If you’re like most homeowners, you love your lawn and take great pride in it. But if you’ve noticed brown patches or thinning turf, then chances are that your lawn is suffering from compaction. It might be time to aerate your lawn. Aeration can help solve this problem by relieving some of the pressure on the soil beneath your grass. Not only will aerating revitalize your grass, but it will also reduce weeds and improve air circulation to prevent diseases from spreading! It’s a win-win for everyone involved!
Read more about why, when, and how to aerate your lawn at our blog today!
Maintaining a healthy lawn is not as easy as it looks. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or novice, there are tasks that need to be done periodically in order for your yard’s grass and soil to stay thick and hearty year-round. One of these essential jobs is aerating the ground so that roots can circulate while also relieving compaction which can lead to unhealthy plants; this typically needs only be done once per year depending on how much traffic goes through each area (or if any damage has taken place). The solution to compaction is to aerate your lawn. If this task was scheduled well ahead of time before summer hits, then homeowners should have little trouble maintaining their yards all season long without worrying about overuse or neglecting areas they might otherwise forget because everything takes care of itself.
WHY AERATION HELPS YOUR LAWN
Grassroots need air, water, and nutrients to grow thicker. When the soil becomes too compacted for any of these essentials to get through it inhibits grass growth which can cause your lawn to become unhealthy. When this occurs it is time to aerate your lawn. Aeration will create holes in that compaction so that those essential components are able to reach grassroots again causing them to be healthier and stronger than ever before!
Those who have neglected their lawns or were unable to maintain them due to harsh conditions may be able to turn things around by aerating. The process of opening up the soil will allow for nutrients and water in close proximity with your grasses that would otherwise not make it through compacted soil. This can lead towards a healthy, vibrant color back on your lawn once again!
HOW TO TELL WHEN YOUR LAWN NEEDS AERATION
If you think that your lawn is safe from getting compacted, then it’s time to have a wake-up call. Vehicles and equipment can do the trick but so can kids or pets when they entertain outdoors or play on their own turf. Clay soil doesn’t make things any easier either as this type of diet results in an annual need for aeration work which helps keep your lawn healthy and strong by maintaining its air supply below ground level. For soil issues like this hiring a professional to aerate your lawn or doing it yourself makes sense.
Dethatching and aerating are two different tasks that often go hand in hand. Thatch is the layer of decomposing organic matter that forms right at the lawn surface, between soil and grass. When this layer gets too thick it starts to work like compaction which prevents healthy flow for air, water, or nutrients your grass needs when thriving well. Aggressive spreading types such as Kentucky bluegrass form more than other varieties so they need aggressive measures taken against them if you want a healthier yard with less this thatch buildup on top of all else! Aeration helps penetrate ground-level surfaces while also reducing rates of growth due to thinning out some excess leaves from above-ground plants; dethatching can help prep any overgrowth before removing anything.
Compaction occurs when the surface of the soil is compacted by excessive foot traffic or weather conditions. This causes your lawn to look stressed and produces an environment where water will pool up rather than be absorbed into the ground due to a lack of oxygen in the space between individual particles. A simple test you can perform at home with just one tool, called “The Screwdriver Test,” involves sticking any regular screwdriver into your yard’s dirt using only hand pressure; if it goes down easily without much resistance, then there are likely no compaction problems because air pockets were able to form that allows for adequate breathing room within those spaces between sand grains and other types of minerals found on Earth’s crust as well as mineral deposits. If the screwdriver doesn’t go into the soil easily then it is time to aerate you lawn.
THE BEST TIME TO AERATE
Ever want to have your own green lawn? You’ll need to aerate your lawn. Aeration is the process of removing plugs from soil or a surface in order for air and water can get into the ground below, making space for more roots. It’s best if you do this during periods when grasses are naturally growing their fastest so that they don’t stress out too much as we take away some of its food source (the root). If not done at these times, then try doing it before going dormant with winter.
As with most larger lawn projects such as planting grass seed; timing matters! Ideally, humans should be able to help contribute by fertilizing where needed and applying pesticides accordingly but there will come times where human intervention may result in negative results for your lawn.
A cool-season lawn and a warm-season lawn are two very different breeds of grass. The best time to aerate depends on what type you have, but either way, it’s important for both types!
Cool-season grasses need an early fall or spring treatment when they’re in active growth. Warm-season varieties should be done during the late summertime at the end of their growing cycle– this makes them recover more quickly from any damage caused by excavating equipment while taking advantage of green shoots just coming up over winter months.
Soil is the key to aeration. A moist soil eases your (or your equipment operator’s) job and also benefits your lawn by improving drainage, water retention, oxygen levels in the ground while reducing compaction – all of which are necessary for a healthy turfgrass stand! It never hurts to take care of yourself or do something nice for someone else too; offer them an iced tea before they get started with that good work on their hands.
HOW TO AERATE YOUR LAWN
Aerators come in three main types. They are all effective to aerate your lawn:
Spike aerators are simple tools that poke holes in the ground with a single spike. This is more of an inconvenience than anything as it makes yard work take longer and can cause compaction, which worsens soil condition. However, there has been research done on how to prevent this issue by spacing out spikes or using other methods such as vibrating tines for better penetration into compacted soils with low water holding capacity. Some homeowners rely on “spiked aerator sandals” strappe
d to their shoes to help them as they do yard work. While better than nothing, they typically do not create large enough holes to be effective.
Slicing aerators, unlike other aerators, create pathways for air and nutrients without causing more compaction. The rotating blades slice through the grass to reduce thatch buildup while the down-pointing spikes puncture deep into soil loosening it up as they go.The advantages of a slashing blade are twofold: It cuts or slices through thick turfgrass and decaying organic matter, like composted leaves from last fall’s yard cleanup. These rotary cutters also leave the soil in place because their downward pointed metal tines pierce deeply below ground level where many seeds lie dormant waiting to be awakened by next spring’s warm sunrays filtering overhead at just the right angle on top of those rich nutrient deposits left behind when you used your garden rake.
Core or plug aerators, typically preferred by lawn professionals for their ability to quickly and efficiently remove plugs from the grass while depositing them on top of other parts of your yard where they break down over time. This is a favorite among professional landscapers because it doesn’t tear up any surrounding plants that may be touching one another in an effort to hold onto soil from erosion. The size varies depending upon the machine used but can range anywhere between 1-2 inches wide with depth-dependent upon the amount tamped into the ground during use; this device also helps circulate air throughout turf which promotes deeper roots growing down below surface level towards water table when irrigation systems are installed correctly around perimeter edge area as well as at center point like midpoint divider line so that dry spots are addressed.
WHAT TO DO AFTER AERATION
After aerating your lawn, let the soil plugs or extra dirt dry where they fall. Leave them to decompose and provide a healthy layer of organic material on top of your lawn surface for future growth!
Right after aeration is a perfect time to overseed with premium seed such as MowCow’s exclusive blend and fertilize your lawn or do simple lawn repairs. The combination of the two can help put your lawn on the fast track for quick seed establishment, thicker growth, and lusher plants.
Ensure your lawn is healthy, thick, and gorgeous with MowCow’s help. By adding aeration to the annual task list or doing regular compaction tests, you can check for need so that your lawn has all of its potential fulfilled! Our teams of experts are ready to help you aerate your lawn.
One Response
Several years ago we had our lawn “plugged”. For weeks the lawn looked as if hundreds of big dogs had pooped on our lawn! So we do NOT like or want the plug technic, instead we’d like to schedule in late September for slice aerators.
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