HOW AND WHY DO YOU AERATE A LAWN?

Aeration is highly important in lawn maintenance, as it ensures air and water circulation and promotes microbial activity in soil. It also guarantees good rooting and vegetative activity for the lawn. Compaction is not only linked to the nature of the soil but also accelerated by the use and frequency of the passage of machinery for the care and maintenance of the lawn.

1. What is the purpose of aerating a lawn?

The main purpose of aerating a lawn is to break up and remove thatch. This is the layer of organic matter (leaves, pieces of roots, plant debris, etc.) that is normally deposited on the grass, where it continues to accumulate when the soil can no longer decompose it.

Up to a few millimetres (3 or 4), thatch is able to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the ground, which is good for the lawn, especially in summer. Beyond that it becomes a hazardous barrier to the health and beauty of grass:

• It prevents the passage of light, oxygen and water (which instead tends to stagnate);
• It makes grass grow taller in search of light;
• It makes watering, fertilising and reseeding less efficient.

Basically, with less light and water, and fewer nutrients available, the lawn becomes more vulnerable to disease and less resistant to summer droughts and cold winters.

So what does aerating a lawn entail? Aerating a lawn removes thatch (dethatching), thereby restoring oxygen to grass roots, allowing water and nutrients to be absorbed by the soil and enabling grass seedlings to carry out photosynthesis as effectively as possible.

Aerating the lawn is not just about removing thatch. Aerating also removes moss, which encroaches on grass, particularly in the shade, when there is stagnating moisture and free space. 

2. How do I aerate the lawn?

How do I start aerating? First of all, it needs to be cut with a lawn mower, trying to cut it as short as possible depending on the type of lawn.

Then you need to pass over its surface with a manual or electric scarifier, in a vertical and a horizontal direction. Thatch is removed by depositing it in small heaps, which are then disposed of in pruning waste bins. As you can see, it isn’t too complicated. Then you need to proceed immediately with the reseeding or fertilising phase as listed below. The process can be summarised as follows:

• Cut the grass very short
• Remove the thatch
• Spread fertiliser
• Cover the reseeded areas of the lawn with compost
• Irrigate with plenty of water

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