What is aeration?
Aeration is a process in which small holes are punched into the turf to aerate the soil. This improves the oxygen supply to the roots, promotes root growth, and allows water to penetrate more easily. Compacted soil is loosened, allowing the lawn to regenerate.
The critical factor is how the holes are created. Solid tines only push the soil aside – the compaction then moves to the edge of the hole instead of disappearing. Hollow spoons, like those used by Rasenspecht, on the other hand, extract a plug of soil and bring it to the surface. This soil exchange creates real empty space: the soil can relax, and the open channels then absorb sand, which permanently improves drainage.
Why is aeration important?
Well-aerated soil is the foundation for a healthy lawn. Four effects make the difference:
- Better aeration:Oxygen reaches the roots, which promotes root growth and plant health.
- Deeper roots:Where the soil is loose, roots grow deeper – and deeply rooted grasses withstand dry periods much better.
- Less waterlogging:Excess water is drained, reducing the risk of root rot and fungal diseases.
- Dense turf:A regularly aerated lawn remains dense and robust – and leaves less room for weeds and moss.
Which is better: Aerating or Dethatching?
Both are important maintenance measures, but they solve different problems. Aeration works in the soil: It improves aeration and water absorption and is the answer to compacted areas. Dethatching works on the surface: It removes moss and thatch, that layer of dead material between the blades of grass and the soil that prevents water and nutrients from getting through.
So the question is not which is better, but what your lawn needs right now. If water stands on the surface after rain and the soil feels hard, aeration is the right choice. If there is a fibrous, spongy layer on the ground, it's dethatching. Often both are useful – then first dethatch, then aerate.
When and how often to aerate?
The best time is spring and early autumn, when the lawn is actively growing and the area is moist but not waterlogged. On dry, hard soil, the spoons penetrate with difficulty; on wet soil, the earth smears. Once or twice a year is sufficient for most areas – heavily used or heavy, clayey soils can be done more often.
Step by step
- Mow the lawn short.
- Use the Rasenspecht to punch holes evenly – in strips, so that no area is missed.
- Remove the cores from the area. With the Rasenspecht, the collection tray collects them directly, so there's no need to pick them up.
- Work sand into the open channels – here, aeration combines with topdressing and has a long-term effect.
- Water thoroughly, fertilize or reseed if necessary. The opened turf is the best time for reseeding.
Rasenspecht – from Bramsche since 2009
It all started in 2009 with the first prototype of the Rasenspecht. Our hand aerator works with conically shaped hollow spoons: the conical shape ensures that the soil plugs reliably detach and are ejected upwards, instead of getting stuck in the spoons. The collection tray catches them and prevents the soil from falling back into the holes.
Manufacturing takes place in our workshop in Bramsche. Our aim is to build tools that last not just one season, but a gardener's lifetime – and for which we, as manufacturers, can permanently supply every spare part.
Tools that work together
The Rasenspecht aerator is the core, but it rarely works alone. What comes after aeration determines the result.
The Rasenrakel(lawn rake) is used to level the sand and work it into the open holes – this gradually evens out depressions over the seasons. The Rasenkralle(lawn claw) loosens deeper compaction that the spoons cannot reach, and even deeper, the Bodenlanze(soil lance) works by bringing air into the root zone via a compressor.
The Rewukil– short for REgenWUrmhäufchenKILler (earthworm mound killer) – covers several tasks using interchangeable cassettes: The collection cassette picks up leaves, chestnuts, and cores after aeration, the ventilation cassette gently aerates, the vertical comb cassette straightens horizontally growing blades, and with the brush attachment, you can sweep sand into the turf. The product range is complemented by our lawn seedsfor a dense, resilient turf.
