Your plants need air obviously to grow. Aerating your lawn is the perfect solution because it provides air to the roots and improves water penetration. Aerating your lawn means punching holes in the soil so it breaks through a thatch layer (little pieces of grass that die and gather just above the soil) which will enable the roots to breathe.
Other than that, aeration allows water and nutrients to penetrate the grass roots without any blockage. If your lawn has not been aerated for a number of years, the soil will get harder and eventually start rejecting fertilizer and water. As soil becomes tighter, grass will grow less and will start thinning and eventually dying.
First of all,you need to know where your lawn needs aeration. Worn-outareas which receive heavy foot traffic can compact soil which can force the air out. The compacted areas are those where water puddles up. Eventually, the grass starts turning brown because the roots are not receiving air or water. If your grass starts turning brown it will build up layers and will eventually need dethatching. Details about what detaching is can be found on this page. Additionally,if the water doesn’t stay on the lawn after you have watered it, your lawn needs aeration.
You can use a core aerator which has hollow metal tubes that remove patches of soil. Remove soil cores that are that are 3 inches long. It is best to aerate your lawn when the soil is slightly moist and not dry or too wet. For instance, you can do it after watering the lawn. The preferred condition for properly aerated lawns should be 20 to 40 holes per square foot. Use a core aerator once you have aerated the lawn to break the soil cores. You can rent a core aerator from a local tool/equipment rental agency, or you can let a professional from Schwartz Brothers Landscape Solutions take care of it for you.
Another type of tool used is spike aerator with which you can poke holes into the ground with a solid tine, or fork. They are not as effective as core aerators. View this webpage for more.
You should try to leave a three to four-inch space between holes. For this, you need to make passes, at least two, and in different directions. The thing with aeration machines is they will not cover large surface of soil in one pass so you will have to pass them over the affected area multiple times.Let the soil plugs which have been dug up dry and then break them using a lawnmower or rake.
Aeration done correctly will provide you with a luscious looking lawn. More air and water mean happier roots and a healthier lawn.
Find out more about our aeration services.
