Aeration is very important for the lawn to release soil stress and increase the growth rate of the lawn grass. Practically it doesn't increase the growth rate but it helps soil and roots to improve their growth.
Fall is a very critical season for lawn grass before going into dormancy. For better growth next spring, we have to make some changes and improvements in the lawn so that we can save it further(after winter).
Let's understand fall lawn aeration.
Lawn aeration in Fall and seeding tips
You don't have so much time to think about in the fall to maintain your lawn one last time before dormancy.
You have to inspect your lawn in the first few days of fall otherwise continuous decreases in temperature slow down the growth of the grassroots.
Is it necessary to aerate your lawn in the Fall?
In the USA, overall we face three types of climates; too cold, odd, and even.
In different climates, some people don't practice aeration in the fall because of living in favorable conditions of soil and weather. But in odd climate conditions, it is critical to aerate lawn or not.
Before starting aeration of lawn, you have to check current conditions of your lawn.
So let's understand how to check if your lawn needs aeration in the fall or not.
How to check if your lawn needs aeration in the Fall?
It doesn't seem from the outside that you should aerate it or not. There are a few ways through which you can check whether your lawn needs aeration or not.
The following ways can help you to decide about the need for aeration in the fall-
Soil section examination
Stand in a corner of your lawn. Take a wide look and notice which section is healthy and which is getting dry. Mark all the drying spots.
Now, use a slicing tool that can pick up a small deep section of turf(6 inches deep) that includes soil, roots, and the upper part of the grass.
Put this piece in a transparent glass. Now check the grassroots depth in the soil. If they are just 1 inch to 1.5 inches deep, then there is a high chance that the grass is not growing properly and need aeration immediately.
Don't ignore green sections and take their samples too.
Soil moisture examine
In the same soil section, notice the soil moisture in the upper section to the bottom. If soil moisture is not enough even after regular irrigation, then you need aeration to release the soil stress soon.
pH inspection
pH inspection helps to check the soil's nature whether it is alkaline, acidic, or neutral. In the case of acidic soil, you have to improve the fertilizer's quality.
Acidic soil maybe increases the chances of moss and fungi in the next season for sure. So keep awareness.
How to aerate lawn in fall?
So we are considering you inspected your soil properly by following the right techniques and accuracy. If your lawn needs aeration, then you have two methods of doing it.
You need aeration only in those areas where the grassroots are not growing properly and the upper section of the grass is getting dry or stopping growing.
Either you can choose an aeration machine or a long-handle aeration tool.
We can use aeration machines for almost every size of lawn even with a single person. But if your lawn is small, and you are 2 or 3 people, you can start aeration with a long-handle aeration tool.
Now, let's understand how deep you should aerate your lawn.
Grassroots can go 1 foot deep in the soil. But because of heavy traffic or unhealthy soil, this process goes slow and stop growing root deeper.
So remember this thing before starting aeration and you should aerate the lawn 6 to 8 inches deep from the upper surface.
Is just aeration enough in the fall?
There is no point in aeration if you don't increase soil fertility and moisture. Just leaving after aeration doesn't work alone to make roots stronger.
So fertilization and small irrigation are important in the lawn after aeration. Using liquid fertilizers works better here. Either make a liquid solution of compost or use organic liquid fertilizers.
There is no need to hurry for irrigation after fertilization and aeration. You should keep things quite practical. After using organic liquid fertilizers, you can irrigate it one day or two days later.
Seeding lawn in the fall
Well, you can recover slow-growing grass sections through this but still, it can't help to expand. For the expansion of grass next spring, you need lawn seeding of such areas in the fall. Overseeding also can help during fall to make it thicker for next spring and also helps to recover grass during spring.
Don't use hybrid or non-native seeds in the same lawn. Filter your seeds before scattering. Market seed packets unknowingly include small seeds of weeds or other grass. If these seeds are of Bermuda grass, crabgrass, or any other invasive grass then they can invade your lawn next spring. Fall seeding is more beneficial than spring seeding.
So filter your seeds before scattering. Don't cover the seeds with a thick layer of soil or heavy irrigation showers. Keep things gentle and let them germinate properly.
How late can you aerate in the fall?
Well, to understand how late you can be while aeration in fall, it depends on your lawn condition. For that, you need to take an inspection of your soil and turf.
In the early weeks of fall, we can aerate lawns generally. But sometimes, we can stretch it a few days further.
Actually, it all depends on your inspection and collected data on turf and soil. And it is always better to have an inspection in later summer.
So if roots are not growing deeper in that sample, then you should aerate your lawn as soon as possible in the fall. If roots are growing properly, then you can stretch them slightly further.
But after mid-fall, it becomes unnecessary in some lawns to aerate them. Keeping soil health and grassroots health in mind, aeration is important accordingly.