If you live in some areas of the USA with troublesome soil, you know that you need to aerate the soil to help it oxygenate and aid in drainage and nutrient absorption. For example, if you live in Georgia, which is prone to having clay soil, you’re used to aerating your lawn a few times a year. But what are you supposed to do if you’ve just laid new sod? Do you aerate like normal, or do you have to change things up? Let’s take a closer look and see when to aerate your new sod so that it stays healthy and strong.
Aerating New Sod: Yay or Nay? (The Short Answer)
Your new sod should not be aerated for a minimum of 6 months after it’s been laid or until the root system has bedded at least 2 inches into the soil. This can take up to a full growing season, so 12 months. Aeration can damage the delicate root system of your new sod, and it’s best to hold off until the sod is well established. So should you aerate your new sod? Nay.
Why You Should Wait to Aerate Your New Sod
I like to leave new sod alone as much as possible, especially when it comes to aeration. When you aerate the soil, it digs and carves out holes, and this process can rip up your new sod’s delicate root system. Any damage to a developing root system can harm it for good. The last thing you want to do is shock your new sod and accidentally kill it by aerating too soon.
Sod Needs to Establish
Your new sod needs to be coddled for the first few months after it’s been laid. This time is critical to its success. You have to keep in mind that when your sod was installed, it caused shock to the roots. Aeration will only add additional stress to the root system, making it even harder for the grass to bed. This is why I suggest waiting to aerate until you’re positive the new sod is fully established and taking other cautionary steps like avoiding foot traffic on your new sod.
How Long Should You Wait to Aerate New Sod?
How long you should wait to aerate new sod depends on a few factors. A ballpark estimate is to hold off for the first 6 to 12 months after installing your new sod. When you think it’s time, I suggest you cut out a small portion of your lawn at least 2 inches deep and see if the root system has fully established.
Depending on where you live, it could take longer for your root system to develop fully. Here’s a checklist I like to turn to that helps me determine if my grass is ready for aeration:
- The root system is established at least 2 inches deep
- The grass is growing healthy and regularly
- There is no discoloration in the grass
- The grass reacts well to mowing and regular foot traffic
We all know that aeration is important for healthy grass and helps nutrients get down to the root system, but it’s really not all that important to the success of your new sod.
If your soil was properly prepped before it was installed, then it was aerated. Because aeration is normally done only a few times a year in areas that deal with compacted and troublesome soil, the ground should be ok to wait a while until it is aerated again.
Patience is key when it comes to your new sod, and I suggest you put off aerating until it is established so that you have a healthy and strong lawn for years to come.
The Only Reason to Aerate New Sod Early
Even though I strongly suggest you stay away from aerating your new sod, there’s one factor that may call for it. One of the main benefits of aeration is to improve drainage, and if you notice that your yard suffers from drainage issues and you use aeration as a solution, then this may be a reason to aerate your new sod early.
New sod doesn’t like to be overwatered, and it definitely doesn’t like to sit in standing water. If aeration is the only method you can use to eliminate the standing water, then you may need to do it before the recommended period.
If you do find yourself in this situation, limit the aeration just to the affected areas. I also suggest you use spike aeration instead of plug aeration to minimize the damage to your new sod’s root system.
Even though neither scenario is ideal, if you’re in this situation, then you’re between a rock and a hard place. Most likely, if this is already an issue, then this is probably always going to be a problem, and you’ll have to find a long-term drainage solution.
Hello,
Hi! Question for you if you’re able to help me? I live in (dry) Denver, Colorado and just had new sod put in a month ago. Overall, the grass is looking good and the roots have seem to have attached well. However, I’m suspecting I have overwatered, as I’m seeing some (4 inch diameter) dead spots here and there. Maybe 5 spots out of the whole 35’X35′ lawn. I do walk on my lawn barefoot and it has remained moist. Question is, should I aerate it to resolve the overwatering issue? Or just take a couple days of break from watering? It’s supposed to be in the 70s the next couple days so I don’t want it to dry out. I’m also supposed to fertilize it so not sure if I should hold off on that for now? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!!
Hi Niles,
It sounds like you may be having some issues with overwatering, which can lead to dead spots in your lawn. Here are a few suggestions that may help you fix the issue:
Adjust your watering schedule: One option is to adjust your watering schedule to reduce the amount of water your lawn is receiving. In Denver, where the climate is dry, it is important to water deeply but infrequently. Generally, lawns need about 1 inch of water per week. You can split this into two or three watering sessions per week, depending on the weather conditions.
Aerate your lawn: Aerating your lawn can help improve water absorption and reduce the risk of overwatering. Aeration means digging small holes in the soil to allow water, air, and nutrients to reach down to the grass roots. This can help stop water from pooling on the surface and creating dead spots.
Hold off on fertilizing: If you think that your lawn is overwatered, it may be best to hold off on fertilizing for now. Fertilizing can make your grass grow quickly and might make the problem worse
Check for drainage issues: If you still have deadspots after adjusting your watering schedule, you may want to check for drainage issues. Poor drainage can cause water to pool on the surface and create dead spots. You may need to install drainage pipes or adjust the slope of your lawn to improve drainage.
Here are a couple of articles that might be of help.
https://lawnmowerguru.com/how-to-aerate-a-lawn/
https://lawnmowerguru.com/do-i-need-to-aerate-my-lawn/
Also, if you pick up an inexpensive soil moisture tester from your local box store like Home Depot, you’ll be able to take the guess work out of knowing if your lawn needs more or less water.
Thanks for the question, and I hope this helps.
Tom.