide for best manual lawn aerators
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