By Nicole Wise on Aug 7, 2012 5:14:00 PM
September is only a month away, which means it’s high time to start considering lawn aeration and seeding. How do you know if your lawn needs to be aerated and why is it important?
Core aeration is the process of removing small plugs of soil from the lawn. Doing this helps loosen hard compacted soils and improves air exchange in the soil. It also helps improve water absorption and stimulate a deeper root system. The holes pocketed in the soil from core aeration allow fertilizer and soil amendments to enter the soil quickly and easily. Furthermore, thatch is reduced and microbial activity is accelerated!
All lawns benefit from core aeration; however, certain lawns need it more than others. If your yard contains clay soils, you are probably in need of aeration. Clay soils get compacted easily and that leads to all sorts of lawn care problems. If your lawn suffers from heavy traffic, you also run the risk of compact soils. Other signs to be on the look out for are: water run off from rain or irrigation, lawns that brown easily in the summer or lawns with 1/2’’ or more of thatch. Looking for thatch is an especially important thing to look out for when there is a drought.
If you have any doubts about whether or not your lawn needs aeration, talk to your lawn care provider! Aeration could be your ticket to the perfect green grass.
Stay tuned for our next entry in the Behind the Science of Holganix series or subscribe and we’ll send it to you via email automatically! The subscribe button is to the left of the article or you can find it when you leave a comment on this entry.
