Use small flags or markers to indicate the location of each sprinkler head. This helps you and any lawn care specialists avoid them during aeration. “Before the aeration service, put some mini flag sticks by each sprinkler head,” advises a Reddit user. “The aerators will avoid them.”
The answer is yes.
The best way to avoid hitting your sprinkler lines is to minimize digging altogether. Efficiently locating a buried sprinkler head can reduce the risk of accidentally digging into a sprinkler line.
Use small flags or markers to indicate the location of each sprinkler head. This helps you and any lawn care specialists avoid them during aeration. “Before the aeration service, put some mini flag sticks by each sprinkler head,” advises a Reddit user. “The aerators will avoid them.”
For best results, aerate lawns when the soil is moist. Avoid aeration when soils are dry or wet. The tubes or tines will not be able to penetrate deeply when the soil is dry. The tubes or tines may get plugged with soil when the soil is wet.
Optimal Aeration
Spacing: Aeration plugs should be about 3-6 inches apart. This ensures effective aeration without excessively damaging the lawn. Disposal: Plugs should just be left on the lawn where they're pulled up and deposited from the aerator.
It is recommended to wait about 2-4 weeks to mow your lawn after aerating and overseeding. When you do mow it, it is important to mow your lawn at the correct height, depending on the type of grass you have. Generally, you should mow your lawn to a height of 2 to 3 inches after aeration.
When Should You Overseed? It's most effective to overseed directly after you aerate, because your soil is revitalized after the aeration, and all the little holes in it will provide the perfect place for the new grass seeds to sprout.
Without digging, it is possible to find sprinkler lines by getting a design map from the company that installed the system. If this is not possible, one could go to the valve box and follow a line back to each of the head sprinklers in a circuit. Or one could utilize an electronic water-detection device.
Sprinkler lines should be buried below the grass roots, and deep enough the sprinkler heads sit flush with the soil surface or slightly above grade. The depth varies depending on factors but typically ranges from eight to 12 inches.
Yes, sprinklers should overlap, but only up until the point where they're reaching the next zone.
Mistake: Improper handling of equipment and poor application
Aerating at the wrong time or in the wrong way can actually put more stress on your yard. Not only does this worsen soil compaction, but it could lead to your lawn looking and feeling even worse than before all your DIY aeration efforts.
For lightly compacted soil, go over your entire lawn once with the aerator, making sure to follow directions for use. If your soil is seriously compacted (or if you've never aerated it before), go over the entire lawn twice, with the second pass perpendicular to the first. The aerator will remove plugs of soil.
Immediately following an aeration service, begin watering the new grass seed. The seedbed must be kept damp for a continuous period of 28 days (the time it takes for the seed to germinate fully). Do not drown the seed when watering, but moderately dampen the first several inches of the soil.
Even though it's recommended to let the cores of soil naturally decompose after the aeration process is done, some people still don't like letting them sit in their yard. If you don't want to wait for them to decompose on their own and get absorbed into your lawn, then you can break them apart with a rake.
Before you aerate, mow your lawn low (Timberline lawn experts recommend setting your mower to about 1.5-2 inches above the ground to maximize the effectiveness of aerating, being sure to not scalp the crown of the grass.) You will want to water one to three days before aerating.
Immediately after aerating, your lawn is exposed to oxygen, and so laying fertilizer during this time is your best bet for growing a healthy, envy-worthy lawn. The best fertilizer to use (and how much) will be dependent on your grass type and lawn size.
Spike aerators are suited for smaller lawns that are mildly compacted while plug aerators are ideal for larger and more compacted lawns. Plug aerators open the ground up to more ventilation compared to spike aerators.
The use of weed control during Aeration and Seeding time is a challenging task. While introducing new turf to your lawn, weeds may begin to breakthrough. The use of weed control has the potential to affect new seedlings in your lawn; any weed control should not be applied unless the turf is at least 2 inches tall.
Sandy and loam soils don't need regular core aeration because the soils already have oxygen circulating through them. Plus, if you aerate your sandy or loamy soil too often, you'll weaken the soil. Clay soils, for example, need aeration every year or every few years depending on how compacted the ground is.
The best time to aerate your lawn is in late summer or early fall, as this will allow your grass to recover completely before going dormant in the winter. While Fall is recommended, you can also aerate and overseed your lawn in the spring between March and May.
Myth No.
While you can buy spiked shoes touted for aerating lawns you won't achieve much aeration using them. Spiked shoes don't work because they impact too small an area and further compact already compacted soil. University studies have shown you can use spiked shoes to kill Grubs.
However, this process is not immediate and might take anywhere from 1 to 2 months before you begin seeing any changes. It is crucial to understand that liquid aeration is a long-term solution for soil compaction, and it takes time to make your soil more porous.