Why aerate my lawn?

Ever show up at the golf course and get to the green to see they have aerated?  It is frustrating right?  You wonder why would they do that?  It is hard enough to make a putt, but if it bounces all over the place because of the aeration holes – it is nearly impossible.  So why do they do this to golfers?  It isn’t because they enjoy hearing their customers complain about the greens not running true.

The reason they aerate the golf course twice per year is because the benefits are so great that it outweighs the complaints heard while the greens heal from the core aeration.  Plain and simple – Aeration is very good for grass.

Imagine you take a handful of dirt and start to squeeze it together to form a ball.  It turns from loose dirt to a hard tight ball.  This is what happens to our high clay soils in Cincinnati and Dayton over time.  The way to relieve this compaction is to core aerate the lawn.   So aeration helps relieve compaction, but it also benefits in many other ways:

Promotes Root Growth

Reduces Weeds

Reduces Thatch

Improves Drainage

Improves Fertilizer Intake

Best times to aerate our lawns in Cincinnati and Dayton are in the Spring and the Fall.  Your lawn is not a golf course, but it will benefit immensely from aeration.