When is the best time of the year to aerate my lawn?

Question

I live in Wisconsin I sodded my lard fall of 2006. It didn't come back very good this year, someone told me that I should aerate and fertilize at the same time.

Answer 1

We did aerating in the spring and our lawn was great this year.

Answer 2

I don't think you really need to aerate just yet ,it won't hurt but it is probably a waste of time ,also be careful if you have a sprinkler system when you aerate you may end up with more holes in your sprinkler than you bargained for,I would suggest if you haven't already done so try top dressing with compost mix this will feed the lawn and level it out and also help to naturally aerate the lawn by encouraging earth worms.

Answer 3

We don't live in Wisconsin, but it may be about the same as in Michigan. We have never aerated our lawn. We fertilize frequently, however, usually at a much higher amount than the bags recommend. Using the store brand, I think we might use a number of 50% more than the bag suggests or higher. The best way to gauge this would be to find an area you feel comfortable in experimenting with and trying different settings. Be prepared for the possibility of burning the small areas in your experiment. Try a couple different settings, and then water a normal amount, waiting a week or two. See how the grass looks. Make sure not to experiment with the whole lawn in this manner, or you may burn the entire thing. We have found that fertilizing at higher amounts and about every holiday on the calendar, makes a healthy lawn (Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc.). Additionally, you can try using a demulcher during the spring before too much growth has taken place, and regular watering, but not soaking. Some people will wait until their lawn has totally dried out during the summer, and then they will water very heavily every day, trying to revive it. This actually kills the dormant roots of the grass. After the grass has dried out from less than normal watering during a hot summer, you need to only water lightly each couple of days and not soak the grass. You will need to let the root system come back as well as the turf growth. Dormant lawns cannot take drenching. Also, you can apply a good fertilizer just before the cold weather to sustain the grass over the winter, as long as the grass has not already gone dormant or dried out too much over the summer (a stessed lawn from excessive heat may need some pampering prior to fertilizing, or a lighter fertilizing at first). You might check a nursery in your area. Tell them what your lawn looks like, or take a picture of it to them. Perhaps aerating helps, but we have never used it and our grass is very green, lush. The key to a good lawn is to use good care over the season, and yes, you can bring almost any grass back, with proper care, even very weedy lawns.

Answer 4

Experiment with applying too much fertilizer on ones yard? This is unheard of and not a very smart turf management practice to say the least. This is a simple procedure here. You can core aerate the lawn once or better yet, two times a season. Up in Wisconsin, you can do it in late spring (april or may) and again in late September to mid Oct. before the ground begins to freeze. When you aerate in the fall, you should use one of the many winterizer type fertilizers available on the market. This will give the turf a good jump start in spring when the weather begins to warm and the grass comes out of winter dormancy. Under "no" circumstances should you apply more fert than what the manufacturer suggest on the directions. Hope this answers your question... good luck

...Billy Ray