Aerating is essentially poking holes in the soil to loosen it up and increase flow beneath the surface. There are a lot of things that can cause the soil to get all packed up and make it harder for the grass to grow.
The best time to aerate your lawn is when it’s just a little bit wet. If it’s too wet, the holes will fill up as you poke them, but if it’s too dry you may have trouble getting your holes as deep as they need to go to serve their purpose.
It can be difficult to find the appropriate time to aerate your lawn. Typically most people don’t want to work in the rain, but shouldn’t that be better if your lawn is getting the hydration it needs immediately? Well, yes and no. Let’s take a look into what goes into lawn aeration.
What Kind of Rain Can You Aerate In?
Because it’s good for the soil to be a bit moist when you aerate, it’s not much of a jump to realize that aerating in the rain is fine as long as it’s not coming down in sheets. A light to moderate drizzle is probably the most rain you want to actually aerate in; any more than that and the holes will refill and you may end up compacting your lawn more than it already was before you started.
If you want to aerate before the rain, that can be a good idea as it will allow the water to get into the holes you’ve made and really deep cleanse your lawn.
What Kind of Rain Do You Not Want to Aerate In?
Heavy rain is the kind of weather you don’t want to aerate in. First of all, you don’t want to risk being outside with your tools in a storm as lightning is attracted to metal. But beyond this, too much rain and you run the risk of the holes you’re making being immediately filled in as you make them, which can collapse them and cause your yard to be more compacted than it was when you started.
Anything more than a moderate drizzle is too much rain to aerate your lawn in.
What is the Best Time to Aerate Your Lawn?
Before a good rain is the optimal time to aerate your lawn! You want to know the rain is coming and get to it before that happens so the yard is prepared to receive the hydration it needs. It’s also important to aerate during the proper season.
Know what kind of grass you have in your yard, and from there you can figure out when the best time to aerate is. Some grasses prefer spring aeration, and some do better when aerated during the autumn months. Knowing what kind of lawn you have is the first step to healthy aeration.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a good time to aerate, what you want to pay attention to is the upcoming weather and the season. If you’re looking to aerate right now and it happens to be raining, as long as the rain isn’t coming down too hard you should be just fine to go ahead and do it! If the rain hasn’t started yet then all the better. You may also be wondering whether you can mow your lawn in light rain.