Aeration

Aerating a Bermuda lawn is crucial for maintaining its health and vigor, especially in areas with compacted soil. Soil compaction, often caused by heavy foot traffic, the use of lawn equipment, or natural settling, can restrict root growth and limit the intake of air, water, and nutrients. Bermuda grass, thriving in warm climates, is prone to becoming dense and struggling in such conditions. Regular aeration, which involves perforating the soil with small holes, helps alleviate compaction and ensures that the lawn remains lush, green, and resilient against foot traffic and environmental stresses.

When To Aerate

Bermuda grass can be aerated multiple times per year. Typically it’s best to aerate during active growing season so the lawn can recover, especially if you plan to add masonry sand after aerating. Active growing season is typically May-Sept, depending on where you live. You could aerate every month for the entire season if you wanted to, but most lawns only do it once or twice a year.

Basic Steps

1. Mow the Lawn: Cut the Bermuda grass to a lower height than usual to prepare the lawn for aeration, which helps reduce thatch buildup and allows easier soil penetration.
2. Water the Lawn: Irrigate the lawn thoroughly one to two days before aeration to soften the soil, making it easier to extract cores and more effective in penetration.
3. Select the Right Equipment: Use a core aerator that removes plugs of grass and soil from the lawn. This equipment is more effective for relieving compaction than spike aerators.
4. Core Aeration: Pass the core aerator over the lawn in a uniform pattern. Make sure to overlap passes slightly to ensure adequate coverage without leaving untreated patches.
5. Pre-emergent: Post-aeration is a good time to apply a pre-emergent if weeds are a recurring issue, as aerating just broke the weed barrier of any previous pre-emergent application.
6. Level the Lawn: Spread a thin layer of masonry sand over the lawn to fill in the holes and level the surface. This helps in smoothing out uneven areas and further enhances soil structure and drainage. If you don’t want your lawn level, use a mix of sand and ultra screened soil/compost.
7. Rake Gently: Use a leveling rake to distribute the leveling mix evenly across the surface, ensuring that the mix settles into the aeration holes without smothering the grass.
8. Fertilize: Apply a nitrogen fertilizer after aeration to provide essential nutrients that will help the lawn recover and thrive.
9. Water Again: Irrigate the lawn to support turf recovery after aeration. Water will also help the sand self-level.

Comparing Spike Aeration vs Plug/Core Aeration

Plug/Core Aeration: This method removes plugs of soil, creating space for air, water, and nutrients to reach grass roots. It’s best for compacted soil, making it ideal for Bermuda lawns suffering from heavy use or clay soil. It is the only type of aeration the relieves compaction, making it common for clay soils.

Spike Aeration: More popular in cool-season lawns, spike aeration creates holes in the soil without removing any, making it a less aggressive option. However, it can increase compaction, so it’s best for lawns that aren’t already heavily compacted, such as those with sandy soil. It improves air and water flow and is ideal for prepping a lawn for overseeding and top-dressing by breaking through the thatch layer, allowing seeds and nutrients to reach the soil.

Why Core Aeration? For Bermuda lawns with deep compaction and thatch, core aeration is key. It opens the soil, improves nutrient uptake, and aids overseeding by enhancing seed-soil contact. Ideal for high-traffic or clay-heavy areas, ensuring a healthier, denser lawn.

Why Spike Aeration? Bermuda lawns that are dense and thatch-prone, benefit from spike aeration before overseeding with cool-season grasses or applying top-dressing. It ensures materials reach the soil, not just sit on top.

Conclusion: Use plug/core for heavy compaction and deep soil issues. Opt for spike when maintaining an already healthy Bermuda lawn, especially before overseeding with winter rye or top-dressing.

Chemical Aeration

Chemical aeration, which involves applying products designed to alter soil structure, is often marketed as an easy solution. However, it generally does not provide the same level of benefit as physical aeration methods. These products may offer temporary improvements but are not a substitute for core aeration, which directly addresses soil compaction and enhances soil health more effectively.

Pick Up Plugs

Whether or not to pick up plugs depends on your soil. If you’re not in the ideal sand/silt/clay ratio then it’s best you pick them up. If your soil is amended properly already and has a nice balance, you can leave them. They’ll break down on their own, or you can run a rotary mower over them to mulch them.

Alternatively, you can use the plugs as sprigs to add growth to other areas. Don’t expect great things from it, but it’s a great option if you have quality F1 sod in an area and want to move some of that F1 hybrid to another area of your properly.