Aeration

Lawn Aeration is the process of poking small holes in soil so that the grass can receive water, air, and the vital nutrients it needs to grow as healthy as possible. It's evidently the most effective way of reducing sub-surface thatch and soil compaction in lawns. 

Seemingly the best time to aerate the courts is in late summer or early autumn, the theory being that this should allow the grass to recover completely before going dormant in the winter. 

The aeration machine on our lawns has three settings, the 2023 lawns Group believe this machine should only be used pre-season and post season. The reasoning for the limitation of in season aeration with this machine is that there is conjecture that the broad spike marks may have been the cause of the deviation of croquet balls on some occasions. When used great care must be taken when turning the machine at the end of a run. Because this machine makes quite broad indentations it should probably only be used on the shortest indentation setting and only used in cases of extreme need during the season.

There are numerous types of aeriation such as spiking, slot-tining, core aeriation and more. Much of which is done in conjunction with top dressing which might be sand but could be loam or topsoil. The only certain thing about aeration is that we have limited knowledge and possibly not quite the right type of machinery.