Achieving gorgeous and vigorous grass growth is what we always want for our lawn. Paring some patience with just the right amount of knowledge in aerating would prove beneficial for each one of us. Who doesn’t want to be the envy of the neighborhood? To accomplish this goal, it’s important to know the steps on when and how to aerate your lawn.
What is Lawn Aeration
Before going deep, let’s talk first about what lawn aeration is. By definition, it is the means of ensuring that essential nutrients, air, and water can penetrate deep into the roots of the lawn’s grass. By doing that, your grass will have stronger roots which help them survive from stressful situations not limited to lawn diseases, drought, and low rainfall. Furthermore, it also alleviates the problem of soil compaction which is responsible for thinning out your turf, cutting off water and nutrients to the root system and could even eventually end the life of your lawn.
How to Aerate Your Lawn
Before you begin, there are three main types of aerating equipment that you should know – slicing aerators, spike aerators, and core aerators. Below, you’ll be able to understand what they are and how different they work:
- Slicing aerators have sharp blades that cut through the grass, the thatch layer, and down into the soil. When aerating, you can see that they create pathways for nutrients, air, and water.
- Spike aerators have spike-like tines (e.g. pitchfork) that can be used for poking and creating a hole down into the soil.
- Core or plug aerators use hollow tines that scoop out plugs of soil from the lawn which are then left on top. The plugs of soil that were removed remain on the top of the lawn, eventually break down and are beneficial for lawn growth.
Most landscaping and lawn care companies prefer using core or plug aerators as they are more used than the other two. It is not recommended to use spike aerators; aside from their inefficiency in being very difficult to cover a lot of ground, they also have a tendency to worsen your soil’s compaction on the areas surrounding the hole.
To be the envy of the neighborhood, it’s crucial to aerate your lawn. Here are some lawn care tips that will help you do it.
1. Make sure your lawn is not too dry or too wet. It’s good practice to remember that. Aerating on dry soil will make it difficult for the aerator to create a hole. On the other hand, doing it on soil full of moisture will make the aerators unable to pull out the plugs.
2. Check and mark your lawn for dangerous objects to avoid when aerating (e.g. sprinkler heads, utility lines, etc.)
3. Core or plug aerating equipment usually isn’t very wide, so the amount of coverage per pass is fairly small. To maximize their efficiency, it is best to make multiple passes, and in differing directions (doing it perpendicularly) especially over areas that have severely compacted soil.
4. The plugs of soil that remain after aerating should be left alone on the lawn to break down and give nutrients back to the grass.
5. After aerating, continue doing your lawn maintenance through watering, mowing, and fertilizing. Water your aerated lawn every two to three days for the following few weeks.
When to Aerate Your Lawn
The best time to aerate your lawn is during your grass’s growing season. By doing that, it could recover quickly and fill in the holes that were created. Early spring or fall works best for cool-season grass. While late spring through early summer for warm-season grass. There are also different soil types. If your lawn consists of heavy clay soil, you’re gonna have to consider aerating annually. For healthy lawns or ones composed of sandy soil, you only have to aerate every other year.
Lawn Aeration Service in Nampa, Idaho
Aeration is an integral part for you to achieve a vigorous and beautiful looking lawn. It only needs to be done rarely but you need not to worry. Don’t hassle yourself in doing this strenuous task! Green Blades is particular in aerating your lawn. As landscaping professionals, we’ll make sure you’ll have that gorgeous lawn you’ve always been dreaming of!
Know more by reaching us through our contact page. Aside from lawn aeration, we also offer other lawn care and landscaping services that you can avail of. Giving service in Nampa, Idaho for over 15 years and counting, we’ll always be eager to help you!
