Mowing and watering grass are the main practices for growing green, thick, and healthy lawns. However, occasional soil aeration is vital to keep your lawn beautiful and at its best throughout the year. This lawn care practice is healthy for your yard and helps your grass to absorb water and nutrients efficiently. However, knowing how and when to complete the process is essential for optimal results. If you’re wondering about aerating St Augustine grass, here’s how and when.
You can aerate St Augustine grass using spike and core aeration to make your lawn healthy and dense.
The spike method is better for smaller yards requiring light aeration. Choose core aeration when aerating large properties covered with St Augustine grass.
The best time to carry out this lawn care practice is from mid-spring to early summer when the grass is actively growing.
Can You Aerate St Augustine Grass?
St Augustine lawn aeration is necessary when the soil is compacted. Soil compaction prevents water, oxygen, and nutrients from reaching the turf roots. As a result, the grass loses its health and beauty and steadily becomes thinner. In this case, the only way to revive your lawn is through aeration.
How to Aerate St Augustine Grass
You can aerate your St Augustine grass using two methods;
- Spike aeration
- Core aeration
Let’s now look at each of these lawn aeration techniques:
1. Spike aeration
This aeration method is the fastest; you use it if your yard needs light aeration. You can use aerator shoes, garden forks, or spike rollers for this technique.
Using one of these tools, go over your lawn, pressing the spikes down into the ground. The tines will make tiny holes, enabling water, oxygen, and nutrients to penetrate the roots. However, the method is unsuitable for bigger properties and long-term lawn health.
2. Core aeration
Core aeration is the best method to aerate large St Augustine lawns and manage thatch buildup. Besides, the technique is perfect for long-term lawn health. However, it involves more manual labor.
To aerate using this technique, move over your property with a plug aerator. The equipment will punch down into the soil, removing small dirt plugs regularly. It will then leave these cores scattered across the lawn.
This method helps alleviate severe soil compaction and allows for a better flow of water and nutrients to the turf roots.
When to Aerate St Augustine Grass
The ideal time for aerating St Augustine grass is mid-spring to early summer. Generally, this is the exact aeration schedule when aerating other warm-season turfs like Bermuda and Zoysia.
There are three reasons why this is the best period for aeration. Firstly, the soil is moist during this period, which helps the aeration machine work efficiently.
Secondly, St Augustine grass and other warm-season grasses are actively growing during this period. Therefore, aeration will help the lawn to thrive and prepare for the upcoming dormancy period.
Thirdly, aerating your St Augustine lawn during this period allows the turf roots to absorb water, oxygen, and nutrients more effectively.
Note; you should avoid aerating St Augustine grass during drought or periods of extreme heat. Making holes in the yard during these periods will expose it to excessive heat, damaging your lawn.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Should you aerate St Augustine grass?
A: Do you aerate St Augustine grass? Most lawn owners get curious to know if it’s necessary to aerate St Augustine lawn. It is essential to aerate all warm-season grasses like Zoysia, Bermuda, and St Augustine from mid-spring through summer. This allows water, oxygen, and nutrients to flow freely to the roots, encouraging the development of a dense root system.
Q: Can you aerate in summer?
A: It’s a bad idea to aerate your lawn in summer because of the high temperatures. The soil will dry out further if you aerate when the ground is too dry due to drought or extreme heat. This will damage your lawn.
Final Words
Aerating St Augustine grass is necessary for healthy, greener, and dense grass. You can carry out the process through spike aeration or core aeration. The spike method is better if you have a small lawn or your property requires light aeration.
Core aeration is the best if you’re looking for long-term lawn health or have a large property. The ideal time to carry out this lawn care practice is mid-spring to early summer.
