Sorry, but the whole point of this kind of spiking is to break up the hard pan under the grass which is preventing water from draining through. The time to do it is when the water needs to be got rid of. Otherwise how will you know that doing it has solved the problem? If the ground is still squelchy afterwards then you know that you will have to try something else.
The reason I posted on here was because I kept reading conflicting information. Some say don't do it when wet others say as long as cleared puddles do it whenever.
Well, that is standard for gardening advice. I can only say what I have done with our very wet lawn in the past with success. The first time I spiked it, I actually did it whilst it was raining. That was a bit over the top, but it needed doing as the 'grass' was under water.
Do what ever you feel is best for you. Advice is not the same as an order.
I have to agree with @Palustris. Avoiding being on grass during wet and/or freezing conditions is obviously the ideal [I never really go on mine after the final cut around late Sept/early Oct] ] but when it comes to something like this, it needs doing to avoid the site getting even worse, and it's only the start of winter, so it's not going to suddenly dry out and be easier to work with, even if it's dry for a week. Even in milder, drier areas, the ground won't really warm up and dry out for a long time yet [apart from gardens with sandy lighter soil] so waiting until then to try and do something probably isn't the best solution. It's often a case of 'it'll get worse before it gets better'. Doing it a couple of times over the next month or two will hopefully mean it'll be in better shape for summer. Adding coarse sand or grit to the holes can help too, but that's easier with those tools which remove a long plug of soil, as opposed to just spiking with a fork. That might be easier to do when the ground has dried out a bit - late spring or early summer. It should recover from you being on it by then too.
It may need done at frequent intervals for a while, but you can assess it over the coming months and approaching autumn/winter again. As Palustris says though, only you can decide how you go about it
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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Even in milder, drier areas, the ground won't really warm up and dry out for a long time yet [apart from gardens with sandy lighter soil] so waiting until then to try and do something probably isn't the best solution. It's often a case of 'it'll get worse before it gets better'. Doing it a couple of times over the next month or two will hopefully mean it'll be in better shape for summer. Adding coarse sand or grit to the holes can help too, but that's easier with those tools which remove a long plug of soil, as opposed to just spiking with a fork. That might be easier to do when the ground has dried out a bit - late spring or early summer. It should recover from you being on it by then too.
It may need done at frequent intervals for a while, but you can assess it over the coming months and approaching autumn/winter again. As Palustris says though, only you can decide how you go about it
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
A job for the weekend 😀